Donations to Educational Charities

Idaho allows you to give monetary contributions to certain educational and cultural organizations while reducing the amount of Idaho income tax you owe. This is a tax credit you can take even if you don’t itemize.

Idaho has a different tax credit for donations to youth and rehabilitation organizations. See Donations to Youth and Rehabilitation Charities.

Contributions and taxes

The credit applies only to contributions to the Idaho organizations in the next section. Contributions are reduced by the value of anything you received in return such as food, entertainment, or merchandise.

You can claim the credit on your Idaho income tax return for the year when you made the contributions.

  • For C and S corporations, the law limits the yearly credit to the smallest of:
    • $5,000
    • 10% of total income tax or franchise tax owed for the year
    • 50% of the amount donated
  • For all other businesses, individuals, and entities (such as estates and trusts), the law limits the yearly credit to the smallest of:
    • $500 per taxpayer ($1,000 total for married individuals filing jointly)
    • 50% of total income tax (for example, the amount on Form 40, line 21, for Idaho resident individuals)
    • 50% of the amount donated

Talk to your tax advisor or contact us if you have questions about this credit.

Organizations you can contribute to

For the contributions to count toward this credit, you must make them to one or more of these Idaho educational or cultural organizations:

  • The Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
  • The Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
  • The State Independent Living Council.
  • The Developmental Disabilities Council.
  • Nonprofit public or private institutions of elementary, secondary, or higher education or their foundations. The educational institution must be accredited.
  • A nonprofit corporation, fund, foundation, trust, or association benefitting only accredited institutions of higher education. This includes a university-related research park.
  • Accredited medical residency programs or their nonprofit support organizations devoted to training residents.
  • Foundations for Idaho public-broadcasting systems such as Idaho Public Television.
  • The Idaho STEM Action Center.
  • The Commission on Hispanic Affairs.
  • The Idaho Commission for Libraries, public libraries or their foundations, and library districts or their foundations.
  • The Idaho State Historical Society or its foundation.
  • Nonprofit public or private museums or their foundations. The museum must collect, preserve, and display objects of aesthetic, educational, or scientific value. It must be open to the public on a regular basis.
  • Dedicated accounts with the Idaho Community Foundation that exclusively support the organizations listed above.

Laws and rules

Idaho Code section 63-3029A

Idaho  Income Tax Administrative Rule 705