What is the tax-deductible donations limit in Australia?

In Australia, there is no upper limit on the amount you can claim as a tax deduction for charitable donations — as long as certain conditions are met.  

Your donation must be made to a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) — a registered charity or organisation approved by the ATO like ChildFund Australia. 

 – You can claim donations of $2 or more. 

 – The donation must be a true gift, meaning you don’t receive a material benefit in return (e.g. a raffle ticket or dinner). 

 – You’ll need a receipt from the charity that includes their ABN and confirms it’s a DGR. 

 – Donations are claimed in your individual tax return in the year they were made. 

While there’s no set cap, the donation deduction cannot create or increase a tax loss. If your deduction is larger than your taxable income, the excess can be carried forward to future tax years. 

To claim a tax deduction for a donation, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) requires you to have a receipt as proof of your gift. This helps confirm that the donation was made to a registered charity like ChildFund Australia and that it meets all the criteria for a tax deduction. However, there are some exceptions. For example: 

• If you donated through your employer’s workplace giving program, your payslip or payment summary may be enough evidence.

• For donations made through third-party platforms, you may be able to use the confirmation emails they send as proof.

Even so, we always recommend keeping your official receipt to make tax time easy and stress-free. If you ever misplace a receipt, don’t worry — just get in touch with us. We’re happy to help you retrieve a copy so you can claim your deduction with confidence.