We asked our wedding guests to give money to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Can we write off their donations?

By Quentin Fottrell

'There were substantial donations made'

"Can these be written off on our tax return or does the deduction go to the gift giver?" (Photo subject is a model.)

Dear Quentin,

At our wedding, my husband and I requested donations to St. Jude Children's Hospital. There were substantial donations made. My question is short and sweet: Can these be written off on our tax return, or does the deduction go to the gift giver?

The Bride

Related: My wife and I passed on a family wedding due to a 'no-child' rule. We're now attending a friend's nuptials without our kids. Are we hypocrites?

You can email The Moneyist with any financial and ethical questions at qfottrell@marketwatch.com. The Moneyist regrets he cannot reply to questions individually.

Chances are your guests will take the standard deduction rather than itemize those donations to St. Jude's.

Dear Bride,

A tax-efficient wedding. How romantic!

Unfortunately, your guests get the write-off, however, not you. The Internal Revenue Service allows the donor to write off a donation to a charitable organization - in this case, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Your request that your guests make donations was a generous one, particularly as wedding guests often give the happy couple anywhere between $75 and $500 - or sometimes more. Meanwhile, you are paying thousands of dollars for a wedding, with no gifts to offset the cost.

Chances are most of your guests will take the standard deduction rather than itemize those donations. People itemize charitable gifts if their total allowable itemized deductions - including donations to qualified charities, mortgage interest, and state and local taxes - exceed the standard deduction. For 2025, the standard deduction is $15,750 for single people or married people filing separately, $31,500 for married filing jointly or a qualifying surviving spouse, and $23,625 for a head of household.

Related: 'I'm an endless honey pot': My wife and I are in our 70s. We gave our son $40,000 for his L.A. wedding. Now he wants more.

Charitable giving just got easier

Taking a write-off for a donation to charity also recently got a little easier. Starting with the 2026 tax year - for people filing next year - people can deduct cash donations to qualified charities of up to $1,000 for single filers or $2,000 for married filing jointly without itemizing deductions, per last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This permanent "above-the-line" deduction applies to cash gifts (or credit-card donations) rather than donated goods or services.

During a podcast with the ACTEC Foundation, a nonprofit that advises wealth planners, Christopher Hoyt, a professor of law at the University of Missouri School of Law in Kansas City who specializes in federal income taxation, charitable organizations and retirement plans, explained how this new rule helps taxpayers such as your wedding guests. "More people will be able to deduct their charitable gifts in 2026 because we now have a tax deduction for non-itemizers," he said.

This goes back to the hassle of itemizing donations. "Only about 10% of taxpayers itemize their deductions and take advantage of the charitable income tax deduction. Ninety percent of taxpayers use the standard deduction, but now in 2026, the non-itemizers are able to get a tax deduction for the charitable gifts," he said. "What will not qualify is clothing or household items. The deduction is not available for gifts to donor-advised funds, private grant foundations and supporting organizations."

I have another dilemma for you: If your guests don't give you physical gifts or cash and donate to charity instead, are you still required to send them a thank-you note? Yes, you are. They took the time to attend your wedding and wrote a check to your favorite charity. So by all means send them a thank-you note for their attendance, graciousness and generosity, if you have not done so already.

Some people confuse charitable donations with monetary gifts. The IRS allows people to give individuals up to $19,000 annually ($38,000 for married couples) without being required to report the gift to the IRS. This annual exclusion applies to cash, stocks and even property. If wedding guests exceed this limit in their gift to the couple, they must file a Form 709 - although there is a total lifetime tax-free gift allowance of $15 million for 2026 (up from $13.99 million last year).

Let's raise a glass of champagne to you, your guests - and Uncle Sam.

Related: An older relative wants to give my daughter $19,000 when she turns 18. I said no. Who's right?

More columns from Quentin Fottrell:

We're in our 70s with no heirs. I like donating $30,000 from our $700,000 IRA to charity - my husband disagrees. Who's right?

'This is an overlooked catastrophe': Why do so many hospitals not accept Medicare Advantage for cancer patients?

'I was shoveling sidewalks at 8 years old': I'm a 73-year-old boomer dad with two kids. Here's what I teach them about finance

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-Quentin Fottrell

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04-15-26 0440ET