Chapter 25: Qualified Charitable Distributions
The worksheets from Chapter 25 of Fifty-Five. Type your own numbers, or try an example from the book to see how each one works.
The 2026 IRMAA table
Your MAGI from two years earlier picks your row. Type your MAGI into a calculator below and it finds the row for you. Or find it here and work the paper worksheet.
| Row | Individual return MAGI | Joint return MAGI | Part B premium, a month | Part D surcharge, a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $109,000 or less | $218,000 or less | $202.90 | $0.00 |
| 2 | Over $109,000 up to $137,000 | Over $218,000 up to $274,000 | $284.10 | $14.50 |
| 3 | Over $137,000 up to $171,000 | Over $274,000 up to $342,000 | $405.80 | $37.50 |
| 4 | Over $171,000 up to $205,000 | Over $342,000 up to $410,000 | $527.50 | $60.40 |
| 5 | Over $205,000 and under $500,000 | Over $410,000 and under $750,000 | $649.20 | $83.30 |
| 6 | $500,000 or more | $750,000 or more | $689.90 | $91.00 |
Married filing separately, if you lived with your spouse at any time in the year
| Row | MAGI | Part B premium, a month | Part D surcharge, a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $109,000 or less | $202.90 | $0.00 |
| 2 | Over $109,000 and under $391,000 | $649.20 | $83.30 |
| 3 | $391,000 or more | $689.90 | $91.00 |
MAGI here is your adjusted gross income plus any tax-exempt interest. The Part D surcharge is added to your plan's own premium. Each person on Medicare pays these amounts.
Where these figures come from: The 2026 Part B premium and Part D surcharge for every row of the IRMAA table, used when you type your MAGI (CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles); The 2026 IRMAA income lines for individual, joint and married-filing-separately returns (SSA, Premiums: Rules for Higher-Income Beneficiaries). They are the 2026 amounts and they change every year.
What a QCD saves on taxes
The federal income tax a qualified charitable distribution saves, because the gift never shows up in your income. If you itemize, it also shows how that compares with a gift by check.
The formula: If you take the standard deduction: QCD amount × Your torpedo multiplier × Your bracket = Tax you save
The calculator needs JavaScript. The paper worksheet below does not: it is the same arithmetic, written out.
The paper worksheet
QCD amount $__________ × Torpedo multiplier ______ × Your bracket, as a decimal 0.______ = Tax you save $__________
Walk through it, step by step
- Decide how much you'll give this year to charities that accept QCDs.
- Work out your taxable Social Security, and whether you're in the torpedo (Chapter 24).
- Pick your multiplier: 1.85, 1.5 or 1.
- Find your bracket (Chapter 7).
- Multiply.
Check your answer
- If you take the standard deduction, your saving should be at least your gift × your bracket.
- If you itemize, your income tax saving should be small. Look at the Medicare check below instead.
Figures this worksheet uses, and where they come from: The 50% and 85% rules for taxable Social Security, which give the 1.5 and 1.85 multipliers (IRS, Publication 915); A QCD is left out of income (IRS, Publication 590-B).
The Medicare check
Where a QCD leaves your MAGI against the IRMAA line beneath you, and what dropping a row is worth in Medicare premiums.
The formula: MAGI without the QCD − (QCD × Torpedo multiplier) = MAGI with the QCD. Compare with the IRMAA line.
The calculator needs JavaScript. The paper worksheet below does not: it is the same arithmetic, written out.
The paper worksheet
QCD $__________ × Torpedo multiplier ______ = MAGI drop $__________
MAGI without the QCD $__________ − MAGI drop $__________ = MAGI with the QCD $__________
IRMAA line $__________ − MAGI with the QCD $__________ = Room under the line $__________
Walk through it, step by step
- Work out your MAGI for the year without the QCD (Chapter 3's worksheet, or Chapter 24 if you're in the torpedo).
- Pick your multiplier: 1.85 in the torpedo, 1.5 between the lower lines, 1 if 85% of your Social Security is already taxable.
- Multiply your planned QCD by it. That's your MAGI drop.
- Subtract the drop from your MAGI.
- Subtract the result from the IRMAA line for your filing status.
Check your answer
- If your room under the line is negative, you're still over. A bigger QCD, or one from your spouse's IRA, might close the gap.
- Remember the two-year lookback (Chapter 11). A QCD this year lowers your premiums two years from now.
Figures this worksheet uses, and where they come from: The 2026 Part B premium and Part D surcharge for every row of the IRMAA table, used when you type your MAGI (CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles); The 2026 IRMAA income lines for individual, joint and married-filing-separately returns (SSA, Premiums: Rules for Higher-Income Beneficiaries); The 50% and 85% rules for taxable Social Security, which give the 1.5 and 1.85 multipliers (IRS, Publication 915).
Your RMD after the QCD
How much of this year's RMD is left to take as a regular, taxable withdrawal once your QCDs are counted.
The formula: This year's RMD − QCDs this year = What you still have to take out (and pay tax on)
The calculator needs JavaScript. The paper worksheet below does not: it is the same arithmetic, written out.
The paper worksheet
RMD $__________ − QCDs $__________ = Still to take $__________
If the answer is zero or less, your QCDs have covered your whole RMD.
Walk through it, step by step
- Figure this year's RMD (Chapter 23).
- Add up the QCDs you've made or plan to make this year.
- Subtract. If the answer is more than zero, that's what you still have to take out, and it's taxable.
- Do the QCDs first in the year, before you take the rest of the RMD.
Check your answer
- Your QCDs plus what you still have to take should equal your RMD, unless your QCDs were more than it.
- Your QCDs can't be more than $111,000 each (2026).
Figures this worksheet uses, and where they come from: 2026 QCD limit: $111,000 for each person (IRS, Notice 2025-67); QCDs count toward the year's RMD and are left out of income (IRS, Publication 590-B).