Make the Most of Your Charitable Giving — Act by December 31

A new law, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), passed in July 2025, will change how charitable deductions work starting in 2026. That makes 2025 a critical year to maximize your impact and tax benefits when giving to Bentley University.

What You Can Do in 2025

If You Itemize Deductions: Starting in 2026, charitable deductions will only apply to gifts that exceed 0.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI).

Example: If your AGI is $200,000, the first $1,000 of your charitable giving won’t be deductible in 2026. In 2025, however, every dollar you give counts toward your deduction, subject to existing AGI limits.

Smart Giving Strategies

Accelerate Your Giving

Consider “bunching” — combining multiple years of donations or pledge payments into 2025.

Example: If you typically give $10,000 annually, giving $50,000 this year could result in greater tax savings.

Make Sophisticated Gifts

Explore options like charitable gift annuities or charitable remainder trusts. These can provide:

• A large charitable deduction
• Income for you or your family
• A meaningful gift to Bentley

Plan Transfer of Wealth Gifts

Consider tools like charitable lead trusts or testamentary charitable remainder trusts. These allow you to:

• Transfer wealth to loved ones in a tax-smart way
• Make a lasting impact at Bentley

Donate Appreciated Assets

Giving stocks or mutual funds instead of cash helps you avoid capital gains tax and still claim the full value as a deduction.

Example: Donating stock worth $10,000 that you bought for $6,000 saves you tax on the $4,000 gain and a charitable deduction.

Use the Senior Boost

If you’re age 65 or older, you can add an extra $6,000 to your standard deduction from 2025 through 2028.