# Unclaimed charitable donations



## fryman (May 28, 2009)

I have been accumulating receipts from charitable donations for 5 years. I was about to enter them in my return but I'm not sure if I can do that. Did I have to claim and carry forward those receipts in the year I received them or can I just claim them all now in one lump sum?

Thanks, John


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## Jagas (Feb 11, 2013)

From a practical perspective you *should *be fine to claim them all now in one lump sum. You can carry forward donation credits and claim them for any of the next five years, so you will end up with the exact same end result had you included the donations in the previous years and simply not claimed them.


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## Guban (Jul 5, 2011)

fryman said:


> I have been accumulating receipts from charitable donations for 5 years. I was about to enter them in my return but I'm not sure if I can do that. Did I have to claim and carry forward those receipts in the year I received them or can I just claim them all now in one lump sum?
> 
> Thanks, John


Just include all 5 years on your return. You do not want to include them for the year you donated, as you would have to file a T1 adjustment for each year to do this. Plus, it is to your advantage to lump all of your receipts together as the donation amounts above $200 are worth more than those below $200. You should also be lumping donations from your spouse or common law partner if applicable.


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## fryman (May 28, 2009)

Thanks, really appreciate the replies!

John


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## WillyA (Apr 14, 2011)

Just make sure you keep the receipts properly as charitable donations is one area that cra keeps a close eye on especially if you are claiming donations for 5 years at once


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## fryman (May 28, 2009)

Yup!


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

WillyA said:


> Just make sure you keep the receipts properly as charitable donations is one area that cra keeps a close eye on especially if you are claiming donations for 5 years at once


Good point ... nothing and then five years worth at once is likely to get a closer look compared to a history of roughly the same amount reported each year before claiming it all at once.


Cheers


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