Free Donation Receipt Template

Copy-and-paste donation receipt templates for churches and 501(c)(3) nonprofits, with the wording IRS Publication 1771 (Rev. 11-2023) describes. Use one receipt per gift, or send one year-end giving statement that covers the whole year. This is a summary, not tax or legal advice.

When a tax donation receipt is required

• A single gift of $250 or more: the donor can't deduct it without a written acknowledgment from your organization (Pub. 1771, "Contemporaneous Written Acknowledgment"). One annual summary can cover several such gifts.
• Gifts under $250: a bank record or a written communication from the charity with your organization's name, the date and the amount is enough for the donor. Many organizations send a receipt anyway.
• Separate gifts aren't added together. Weekly offerings under $250 each don't need a $250 acknowledgment just because the yearly total is higher.
• A payment over $75 where the donor got something back (a dinner ticket, a gift): your organization must give a written disclosure statement (Pub. 1771, "Written Disclosure Statement"). See template 3.

What a donation receipt should include

• Your organization's name
• The amount of a cash gift (cash, check, card or online)
• For non-cash gifts: a description of the property, but not its value (the donor determines the value)
• A statement that no goods or services were provided, or a description and good-faith estimate of the value of what was provided
• Churches: if only intangible religious benefits were provided, a statement saying so
• The date of the gift and the date of the receipt

No IRS form is required, and the donor's Social Security number isn't needed. Paper or email both work. The donor must have the acknowledgment by the earlier of the date they file or their return's due date (including extensions); Pub. 1771 notes charities typically send them by January 31.

Template 1: Cash or check donation receipt

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Churches can use: "No goods or services were provided in exchange for this contribution other than intangible religious benefits."

Template 2: Non-cash (in-kind) donation receipt

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Pub. 1771 says the acknowledgment describes non-cash property but doesn't need to value it. Donated cars, boats and airplanes claimed at over $500 follow separate rules (IRS Publication 4302 and Form 1098-C).

Template 3: Receipt when the donor received something (quid pro quo)

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The $100 / $40 numbers are Pub. 1771's own concert-ticket example. A disclosure isn't needed for items of insubstantial value under the "token exception" (for example low-cost mailing labels or greeting cards), and Pub. 1771 lists a $10-per-contribution penalty (up to $5,000 per event or mailing) for missing disclosures.

Printable example (sample donation receipt)

Made-up names and numbers. Print this example

Grace Community Church
100 Main Street
Kingwood, TX 77339
EIN: 12-3456789

Donation Receipt
Receipt #: 0142
Date issued: March 18, 2026

Donor: Ruth Anderson
118 Oak Hollow Dr
Kingwood, TX 77339

Date received	Description	Method	Amount
03/15/2026	Building Fund	Check #1107	$500.00

No goods or services were provided in exchange for this contribution other than intangible religious benefits.

Thank you for your generous support.

Pat Morgan
Treasurer, Grace Community Church

Donation receipt or year-end statement?

Both meet the same IRS rules. Many churches skip per-gift receipts and send one year-end giving statement per donor listing every gift with the right goods-and-services line. That's what the free tool makes: CSV or Excel in, one PDF per donor out. For letter wording, see tax donation letter samples, and for the full rules, IRS donation receipt requirements.