Charitable gifts have tax consequences and benefits that are key to any financial and estate plan. This paper discusses charitable giving strategies and tips for best practices for estate planning practitioners. It provides a background on charitable tax incentive basics, including calculating the charitable donation tax credit, applying charitable donation tax rules to estates, cautionary notes, and example calculations. As well, this paper discusses practical issues and practice pointers for estate planning where a charity is a beneficiary. Finally, strategies and tips for increasing charitable gifts and client satisfaction are provided, along with a checklist for discussing charitable gifts with clients.

This paper is part of a collection presented at LESA’s Estate Planning Essentials program in Calgary on October 20, 2016 and in Edmonton on October 27, 2016.