IR526 Excel - Free Template

1. Enter each donation on the Donations Log as soon as you pay it. Add the date, organisation, amount, receipt number and any notes while the details are still fresh.
2. Check the charity type and qualification field. If a donation does not meet the IR526 rules, mark it clearly so it does not end up in your claim total.
3. Review the estimated tax credit column. A $50 qualifying donation at a 33.33% credit rate gives an estimated credit of about $16.67.
4. Use the IR526 Summary sheet to total your claim for the year. That keeps your figures in one place when you are ready to submit to IRD.
5. Match the workbook back to your receipt file or bank statement. That is the quickest way to catch duplicates, missing dates or a donation entered twice.
6. Keep the Instructions sheet handy if more than one person helps with the records. It gives you a simple process to follow every time a new donation comes in.

This template is for anyone who gives to approved charities and wants to keep the paperwork straight for a donation tax credit claim. A household that gives $20 a week ends up with 52 entries a year, so a simple log is easier than digging through bank screenshots in April.

A volunteer treasurer, a sole trader who makes regular gifts, or a parent sorting family donations can all use the same sheet. If you donate $600 across the year at a 33.33% credit rate, the working estimate is about $200 back, so the numbers are worth recording properly.

Why the log matters

The Donations Log gives you one line per donation, which is much better than trying to rebuild a claim from memory. You can see the amount, receipt number and qualifying status in the same place, then hand the total to the IR526 Summary sheet when you are ready.

When the file gets used

Most people touch this workbook after each donation, then again near the end of the tax year when they are collecting receipts. That is the right time to check the totals and make sure every eligible donation is included once only.

For a donation tax credit claim, you need enough evidence to show the date, amount and recipient of the gift. Inland Revenue can ask for support later, so keeping the receipt number and charity name in the spreadsheet is practical, not just neat.

The record-keeping rule is simple: keep tax records for 7 years. If you donate $75 three times in a year, that is $225 of claims that should still be traceable back to the receipt and bank record long after the filing date.

How the credit works

The donation tax credit is calculated at 33.33% of eligible cash donations above the minimum claim rules. A $120 qualifying donation gives an estimated credit of about $40.00, while a $300 total gives about $100.00 in credit.

What to keep in the workbook

Use the claim year column to separate years cleanly, especially if you give around 31/03/2026 and want your records tidy for the next return cycle. If you are claiming as part of a wider tax file, the spreadsheet sits alongside your other Inland Revenue working papers, not instead of them.

The biggest problem is simple: the donation is real, but the evidence is not. If you misplace a receipt for a $250 gift, that is about $83.33 of credit at risk, and you may have to leave the claim out if you cannot support it.

Duplicate entries and wrong years

Another common issue is entering the same donation twice, especially when you copy last month’s lines forward. Two duplicate $100 entries can inflate your claim by about $66.66, which is exactly the sort of error that creates an awkward correction later.

Ineligible gifts mixed in with real donations

People also forget that not every payment qualifies as a donation tax credit claim. A subscription, raffle ticket or auction item is not the same as a cash gift, so the qualifying column is there to stop you putting the wrong amount into the IR526 total.

Missing the audit trail

If your notes are thin and the receipt file is messy, it takes ages to prove what happened. A tidy log saves you from spending an evening on old emails, bank statements and paper slips just to reconstruct $40 or $50 worth of credits.

Missing the audit trail is exactly where a clean year-end summary matters, and the IR3 income tax return spreadsheet keeps the totals and notes organised for the next filing stage.

The best way to keep using this spreadsheet is to tie it to something you already do. For most people that means updating it on the same day as the bank feed, the monthly bookkeeping tidy-up, or the annual tax file review.

Simple habits that stick

• Enter each donation within 24 hours so the receipt number and amount are still in front of you.
• Keep a single folder for receipts, then match the file name to the spreadsheet line.
• Use the qualifying column straight away so you do not need to re-check old entries in March.
• Copy last year’s workbook structure instead of starting from scratch each time.

When to move on from Excel

If you are handling dozens of donations each week, or you need shared access and live bank feeds, you may be better off with accounting software rather than a spreadsheet. For a small club or household with a few dozen gifts a year, this Excel file is usually the faster and cheaper option.

For a small club or household with a few dozen gifts a year, the same spreadsheet-style approach also works well for tax-return prep, and the IR4 company tax return workings template keeps the figures organised in a similar way.