A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) is a transfer made directly from an IRA to a qualified to a charity. The amount distributed counts toward an individual’s required minimum distribution (RMD) from their IRA for the year. In order to make a QCD, an individual must be 70 ½ or older as of December 31, 2019, and the individual may exclude up to $100,000 from their gross income. Since the QCD is excluded from gross income, a charitable deduction is not allowed for income tax purposes. However, due to the increase in the standard deduction beginning in 2018, fewer people benefit from itemizing their tax deductions rather than taking the standard deduction. Therefore, a QCD provides the tax advantage of excluding a portion or the entire amount of an RMD from taxable income when a charitable contribution would otherwise not be deductible.