Planned Giving - Tax-Deductible Contributions to the HPS

Many Health Physics Society (HPS) members have asked, "How can charitable donations be provided to the HPS?" and "How can our donations be directed for use by the HPS?" The HPS is registered as a charitable organization and is approved by the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a tax-exempt 501(c)(6) organization. The HPS provides a mechanism for making donations as charitable contributions.

Charitable contributions can be made to the HPS as either "Donor Restricted" or "Donor Unrestricted." A Donor Restricted donation is one where the principal (and possibly the interest) has donor-imposed stipulations that do not expire with the passage of time. Donations for specifically named purposes or activities may have a threshold limitation on the amount of the contribution before acceptance. A Donor Unrestricted donation allows the contribution to be free of donor-imposed restrictions.

When making charitable contributions to the HPS, a tax deduction is generally available for taxpayers who itemize tax deductions, provided, in most cases, the total deduction does not exceed half of their annual adjusted gross income. Excess tax deductions may be carried forward to future tax returns for five tax years.

Charitable contributions you cannot deduct on your tax return include charitable contributions made to a specific individual, contributions for political purposes, your time or services, the cost of games of chance, or charitable contributions for which you expect to receive a financial benefit equal to the charitable contribution.

The IRS offers guidance on tax deductions for charitable donations on the IRS website. Further information may be obtained from by emailing the Society. A member of the Secretariat will contact you to discuss and plan any charitable contribution that you may wish to make to promote the future of the health physics profession. The HPS has the capability to accept donations of various kinds, including gifts of retirement plans, by wills or living trusts, insurance beneficiary, etc.


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