iStock/ThinkstockDid you make a donation to the charity of your choice last year? If so, you can deduct some — or all of it — from your taxes this year as long as you can prove to the taxman that the organization is legit.

“Get an acknowledgement or other receipt from the charity — in very many cases they’re required to give it to you — and you need to get that and have it in hand before you file your return to make sure that your records are complete,” says IRS spokesman Eric Smith.

If you made the donation last year but haven’t paid for it yet, that’s not necessarily a problem.

“If you decide to make it by charging it on a credit card, as long as you make that charge before the end of the year, you can still claim it on your 2016 return, even if you don’t pay the credit card bill until sometime after the new year begins,” Smith explains.

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