Your Crypto Donation Receipt: What It Shows and How to Use It
When you give crypto through DonateCrypto, you get two emails: a quick acknowledgment and, once we have verified your gift on the blockchain, an official receipt. This guide explains what the receipt shows, why it lists your coins rather than a dollar value, which IRS rules it helps you meet, and what to do if you have lost it.
By Global Relief Group · Last updated:
A receipt is what turns a crypto transfer into a documented charitable gift. If you give an email address when you donate, we send everything you need automatically. This page explains what arrives and how to use it if you are a US taxpayer.
Two emails: acknowledgment, then official receipt
- When you submit your transaction ID, we email an acknowledgment that we have recorded your donation. It is not a tax receipt.
- Our team then checks the transaction on the blockchain: that it reached our address, on the right network, for the coin you chose. In My Donations it shows as Pending.
- Once verified, the donation switches to Confirmed and we email your official receipt. Keep this one for your tax records.
What the official receipt shows
- Our name, Global Relief Group (DonateCrypto program), our status as a US 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, our EIN 27-3281810, and our address.
- A receipt number and the date of your contribution.
- The property you gave: the quantity of the coin we received and its network, for example 0.05 BTC on the Bitcoin network.
- The blockchain transaction ID, so anyone can check the gift on a public explorer.
- The value you entered when giving, marked “for reference only” (see below).
- The cause you chose.
- A statement that no goods or services were provided in exchange for your contribution.
The receipt also explains that your choice of cause is a preference we honour wherever possible, while Global Relief Group keeps legal control over how donations are used. That is standard for a tax-deductible gift to a US charity.
Why the receipt lists coins, not a dollar value
The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property, not cash. For gifts of property, its rules say the charity’s acknowledgment should include a description of the property but not its fair market value (IRS Publication 1771). Working out the value is the donor’s job. If you held the coins for more than a year, your deduction is generally their fair market value on the date of the gift. If you held them for a year or less, it is the lower of what you paid for them (your cost basis) and their fair market value. The figure you typed when donating appears only as a reference, because prices move between the moment you choose an amount and the moment your transaction confirms.
What the IRS asks for, by gift size
| Your deduction | What you need |
|---|---|
| Any single gift of $250 or more | A written acknowledgment from the charity, which our official receipt provides. You must have it by the date you file, or the due date of your return including extensions, whichever is earlier |
| Non-cash gifts totalling more than $500 in a year | Form 8283 with your return; Section A covers deductions of up to $5,000 |
| More than $5,000 for similar items in a year | A qualified appraisal and Form 8283 Section B, signed by us in Part V. An exchange price alone isn’t enough for crypto |
| More than $500,000 | Attach the appraisal itself to your return |
Separate gifts under $250 each aren’t added together for the $250 rule, but for the $5,000 appraisal test the IRS adds up “similar items” given during the year, even to different charities. The appraisal must be dated no earlier than 60 days before the gift. Our signature in Part V of Form 8283 confirms we received the crypto; it doesn’t mean we agree with the appraised value. Contact us when you need it signed.
Records to keep with your receipt
- Our official receipt and the transaction ID.
- The date and time of the transfer.
- How much of the coin you gave.
- When you acquired those coins and what you paid for them (your cost basis), which decides whether you can deduct their full market value.
- How you worked out the fair market value, and the appraisal if you needed one.
From 2026, the new deduction for people who don’t itemize covers cash gifts only, so you need to itemize to deduct a crypto gift, and only the part of your total charitable deductions above 0.5% of your adjusted gross income counts. Our US crypto donation tax guide explains the deduction rules in full. This is general information, not tax advice.
If we sell your crypto within three years: Form 8282
If we sign Section B of your Form 8283 and then sell or otherwise dispose of the crypto within three years, the IRS requires us to file Form 8282 within 125 days, and we send you a copy. Because we convert donations into traditional currency within 24 hours of confirming them, if we sign your Section B you should expect to receive a copy. It reports what we received when we sold; it doesn’t change your deduction by itself, but your tax adviser may want to see it.
If you didn’t get a receipt, or lost it
- You didn’t give an email: the confirmation screen lets you add one after you submit. Without an email we have nowhere to send a receipt.
- You have an account: sign in to My Donations to see your donations and download receipts.
- It is still Pending: we send the official receipt once we have verified the transaction. Check it has confirmed on the blockchain; our guide to verifying your donation shows how.
- Anything else: contact us with the transaction ID and we will resend it.
Common questions
Does the receipt need my name or Social Security number?
No. IRS Publication 1771 says the acknowledgment doesn’t need your Social Security or tax identification number, and your name isn’t on the IRS list of what it must contain. Your email ties the receipt to you.
Can I get one receipt for the whole year?
Each donation has its own receipt. If you have an account, My Donations lists all of them in one place.
I live outside the US. Is the receipt useful to me?
It records what you gave and when, which is useful evidence anywhere, but tax relief for gifts to a US charity depends on your country’s rules. Check with a local tax adviser.