Receipts & tax

The 501(c)(3) toggle tells SeasonKit whether the organization should issue charitable donation language for eligible donations. It should only be enabled when the organization is actually qualified to make that statement.

The EIN identifies the legal organization on receipts. Your treasurer should enter the legal EIN carefully and review it before accepting live donations.

If the organization is not a 501(c)(3), receipts should still show payment details, but they should not imply that the payment is tax-deductible.

For qualifying charitable donations, receipts can include language that no goods or services were provided in exchange for the donation. That language should be used only when it is accurate.

If a donor receives a sponsor placement, merchandise, cart item, travel credit, or another benefit, the receipt should not describe the full amount as a simple charitable gift.

When in doubt, ask a qualified advisor for the organization's tax treatment. SeasonKit can show the receipt language you set up, but the organization remains responsible for its own tax position.

A donation to a qualified 501(c)(3) organization can be tax-deductible when it is a true charitable contribution and the receipt language matches the transaction.

Cart payments, dues, travel payments, sponsor purchases, and other purchases are different. They should show the explicit line Not a charitable contribution when the payment is not a deductible donation.

Donors can review their claimed giving from Your account. Refunded donations should update the net deductible amount after refund processing.

A receipt's organization legal name and EIN never change after the receipt is created, even if the organization later updates its details in Settings.

This snapshot-on-issuance rule prevents past receipts from being rewritten after a payment succeeds. It also helps your treasurer reconcile old exports against the receipt the donor actually received.

If the organization updates its legal name, address, EIN, or 501(c)(3) status, new receipts should use the new details. Old receipts should remain tied to the original issuance snapshot.

Refunds change the amount the organization kept. For a fully refunded charitable donation, the receipt's net deductible amount should become zero.

For a partial refund, the receipt should show the original payment, the refunded amount, and the remaining deductible amount where applicable.

See Refunds for how donor requests and finance review fit into the receipt lifecycle.

Your treasurer should review the receipt setup before live checkout. Small mistakes in legal identity can create a long tail of donor support questions.

• Confirm the legal organization name is spelled correctly.
• Confirm the EIN belongs to the organization receiving donations.
• Confirm the 501(c)(3) toggle reflects the organization's real status.
• Confirm donation receipts and cart or sponsor receipts use different contribution language.
• Confirm refund handling updates net deductible amount without rewriting the original receipt identity.
• Keep a local finance contact ready for donors who need a corrected explanation.

Donors should save receipt emails and claim eligible donations to their account if they want an easier giving-history view later.

If a donor needs tax advice, direct them to their tax advisor. SeasonKit provides payment records and the receipt language you set up, not personal tax guidance.

If a donor paid for a cart item or sponsorship, remind them to rely on the receipt line for that payment rather than a campaign summary.

Keep donor-facing explanations consistent with the receipt, because the receipt is the durable record they will return to later.