How to Fill Out and Submit TIAA Form F41205: QCD Request

TIAA Form F41205 is the request you submit to move money directly from a TIAA self-directed or managed brokerage IRA to a qualified charity as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). You can download the form from TIAA’s website, upload the signed version through your online account or the TIAA mobile app, or mail it to TIAA Trust at 211 North Broadway, Suite 1000, St. Louis, MO 63102-2733. TIAA processes requests in good order within five business days of receipt.¹²

Check That You and the Account Qualify

You must be at least 70½ on the date of the distribution. This is measured from your actual birth date, not the calendar year you turned 70. The account has to be an individual retirement plan under Section 408; SEP IRAs (subsection (k)) and SIMPLE IRAs (subsection (p)) are excluded by statute.³ If your TIAA balance sits in an employer-sponsored retirement plan rather than a brokerage IRA, Form F41205 will not work for it.¹

For the 2026 tax year, the annual QCD exclusion is $111,000 per person. A spouse with a qualifying IRA has a separate $111,000 limit on a joint return. There is also a one-time election to send up to $55,000 to a split-interest entity such as a charitable gift annuity or charitable remainder trust.⁴ These figures are indexed for inflation, so verify the current cap before you commit to a large gift.

Confirm the Charity Qualifies

The recipient must be an organization described in Section 170(b)(1)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code. The statute specifically bars three recipient types: donor-advised funds, private foundations, and supporting organizations.³ A donor-advised fund account at Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, or a community foundation cannot receive a QCD, even though the sponsor itself is tax-exempt.

You also cannot receive anything of value in exchange. Gala tickets, auction items, raffle entries, and similar benefits disqualify the entire distribution, not just the value of the benefit. A $5,000 QCD used to buy a table at a fundraising dinner fails completely, even if the dinner is worth $200. The charity’s written acknowledgment has to confirm that no goods or services were provided in return.

What to Gather Before You Start

Your TIAA brokerage IRA account number.
The charity’s legal name as registered with the IRS, not an abbreviation or informal name.
The charity’s nine-digit Employer Identification Number. You can verify it, and the organization’s tax-exempt status, through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.⁵
The charity’s mailing address for donations. TIAA sends a physical check, so use the address the organization uses to receive gifts, not a general office.¹
The dollar amount. The minimum distribution is $100.²
A donor ID, if you want one printed on the check so the charity can match the payment to your record. If your donor ID is your Social Security number, TIAA will not print it on the payment for security reasons.¹

Completing the Form

Enter your personal information, the brokerage IRA account number, the distribution amount, and the charity’s name, EIN, and mailing address. Every field marked with an asterisk is required. Sign and date the form.

To split a QCD among several charities, you do not need a separate form for each. You can list additional recipients on copied pages or a printed attachment, and each attached page must include all required fields and be separately signed and dated.¹ Verify every EIN digit; a wrong number can route the payment to a different organization or stall the request.

Submitting the Form

The faster option is uploading the signed form through the secure document upload in your TIAA online account or the mobile app. Otherwise, mail it to:

TIAA Trust
211 North Broadway, Suite 1000
St. Louis, MO 63102-2733²

If you mail it, use a trackable service so you have proof of delivery. TIAA processes requests in good order within five business days after receipt.¹ Once the request is approved, TIAA mails a check payable to the charity with your name noted on it, and you’ll see a confirmation online or receive one by mail.

Sequence Your QCD Before Other Withdrawals

If you’re using the QCD to satisfy a Required Minimum Distribution, order matters. The IRS applies a “first dollars out” rule: the first money withdrawn from your IRA in the year counts as your RMD. If your RMD is $13,000 and you take a $10,000 regular withdrawal in February before submitting a $5,000 QCD in June, only $3,000 of the QCD offsets the remaining RMD. The other $2,000 becomes an ordinary taxable distribution. Submit the QCD before taking any other distributions from that IRA for the year.

The QCD age of 70½ is lower than the RMD start age, so between 70½ and the year your RMDs begin you can still make QCDs. They reduce the taxable balance of the IRA even when no RMD is yet in play.

Year-End Deadlines

For a QCD to count toward the current tax year, the check must be issued, received by the charity, and cashed by December 31. A check sitting unopened at the charity on January 2 does not qualify, even if TIAA cut it in November. If the charity never cashes the check, the distribution fails as a QCD and becomes taxable. Given the five-business-day processing window plus mailing time, early to mid-November is a comfortable submission date. Waiting until mid-December is a gamble, and for large year-end gifts, calling the charity after about two weeks to confirm deposit is worth the time.

Reporting the Distribution

TIAA reports the distribution on Form 1099-R. Beginning with 2025 distributions, the IRS added Code Y in Box 7 to flag a QCD, but for 2025 the use of Code Y is optional.⁶ Whether or not Code Y appears, reporting the QCD correctly on your own return is your responsibility.

On Form 1040 or 1040-SR, put the full distribution on line 4a. On line 4b, enter only the portion that is not a QCD; if the whole distribution was a QCD, enter zero. Write “QCD” next to line 4b.⁷ Do not also claim the amount as a charitable deduction on Schedule A. A QCD is an income exclusion, not a deduction, and taking both creates a problem.

Keep the charity’s written acknowledgment showing the amount received and confirming that no goods or services were provided. The IRS requires this acknowledgment for contributions of $250 or more, and you need it in hand by the earlier of the date you file your return or the return’s due date including extensions.⁸ Ask the charity for it soon after the check clears rather than chasing it during tax season.

1
TIAA. TIAA Form F41205 – Request for a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from a Brokerage Individual Retirement Account (IRA)
2
TIAA. Request for Qualified Charitable Distribution
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 408 – Individual Retirement Accounts
4
Congressional Research Service. Qualified Charitable Distributions from Individual Retirement Accounts
5
Internal Revenue Service. Tax Exempt Organization Search
6
Internal Revenue Service. Entering Code Y in a 2025 Form 1099-R Box 7 Is Optional
7
Internal Revenue Service. Publication 590-B (2025) – Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements
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Internal Revenue Service. Charitable Organizations – Substantiation and Disclosure Requirements