Iowa Farm to Food Donation Tax Credit - Form IA 178
The Iowa Farm to Food Donation Tax Credit (Form IA 178) allows eligible donor-producers to claim a tax credit for donating food commodities to authorized food organizations. This credit supports food security in Iowa by incentivizing agricultural producers to donate surplus food.
Eligible Donors and Donations
- Donor-producers must donate food commodities such as dairy, eggs, meat, produce, or other eligible items.
- Donations must be made to authorized food organizations registered with the Iowa Department of Revenue.
- Donors must retain authorized receipts from the food organizations for verification purposes.
How to Calculate the Tax Credit
- Complete Part I of Form IA 178 by listing each donation, including:
- Food organization code (six-digit code from authorized receipt)
- Number of receipts
- Donated commodity type (dairy, eggs, meat, produce, or other)
- Donation quantity (in pounds, gallons, or quantity)
- Measurement unit (pounds for meat/produce, gallons for liquid dairy, quantity for eggs)
- Total donation value (quantity × per-unit price on donation date)
- Credit calculation: 15% of total donation value (Column F × 0.15)
- Sum the credit amounts in Column G (Part II, Line 1), but do not exceed $5,000.
- If receiving a tax credit from a pass-through entity (partnership, LLC, S corporation, estate, or trust), report that amount on Line 2.
Reporting Requirements
- Include Form IA 178 with your Iowa state tax return:
- IA 1040 (Individual Income Tax Return)
- IA 1041 (Fiduciary Return)
- IA 1120 (Corporation Income Tax)
- IA 1065 (Partnership Return)
- IA 1120S (S Corporation Income Tax Return)
- Report the credit on the IA 148 Tax Credits Schedule using tax credit code 26.
- For pass-through entities, report the credit on Schedule B and allocate shares to members on Schedule K-1 using tax credit code 26.
Important Notes
- Donations to different food organizations must be reported on separate lines.
- If a donation includes multiple commodity types to one organization, list each type separately.
- Fractional quantities should be rounded to the nearest whole unit (e.g., 142.7 lbs → 143 lbs).
- The Department may request authorized receipts at any time.
Source:
Form IA 178 - Farm to Food Donation Tax Credit
Disclaimer: Always verify details with official Federal or State Department of Revenue Forms and Instructions.