What is the Foster Care Tax Credit? — How to Make a Difference while Filing your 2025 Arizona State Taxes

If you are anything like me, you are eagerly awaiting your annual W-2 that is coming just around the corner. Don’t get me wrong, doing my taxes is not my favorite task — However, I do look forward to taking advantage of Arizona’s unique Charitable Tax Credits. It is the easiest way that I can make an impact for charities, causes, and organizations I am passionate about, like Free Arts, at absolutely no out of pocket cost!

For the 2025 tax year, Arizona allows taxpayers to claim a tax credit for gifts made between now and April 15, 2026. That means if you didn’t make a gift in 2025 it is not too late to redirect your tax dollars towards Free Arts!

Free Arts is Qualified Foster Care Organization (QFCO) which means that this year you can claim up to $618 for individual filers and $1,234 for those filing jointly. The best part is if you have a larger tax liability, you can stack your tax credits. This means you can support Qualified Charitable Organizations (QCO), Public & Charter schools (PSTC) and even Tuition Organization (STO). Here is a quick break down for all you visual learners:


Now you know the basics, but how exactly does it work? Let’s use making a QFCO gift to Free Arts as an example — It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4!

  1. Make a charitable donation.
  2. Save your acknowledgement letter (an email also counts) so you can provide a copy with your Arizona tax return.
  3. Complete Arizona Form 352 when preparing your return. If you make your QFCO gift to Free Arts, make sure you enter Free Arts’ QFCO code, #10015, on the form.
  4. Kick your feet back and relax. You are wrapping up your taxes for the year, kudos!

Please consult your tax professional if you have any questions about your specific tax situation. For more information on the credit and how to claim it check out the AZDOR.

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