How can you donate Meta stock to charity?
By Vaibhav Goel, registered financial advisor (SEC record) · Formerly a product director at DoorDash, ex-Google, ex-Microsoft · LinkedIn
Updated September 17, 2026
For shares you have owned more than a year that are worth more than you paid, giving the stock usually beats selling it and donating the cash: you do not realize the gain, and the deduction is based on fair market value. Shares held under a year, or at a loss, change the math.
Give shares or give cash
The deduction for appreciated stock is based on fair market value, within the limits IRS Publications 526 and 561 set out.[20][21] The comparison below assumes shares held over a year, worth more than you paid, given to an eligible charity. Shares held under a year, or sitting at a loss, change the math — a loss is generally worth more realized than given away. Check the acquisition date and basis of the specific lot before you transfer it.
| Give the shares | Sell, then give cash | |
|---|---|---|
| Capital gain | None realized. The gain leaves with the shares. | Realized, and taxed on the sale. |
| Deduction | Fair market value on the date of the gift, for shares held over a year. | The cash amount, which is the proceeds after tax. |
| What the charity receives | The full value of the shares. | What was left after the tax on the sale. |
| Timing | A transfer between brokers, plus the recipient’s processing time. Start early. | Trade, settlement, then the gift. |
| Trading window | A bona fide gift is exempt from Meta’s trading policy. But a gift made in a closed period or while you hold inside information comes with a condition: the recipient must agree not to sell before you could have. | A sale, so the window rule applies in full. |
| Pre-clearance | If you are a 10b5-1 designated person, gifts and estate-planning transfers must be pre-cleared even in an open window. | Pre-clearance applies to trades by anyone on the Pre-Clear List. |
| What you can give | Only shares you own. RSUs cannot be transferred before they vest, other than by will or the laws of descent. | Same: the shares have to be yours before you can sell them. |
- Give the shares
- None realized. The gain leaves with the shares.
- Sell, then give cash
- Realized, and taxed on the sale.
- Give the shares
- Fair market value on the date of the gift, for shares held over a year.
- Sell, then give cash
- The cash amount, which is the proceeds after tax.
- Give the shares
- The full value of the shares.
- Sell, then give cash
- What was left after the tax on the sale.
- Give the shares
- A transfer between brokers, plus the recipient’s processing time. Start early.
- Sell, then give cash
- Trade, settlement, then the gift.
- Give the shares
- A bona fide gift is exempt from Meta’s trading policy. But a gift made in a closed period or while you hold inside information comes with a condition: the recipient must agree not to sell before you could have.
- Sell, then give cash
- A sale, so the window rule applies in full.
- Give the shares
- If you are a 10b5-1 designated person, gifts and estate-planning transfers must be pre-cleared even in an open window.
- Sell, then give cash
- Pre-clearance applies to trades by anyone on the Pre-Clear List.
- Give the shares
- Only shares you own. RSUs cannot be transferred before they vest, other than by will or the laws of descent.
- Sell, then give cash
- Same: the shares have to be yours before you can sell them.
Deduction rules from IRS Publications 526 and 561; the gift and pre-clearance rules from Meta’s filed insider trading policy; transferability from the award agreement.[20][21][4][2]
New for 2026: itemizers can deduct charitable contributions only to the extent they exceed 0.5% of adjusted gross income, and a separate overall limitation applies to higher-income taxpayers. Both belong in the calculation for a 2026 gift.[23]
Two practical notes. A transfer of shares takes days, so a gift you want dated in one window should not be started in the last one of it. And ask your benefits team whether a stock or donor-advised-fund gift qualifies for a match, what the cap is, and the deadline; no Meta filing describes a matching program.
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Vaibhav Goel
Co-founder of Simple Money · Registered financial advisor · SEC record
Investment adviser representative, registered with the State of California.
Vaibhav spent fifteen years building products at Google, DoorDash and Microsoft before becoming a licensed advisor. He works with people in tech on the whole picture, equity, taxes, investments and cash flow, as one plan rather than four.
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