Embedded Files
1. Determine your tax liability
based on your annual income, or by referencing your most recent state income-tax return.
2. Make a payment
to the OCEN SGO in any one of three ways.
3. Retain your receipt
which is issued by the OCEN SGO after making your payment.
4. Claim your tax credit
when filing your annual Ohio income-tax return.
Each of these steps is outlined in detail below. Video recordings will accompany each step, so that you can see exactly what to expect in the process.
1. HOW TO: Determine your tax liability
Tax-liability calculator
Using data from the Ohio Department of Taxation, we’ve developed the following tax-liability calculator. Please understand that no tax situation is the same and therefore this calculation does not represent professional tax advice, but is meant to be used only as a helpful estimate.
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To ensure that your payment to the OCEN SGO will be fully refunded, dollar-for-dollar, two important guidelines must be followed:
The maximum refundable payment per year, regardless of income, is $750 for individuals and $1,500 for couples filing their taxes jointly.
The maximum refundable payment per year cannot exceed a person (or a couple)’s annual tax liability (i.e. the total that one owes the state in taxes for the year).
Option A: Calculate based on your annual income
Your annual taxable income is a very reliable guide for determining your Ohio tax liability. Everybody’s situation is unique, but the the Ohio Department of Taxation’s individual income-tax brackets provide the best reference. Moreover, the tax-liability calculator on this page is a quick and easy way to estimate your tax liability.
Here’s how Ohio calculates tax liability in 2024
Ohio taxable income Tax liability
$0 – $26,050 → 0%
$26,051 – $100,000 → $360.69 + 2.75% on income exceeding $26,050
More than $100,000 → $2,394.32 + 3.50% on income exceeding $100,000
Here’s how that translates to your own tax liability
Individual taxpayers
Let’s say you’re an individual and your Ohio taxable income is $45,000. Based on the charts above, that would mean your Ohio tax liability is an estimated $881. A $750 payment to the OCEN SGO would reduce this amount to $131. In other words, $750 of your tax dollars can be diverted from the state to instead fund a GCA scholarship to help a student receive a quality, Christ-centered education, while only $131 must then be paid to the state.
Couples filing their taxes jointly
Let’s say you’re a couple who files your taxes jointly and your combined Ohio taxable income is $75,000. Based on the charts above, that would mean your Ohio tax liability is an estimated $1,706. A $1,500 payment to the OCEN SGO would reduce this amount to $206. In other words, $1,500 of your tax dollars can be diverted from the state to instead fund a GCA scholarship to help a student receive a quality, Christ-centered education, while only $131 must then be paid to the state.
Option B: Reference your most recent state income-tax return
A second way to predict your Ohio income-tax liability is to reference your most recent state income-tax return, specifically page 2, line 13 of the form titled “Ohio IT 1040” (view example forms here: 2024, 2023, 2022). If your financial circumstances haven’t changed much in the past year, use this number as a dependable guide.
Find your Ohio income-tax liability on line 13 of page 2 of your most recent Ohio 1040 tax return .
2. HOW TO: Make a payment (3 options)
Option A: Make a one-time payment online by credit card or ACH direct debit
Visit the OCEN SGO donor portal at OhioTaxRedirect.org/give
Under “Make an Online Donation”, hit the “Donate Now” button.
If you haven’t already, create a username and password. Make sure to retain these credentials for later.
Under the “Donor Type" dropdown field, select “Individual”.
From the “Select Schools” dropdown field, please ensure that “Garden Christian Academy, The” is selected, so that your payment will be remitted specifically to GCA in the form of student scholarships.
Complete the online form, including your name, contact information, mailing address, payment amount, and payment method. If you are giving with your spouse, be sure to hit “+Add Spouse Information”.
Important note: To receive the maximum tax credit, couples filing jointly must list both of their names on the form.
If paying by credit card:
Enter your credit card information and then hit the “Submit Donation” button to submit your payment.
If paying by ACH direct debit:
Hit the “Submit Donation” button and then follow the prompts to enter your bank information and submit your payment.
Option B: Make a one-time payment by physical check
To make a one-time payment to the OCEN SGO by physical check, please make your check payable to:
OCEN SGO
In the memo, please write:
The Garden Christian Academy
Mail your check to:
OCEN SGO
P.O. Box 2945
Columbus, OH 43216
Important note: To receive the maximum tax credit, couples filing jointly must list both of their names when making payment. To do so, please include a note with your check, or print and complete this simple form, mailing it along with your check.
⭐PREFERRED METHOD⭐
Option C: Make a repeating payment by credit card or E-check
Please note that the newly launched OCEN SGO donor portal does not yet include recurring payments. This section will be updated as soon as this functionality is re-enabled.
Repeating, monthly payments that annually total the maximum refundable amount are the preferred method of participating in the OCEN SGO for several reasons:
First, you can easily spread your payment amount across an entire year. For example an individual can choose to pay $62.50 monthly, totaling $750 after 12 months, while a couple filing jointly can choose to pay $125 monthly, totaling $1,500 after 12 months. Then, when filing your annual taxes, all of these funds are recovered via the tax credit.
Moreover, repeating monthly payments are preferred to one-time payments because of their perpetual ease. Rather than having to remember to make manual payments each year, you can “set and forget” your repeating payment and then recover all the funds by annually claiming the tax credit. This way, without any additional effort on your part, you can be confident that, every year, you’re sponsoring a Christ-centered education for a student in Cleveland’s inner city!
Here’s how to set up a recurring payment: (Currently unavailalbe)
3. HOW TO: Receive and retain your payment confirmation
After making your payment online, you will receive an emailed payment confirmation which should be retained and saved with other important and tax-relevant, year-end documents. This confirmation will serve as evidence of your payment when it is time to file and submit your annual income tax return.
If you paid by physical check, your payment confirmation will be sent by mail.
4. HOW TO: Claim your tax credit
Those who participate in the OCEN SGO program—whether individuals or couples filing jointly—will receive 100% of their payment back, truly dollar-for-dollar, at the time of their annual tax filing. Here’s how:
Using the form, “Ohio Schedule of Credits” on line 15 of page 1,
claim the dollar amount you paid to the OCEN SGO.
Important notes:
Failure to include with your filing the payment confirmation emailed or mailed to you by the OCEN SGO will cause a delay in the reimbursement of your funds. When this happens, the state of Ohio will reach out via mail, requiring verification of payment.
Some have reported difficulty attaching their payment-confirmation documentation when using popular tax-filing applications like TurboTax or H&R Block.
OCEN SGO tax credits are NOT eligible to be claimed as federal tax credits.
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