(a) Beginning with taxable years ending on or after December 31, 2001 and until the taxable year ending on December 31, 2026, a taxpayer who makes a donation under Section 7.28 of the Illinois Housing Development Act is entitled to a credit against the tax imposed by subsections (a) and (b) of Section 201 in an amount equal to 50% of the value of the donation. For taxable years ending before December 31, 2023, partners, shareholders of subchapter S corporations, and owners of limited liability companies (if the limited liability company is treated as a partnership for purposes of federal and State income taxation) are entitled to a credit under this Section to be determined in accordance with the determination of income and distributive share of income under Sections 702 and 703 and subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code. For taxable years ending on or after December 31, 2023, partners and shareholders of subchapter S corporations are entitled to a credit under this Section as provided in Section 251. Persons or entities not subject to the tax imposed by subsections (a) and (b) of Section 201 and who make a donation under Section 7.28 of the Illinois Housing Development Act are entitled to a credit as described in this subsection and may transfer that credit as described in subsection (c).
     (b) If the amount of the credit exceeds the tax liability for the year, the excess may be carried forward and applied to the tax liability of the 5 taxable years following the excess credit year. The tax credit shall be applied to the earliest year for which there is a tax liability. If there are credits for more than one year that are available to offset a liability, the earlier credit shall be applied first.
     (c) The transfer of the tax credit allowed under this Section may be made (i) to the purchaser of land that has been designated solely for affordable housing projects in accordance with the Illinois Housing Development Act or (ii) to another donor who has also made a donation in accordance with Section 7.28 of the Illinois Housing Development Act.
     (d) A taxpayer claiming the credit provided by this Section must maintain and record any information that the Department may require by regulation regarding the project for which the credit is claimed. When claiming the credit provided by this Section, the taxpayer must provide information regarding the taxpayer’s donation to the project under the Illinois Housing Development Act.