Hi there, on "limited amount to report on sch a line8a", i wrongly put "0", my federal refund has decreased a lot. Can you advise how to fix it and what to enter? Thanks

[RayW7]

TurboTax will guide you...

In order to change any amount on Schedule A for mortgage interest in TurboTax just return to:

1. Personal Deductions & Credits,

2. I'll choose what I work on

3. Your home

4. Mortgage Interest

5. follow the prompts and override with any interest you paid

Line 8a on schedule A  lets you deduct any home mortgage interest you paid on your primary or secondary residence this year.

Note: You may receive a 1098 Form 1098, Mortgage Interest Statement, that's used to report the amount of interest and related expenses paid on a mortgage during the tax year 

[scarlett_lxc]

Hi employee tax expert,

thanks for your prompt response! 

I removed all 1098 (2 due to refinance) and upload them again. What happened was when I uploaded the first one, the federal refund increased a lot (still lower than the highest amount I saw before putting “0”) But after uploading the 2nd one, the refund amount decreased again to the original low amount. (And the system gave me the standard deduction instead of the original itemized deduction. ) So i think the problem here is still because I put “0” to limited amount to report on sch a line 8a. But this entry got disappeared and I only see donation amount to be fixed (I don’t know how to fix this one either). Can you advise how to pull the “check this entry” again so I can fix (and what number should I put instead of not zero)? Thanks again!

[KathrynG3]

The "Check this entry" screen is not accessible unless it is part of the Federal and State Review process right before filing.

You can still access the mortgage interest by returning to Donations & Credits and scrolling down to Mortgage Interest and Refinancing (Form 1098) and selecting Review.

Secondly, be sure to click Wrap up tax breaks again to trigger the Cares Act Charitable Donation without itemizing your deductions. See below for the steps to do this in TurboTax.

1. To review the rules for mortgage interest deductions: 

The mortgage interest paid from both Form 1098's and real estate taxes paid up to certain limits, any medical expenses above the limit based on your income and charitable contributions are combined and then compared to the standard deduction. TurboTax will take the larger number because it is designed to give you the largest refund allowable.

Taxpayers must choose to take the standard deduction or itemize their deductions.

The standard deduction is based on the filing status and are as follows for 2020: Single or Married filing separately: $12,400, Head of Household: $18,650, or Married filing jointly: $24,800. 

Take the number based on your filing status and compare it to all your itemized deductions.

If your total for itemized deductions is higher than the standard deduction, then the -0-  initially entered may still be in the system depending on where you deleted it. 

2. To review the rules to qualify for the Charitable Donation allowed without itemizing due to the Cares Act:

Regarding the charitable contributions, the donation must have been by cash. It cannot be clothes or household goods donated, for example. Secondly, in order to show your charitable deduction on the tax return in addition to taking the standard deduction, follow these steps in TurboTax.

• Return to the Deductions & Credits section of your return
• Scroll down to Charitable Donations and select Show More 
• Select Donations to Charity in 2020 and select Start/Revisit
• Enter your details and eventually come to Done with Charitable Donations
• Scroll to the end of the tax breaks summary page and select Wrap up tax breaks. This must be done so that TurboTax recalculates your deductions. Click Continue
• Now you will see Charitable Cash Contributions under Cares Act and click Continue

This will give you the extra deduction for any cash donations reported.

[scarlett_lxc]

Hi there,

Thanks for your explanation last time. You mentioned - The "Check this entry" screen is not accessible unless it is part of the Federal and State Review process right before filing.
but if I don’t fix 8a entry that I wrongly touched, the total refund is $3000+ less ($7K vs. $4K) than last year. Is there anyway to reproduce an error to have the 1044 form accessible again or who should I contact to fix the error? Many thanks!

best regards 

[scarlett_lxc]

Hi again,

the issue is resolved. I deleted my 1098 and re-upload 2 forms in different order and it finally showed the expected refund.

 Thanks again