Real Estate taxes versus Excess Real Estate Taxes in Home Office section

[aartrace]

In the Home Office section it asks about Real Estate Taxes. I am not itemizing, so do I leave that blank and just enter the amount in Excess Real Estate Taxes, or do I enter the same amount in both boxes?

[DaveF1006]

You enter the full amount that you paid and leave excess real estate taxes blank. Te excess tax is only if you itemized on your return.  For an example, IRS only allows an itemized deduction of  $10,000. Now if your total amount of taxes paid were $15,000, then you would enter the extra $5000 as excess real estate taxes. In your case since you didn't itemize, just enter the full amount paid and leave the excess blank.

[CatStr]

There is no entry on this page for Excess real estate tax. I don't know yet if I have enough to itemize deductions. Do I enter the tax here, or later in Personal taxes paid? Will TurboTax cue me later if I've duplicated the entry? Or cue me to enter it as Excess later, if appropriate?

[matsa02]

This seem to contradict the online help if I'm reading it correctly.  The online help for "Excess Real Estate Taxes" states (namely 2nd paragraph):

Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, for 2018 through 2025, itemized deductions for personal state and local tax amounts are limited to a combined total of $10,000 ($5,000 for married filing separately filing status).

If you aren't itemizing deductions and paid real estate taxes, those taxes are excess real estate taxes.

The limitation applies to state and local income (or sales) taxes and property taxes.

[souljourner]

I'm reading the help the same was @matsa02, and have the same question.  

Also, with the new tax laws that went into affect last year, after itemizing on my return for most of my adult life, suddenly I'm not itemizing.  Yet - this question is asked in the interview before getting to Schedule A - itemized deductions.  

I'm confused.  Can an expert clarify? 

[ThomasM125]

You leave the first section that asks about real estate taxes blank, and then enter it in the second section, as "Excess Real Estate Taxes" if you are taking the standard deduction.

[CatStr]

I am entering the info to determine if we qualify for itemized deductions. I don't know yet. This is circular logic.

[Arjuna108]

This doesn't seem to make sense.

The instructions in the first paragraph of the first box say:

     If you paid real estate taxes but are not itemizing deductions, do not enter your real estate taxes here. Enter them as excess real estate taxes later.

Then the third paragraph says:

     If you paid real estate (property) taxes on the entire home, enter this amount here, and later go to the deductions and credits area,  and review the property tax information.

The next box says:

     If you paid real estate taxes but are not itemizing deductions, enter the taxes you paid here.

[speedway121]

Did you guys figure this out? I am stuck in the same position. Dont know what do with the excess real estate taxes? 

[speedway121]

@ThomasM125 TT Windows Home and Biz is NOT giving me the 2nd screen "Enter excess real estate taxes" as you have, althought everything else is identical! 

any ideas? 

[rdcosgayon]

I have this same question and can't seem to figure it out.

I didn't know if I was going to take standard deduction or itemize until the end. I itemized throughout each step, but in the end it was better to choose the standard. So do I go back an put $0 in the first field about property taxes paid, and instead put how much I paid for the entire home in excess real estate taxes? 

When I get to the deductions part, what do I put for property taxes? I can't figure out if I subtract what I used for the home office or just put the entire home. 

[DianeW777]

Enter your real estate or property taxes in the home office as instructed next. Do not enter them a second time. 

1. If you are itemizing deductions do NOT enter anything in the box for 'Excess real estate taxes'.  The screen does explain that if you are NOT itemizing deductions then enter the amount in this box.  
2. If you are itemizing deductions DO enter the real estate taxes on the screen 'Enter real estate taxes'. Do NOT enter them again in the deductions screen.  TurboTax will carry the appropriate amount to your itemized deductions.

On the property tax deduction screen it states the following 'If you paid any property taxes that you haven't told us about and weren't for rental or business properties, enter them here.'

@rdcosgayon

[bjshvac]

"This doesn't seem to make sense.

The instructions in the first paragraph of the first box say:

     If you paid real estate taxes but are not itemizing deductions, do not enter your real estate taxes here. Enter them as excess real estate taxes later.

Then the third paragraph says:

     If you paid real estate (property) taxes on the entire home, enter this amount here, and later go to the deductions and credits area,  and review the property tax information.

The next box says:

     If you paid real estate taxes but are not itemizing deductions, enter the taxes you paid here."

Thank you!  The instructions are terrible.  When I follow them as you laid out above, I end up reporting the taxes twice and later on it tells me that I have done so and I can type in the correct amount.  But zero clarification if I am actually supposed to enter the amount twice or not.  To make things worse I can read the IRS instructions on filling out form 8829 but I can't SEE the form 8829 to see where turbo tax is inputting the numbers or if it's correct.

[Styg88]

So what if I am itemizing deductions, but my real estate tax + state income tax together exceed $10,000 (and so the amount of the real estate tax that is deductible is capped). Do I enter any amount in the box for "Excess real estate taxes"?