Sales Tax - "Deductions & Credits" Module

Forum|Forum|1 day ago
October 1, 2026
11 replies
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Hello. I am using TT Home & Business. I chose “estimate sales taxes using IRS tables” & for some reason the estimated sales tax is blank and no numbers are populated. On the screen “let’s find your biggest deduction”, I initially had selected “choose the larger of state income taxes & sales taxes”; then I selected the “sales tax only” to see if the number would populate that way & it still didn’t work! How can I fix the problem?

I had noticed this issue in April when I was doing the extension & I assumed that a TT fix was on it’s way. Interesting enough, I don’t have this issue on another individual return that I am doing using the same TT Home & Business! Thanks.

M-MTax

Level 15

1. Check Your State Residency Dates (The Interview Fix)

Go to the Personal Info tab at the top.
Review your section for State of Residence.
Even if it looks correct, click Edit. Ensure you didn't accidentally check a box indicating you lived in another state, moved during the year, or left the "Date you became a resident" blank. If the program doesn't know where or how long you lived in a location, it cannot reference the correct IRS state table.

2. Force a Recalculation via "Forms Mode" (Desktop Version Override)
Since you are using TurboTax Home & Business, you likely have the desktop software installed, which gives you direct access to the tax worksheets:

Switch to Forms Mode by clicking the Forms icon in the top right corner of your screen.
On the left-hand menu, look for the Sales Tax Worksheet (or find Schedule A and double-click the sales tax line to open the underlying worksheet).
Look at the top of the worksheet to see if your state, local tax rate, or income is missing.
You can manually enter your local sales tax rate or override a blank field here to force the table to populate.

3. Clear the Form Data to Reset the Loop
If a background interview bug is stuck, clearing the specific form will break the loop:

In Forms Mode, select the Sales Tax Worksheet from the list on the left.
Click the Delete Form button at the bottom of the screen.
Switch back to the Step-by-Step interview mode, return to Deductions & Credits, and re-select sales tax only. The program will generate a fresh worksheet and recalculate.

Luna_TaxAuthor

Level 4

Thank you for your detailed response, appreciate it. I did all 3 steps that you suggested above, without any luck. I found out that in my case, since the taxpayer is also a “dependent of someone else who is claiming them on their return”, then the optional sales tax table from IRS cannot be used! You can only use the actual sales tax based on your actual receipts. It would be helpful if TT can add a guide about this in their step-by-step interview mode explaining why the sale tax is not being calculated.

rjs

Level 15

Luna_Tax wrote: "I found out that in my case, since the taxpayer is also a 'dependent of someone else who is claiming them on their return', then the optional sales tax table from IRS cannot be used! You can only use the actual sales tax based on your actual receipts."

It's true that TurboTax does not calculate the sales tax deduction based on the optional IRS table if the taxpayer can be claimed as a dependent (whether or not he is actually claimed). But I cannot find any source for this restriction except a help article on the TaxAct website. (I don't know if the TaxAct software actually follows this rule.)

The TurboTax help article about the Sales Tax deduction does not mention this restriction. J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax doesn't mention it. None of the following IRS sources mention it.

Instructions for Schedule A
Topic no. 503, Deductible taxes
Sales Tax Deduction Calculator
The IRS calculator (Interactive Tax Assistant) for what taxes can be deducted

The IRS Sales Tax Deduction Calculator and the Interactive Tax Assistant on the IRS website don't even ask if you can be claimed as a dependent.

@Mike9241 @M-MTax Are you aware of this restriction? Can you point to any IRS source for it? Could it be that TurboTax and TaxAct are wrong?

VolvoGirl

Level 15

Glad you posted. I’ve been reading Schedule A instructions and pub 501 over and over and couldn’t find anything either.

Mike9241

Level 15

Didn’t know but it’s been a long time since I prepared a dependent’s return where they itemized. i searched the internet “can a dependent use the optional sales tax tables” and every cite found. including TaxAct, says they cannot. I could not find where this is spelled out in the tax laws. My tax reference handbook by Thomson Reuters does not mention this limitation.

Mike9241