@fanfare when you get to the "Deductions and Credits" section. I didn't use this as an example, because it doesn't apply to me, but even assuming the standard deduction from the start is a counter-intuitive thing to do. If you itemize deductions and you know that the total deductions is about $50K for a married couple....then completing the itemized section doesn't result on a deduction of $50K, but on an additional deduction of $25K.
