There is an extra amount added to your federal standard deduction if you are legally blind. It is not an "exemption." When you prepare your tax return you can say in MY INFO that you are legally blind, and the extra amount will be included in your standard deduction.
2025 STANDARD DEDUCTION AMOUNTS
SINGLE $15,750(65 or older/legally blind + $2000
MARRIED FILING SEPARATELY $15,750 (65 or older/legally blind +1600)
MARRIED FILING JOINTLY $31,500 (65 or older/legally blind + $1600)
HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD $23,625 (65 or older/legally blind + $2000)
Information flows from the federal return to the state return, so if DC gives you any extra deduction for legal blindness, entering it on the federal return will flow to the DC return.
Higher Standard Deduction for Blindness
If you are blind on the last day of the year and you don't itemize deductions, you are entitled to a higher standard deduction.
Not totally blind. If you aren't totally blind, you must get a certified statement from an eye doctor (ophthalmologist or optometrist) that:
1You can't see better than 20/200 in the better eye with glasses or contact lenses, or
2Your field of vision is 20 degrees or less.
If your eye condition isn't likely to improve beyond these limits, the statement should include this fact. Keep the statement in your records.
If your vision can be corrected beyond these limits only by contact lenses that you can wear only briefly because of pain, infection, or ulcers, you can take the higher standard deduction for blindness if you otherwise qualify.
**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
