Hi Carl, thanks for the reply, but there is some information in your reply that has confused me. In 2017 (and also this year), I itemized deductions on her tax return so that I could take the greater amount of deductions; in other words, the standard deduct in 2017 may have been $6,350, but her itemized deduct was $31,000. I was under the impression that you cannot itemize AND take the standard deduction; hence, TT analyzes your deductions, compares it to the standard deduction, and recommends that you take the larger of the two amounts. My mother's income was basically the same in 2018 as it was in 2017. TT told me during the review of mom's return that the reason she owed taxes this year was because of the elimination of the "personal exemption" ($4,050). In 2017 she was able to take that $4,050 (plus her itemized deductions), which covered the shortfall between her itemized deductions and the taxes owed on her AGI; medicaid lets my mom keep $50 a month; the rest of her income goes to pay for her assisted living costs which qualify as a medical expense. As far as I know, I did not make any mistakes on this year's return. My question is: is anyone aware of any additional deductions/exemptions my mom might qualify for.
