Hi, NC person and thanks for the reply. As I mentioned in my reply to "Carl" earlier, Turbo Tax does not "show" me what her standard deductions is because I am itemizing her deductions; Turbo Tax would only show the standard deduction if the itemized deductions did not exceed the standard deduction; it is my understanding that you cannot itemize AND then take the standard deduction; it's an either/or situation. Mom's income has remained basically the same for the last three years, and she has paid no federal taxes and no SALT. According to Turbo Tax, the reason she is paying federal taxes this year is because she (and every other tax payer) lost the "personal exemption" ($4,050) that the government allowed/gave in previous years. There is no need for me to compare last year's return to this year's; Turbo Tax does that automatically and shows me where the differences are; and this year it told me that the government eliminated the "personal exemption" this year. Mom is on Medicaid, living in a Medicaid apartment in an assisted living facility. Her entire pension and SS earnings, minus the $50/month that Medicaid lets her keep for person expenses, goes to pay her assisted living/medical costs. If I am incorrect in any of the assumptions I made above, please let me know. Basically, my question to the community is: Does anyone have an information about other deductions/exemptions that my mother might qualify for?
