Get your taxes done using TurboTax

We are not able to see your tax return. 

Perhaps the deduction of state and local taxes is a large number but the deduction on Schedule A Itemized Deductions is limited to the $10,000 maximum deduction.

This IRS FAQ states:

Your deduction of state and local income, sales, and property taxes is limited to a combined total deduction of $10,000 ($5,000 if married filing separately). You may be subject to a limit on some of your other itemized deductions also.

In addition, you can deduct only the part of your medical and dental expenses that exceeds 7.5% of the amount of your adjusted gross income on line 11 of IRS Form 1040.

Did you elect, either intentionally or unintentionally the Charitable Cash Contributions under CARES Act?  The deduction may appear on line 10b of the Federal 1040 tax return.  This deduction may have been selected when your tax return was still electing the standard deduction.  This deduction can confuse the software in making the standard deduction / itemized deduction determination.

If you are in TurboTax Online, the screen Charitable Cash Contributions under CARES Act appears as the end of Deductions & Credits. First you have to pass the screen Based on what you told us, the standard deduction is best for you at the end of Deductions & Credits.

But you have to qualify for the standard deduction before the screen appears.  So you may want to change the value of one or more itemized deductions to $1 so that you qualify for the standard deduction.

Follow these steps: 

• At the top of the screen, click on Deductions & Credits.
• Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Wrap up tax breaks.
• Continue through several screens.
• At the screen Based on what you told us, the standard deduction is best for you, click Continue.
• At the screen Any Charitable Cash Contributions? delete the dollar amount.
• Continue through Federal Review to make sure that things look correct.
• Then restore your itemized deductions dollar amounts.