topic If you are taking the standard deduction, do you need to itemize and report the deductions reported to the IRS? in Deductions & credits

If you are taking the standard deduction, do you need to itemize and report the deductions reported to the IRS?

Murphy20 — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 04:39:11 GMT

More specifically, if I don’t have enough deductions equaling or exceeding the standard deduction, do I still need to specify those deductions in my return?

Re: If you are taking the standard deduction, do you need to itemize and report the deductions re...

ThomasM125 — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 04:57:49 GMT

No, you do not need to enter your itemized deductions if you want to take the standard deduction on your tax return. However, in some states the itemized deductions can be taken even if you took the standard deduction on your federal tax return. If that applies in your state, then it might benefit you to enter your itemized deductions even if you won't use them on your federal tax return.

Re: If you are taking the standard deduction, do you need to itemize and report the deductions re...

xmasbaby0 — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 05:01:17 GMT

If you want to skip entering your itemized deductions you can do that. Many people will not have enough itemized deductions this year to itemize, and will just be getting their new higher standard deduction. The thing is, though, that some of those deductions could make a difference on a state return even if they do not affect your federal return. Information flows from your federal return to your state return, so it might not be a bad idea to go ahead and enter them anyhow. It cannot hurt you.

The following states allow you to itemize deductions on just the state return: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Wisconsin,