topic TurboTax says my 2019 HSA and Vehicle Registration deductions are $0. Why? in Deductions & credits

TurboTax says my 2019 HSA and Vehicle Registration deductions are $0. Why?

mpb1 — Sat, 04 Apr 2020 01:45:11 GMT

I have used TurboTax to prepare my taxes in 2016, 2017, and 2018. I am now working on my 2019 return. I have entered all my deductions. TurboTax says:

[Snip], Here Are Your 2018 and 2019 Deductions & Credits

Deductions                     2018            2019
Standard Deduction         $ 12,000        $ 12,200
HSA Deduction               $ 3,450             $ 0
Vehicle Registration Fees   $   xxx             $ 0

However, in 2019, I made an HSA contribution of $3,500 and I also entered the 2019 vehicle registration fees I paid. Why are the 2019 deductions showing up as $0?

Thank you.

Re: TurboTax says my 2019 HSA and Vehicle Registration deductions are $0. Why?

MarilynG1 — Sat, 04 Apr 2020 02:09:30 GMT

You may want to review these sections again. If your HSA contribution is shown on your W-2, TurboTax will pick it up automatically.

If you contributed yourself, type 'hsa' in the Search area, then 'Jump to HSA'. This is actually a two-part section; one where you enter your HSA contribution, and then indicate the type of HDHP plan you had.

If you are using the Standard Deduction, your Vehicle Registration does not affect your return, unless it was a Business Vehicle. If that is the case, you would enter it in the Business Income/Expenses section.

Click this link for more info on Car Registration Fees.

Re: TurboTax says my 2019 HSA and Vehicle Registration deductions are $0. Why?

mpb1 — Sat, 04 Apr 2020 20:59:55 GMT

Okay, I found the reason the HSA deduction was showing up as $0 in 2019.

I had correctly entered my 2019 contribution of $3,500 in the box labeled "Any contributions you personally made (not through your employer)".

However, I had also incorrectly entered $3,500 in the box labeled "Any contributions you made but personally withdrew before July 15, 2020". I should have entered $0 in this box.

I still do not know why the Vehicle Registration Fee is showing up as $0.

@MarilynG1 Below is information on claiming a deduction for a portion of your California vehicle registration fees. Note that nothing at the following link says the deduction is limited to commercial vehicles.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/brochures/fast_facts/ffvr34#veh_lic_fee

Re: TurboTax says my 2019 HSA and Vehicle Registration deductions are $0. Why?

mpb1 — Sat, 04 Apr 2020 21:13:38 GMT

Regarding the "Car Registration Fees" deduction, I can add the following information.

On the screen: Federal Taxes -> Deductions & Credits -> Your 2019 Deductions & Credits

The following line appears:

"Car Registration Fees [Learn More] [2018] $xxx [2019] $yyy."

The numbers $xxx and $yyy are both correct.

However, on the screen: [Name], Here are your 2018 and 2019 Deductions and Credits

The following line appears:

"Vehicle Registration Fees [2018] $xxx [2019] $0"

One difference is that I only had one vehicle in 2018, whereas I had two vehicles in 2019.

I still do not understand why the 2019 vehicle registration fee deduction appears as $0 on the second screen (the summary screen).

Re: TurboTax says my 2019 HSA and Vehicle Registration deductions are $0. Why?

mpb1 — Sat, 04 Apr 2020 22:30:31 GMT

I called TurboTax for assistance. The agent told me that the vehicle registration fee deduction is only available if you itemize your deductions. I am not itemizing my deductions, I am taking the standard deduction. So TurboTax should probably not be displaying the 2018 vehicle deduction on my summary page.

Additionally, I noticed that the 2018 vehicle deduction, while displayed, is not actually included in the 2018 total deduction.

Here is what I see:

Deductions                     2018            2019
Standard Deduction         $ 12,000        $ 12,200
HSA Deduction               $ 3,450 $ 3,500
Vehicle Registration Fees $ xxx             $ 0

---------------------------------------------------

Total Deductions $ 15,450 $ 15,700

Note that while $xxx is displayed in the 2018 column, $xxx is not included in the 2018 total.

The agent I spoke with said she would report the issue to her manager.

Re: TurboTax says my 2019 HSA and Vehicle Registration deductions are $0. Why?

DaveF1006 — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 19:52:46 GMT

Vehicle registration fees are itemized deductions and are a non-factor in your return. The reason why it wasn't reported is that you took the standard deduction in 2018 as well as 2019. The reason the zero is showing there is that the deduction was not allowed again 2019. 2018 and 2019 is showing basically the same thing even though it's formatted differently. The main thing is however, you did not receive the deduction for auto Registration in either year.