State and local income tax deduction is larger than sales tax deduction, but Turbo tax chose the smaller sale tax deduction and won't let me change to the larger amount?

[maggiehenzman]

why cannot I change to the larger amount?

[MaryK4]

To select the State and Local Income Tax deduction, follow these steps:

1. Go to Federal > Deductions & Credits > Estimates and Other Taxes Paid.
2. Click Start or Update next to Sales Tax.
3. On the Sale tax deduction screen, select Enter actual sales tax paid
4. On the Total sales tax paid screen enter zero.  
5. The next screen says Let's find your biggest deduction, you can indicate here that you want the State and local income tax deduction.

NOTE: You do not have to do steps 3 or 4, but it will guarantee that the sales tax option is not selected.

If this does not resolve the issue, please post again here.  

[rj-assoc]

This solution did not work for me.  It seems to be frozen on the original estimate no matter what values I enter.

[user17711759081]

The same is true for me.  The workaround does not work.  Intuit, this is a bug, please fix.

[DaveF1006]

If the method listed above doesn't work, try this instead.

• Go back into the Sales Tax section that @MaryK4 outlined above
• Choose "Enter actual sales tax paid."
• Enter $0.
• This forces TurboTax to see the Sales Tax as $0, making your State Income Tax the undisputed choice.

[th365thli]

This still did not work for me.

It's still choosing sales tax, but auto populating it. Please fix.

[RogerD1]

If you're using the download version of TurboTax, go the Personal tab, click on Deductions and Credits.  Under Estimates and Other Taxes Paid, find Sales Tax and click Update.  When you get to the screen "Places you lived", click the trashcan icon to the far right of the state where you lived.  This will give you a blank amount for sales and will force the state and local income tax deduction.

If using the online version of TurboTax, log in and then click on Deductions & Credits, then Review/Edit.  Click on Estimates and Other Taxes Paid, then click Revisit for Sales Tax.  When you get to the "Places you lived screen, click the trashcan icon to the far right of the state where you lived.  This will give you a blank amount for sales and will force the state and local income tax deduction.

[user17723112770]

That option still doesn't work. After deleting my state from the places I've lived, it does show the state and local income tax deduction, but it fills in the spot with $0 instead of the that amount.

[user17723939636]

Deleted the state and now is shows nothing.  

Including the state and entering 0 doesn't do anything either.

What's the answer here? Seems like many people having the same problem

[wlsellers2]

Try typing in the exact same amount for the state and local tax amount. Worked for me! hahaha!

[wlsellers2]

Those didn't work. What I decided to do was use the same amount for the state and local taxes as my sales tax. It worked!

[taxpayer5]

Regardless of the workaround to force the smaller or larger amount, the calculated tax does not change at all. Is there still a bug?

[GreenStreet1]

I am trying to amend my 2024 taxes as I didn't realize until the year 2025 that the Sales Tax section never worked in 2024 (Premier version).  I have gone through all the workaround steps suggested by various experts as the system won't pick the higher value by itself.  I now have a value in the Sales Tax deduction area, although it makes me anxious that listing the value as taxes paid, instead of using the system calculation based on my income, is technically incorrect.  Also, entry of a value doesn't impact my refund.  I have already verified there are no software updates available.  I too would like to be informed when this is fixed.

[PatriciaV]

[removed 3/23/26 | 2:52 pm PDT]

[ngfrieband]

Didn't work.  Still gave me the estimated sales tax number even though entered $0.  It seemed to remember the original numbers I entered and wouldn't update and that's the number it used.