Most people can take the standard deduction. There are exceptions for people who are married, filing separately, and for dependents claimed on other people's tax returns.
When you enter your itemized deductions, TurboTax compares the total to the standard deduction for your filing status and age, and will automatically give you the higher of the two deductions.
For 2017, your deductions would
have to exceed these (standard deduction) amounts in order to itemize:
- Single or
Married Filing Separately: $6350
- Married
Filing Joint, or Widow(er): $12,700
- Head of
Household: $9350
Plus, if you are Age 65 or
older, or blind, add the following for each :
$1250 for Joint, Widow or
Married Filing Separate, $1550 for Single or Head of Household.
While TurboTax will decide which way will result in the lowest tax for you, you can choose to use the standard deduction instead. You can check to use a different deduction than the one chosen for you. See the screenshot below.