How do i take the standard deduction

[johnandytrott]

It appears I would be better of taking the standard deduction vs itemizing.  How do I force the software to take the standard deduction?

[AmandaR1]

The software should give you whichever is greater automatically, but sometimes if you jump around it may not update. When you follow the steps to review your total itemized vs. standard, you may find it re-calculates. Regardless, you'll be able to manually select the best option as well. 

1. Click Take me to my return
2. Select the Federal Taxes tab and then click the Deductions & Credits tab below it
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the listing of all deductions and credits. Click the button that says Wrap up Deductions (or a variation of this) 
4. The next screens you see will vary based on what you've entered in your return. These are follow up/finalizing questions and be sure to re-answer them as applicable. You'll come to a screen titled We've chosen the "Itemized or standard deduction" for you. 
5. On this screen, check the box to Change my deduction. Then, you'll see a comparison of your total Itemized vs. total Standard and can select the one that is best. 

Let me know how it goes. 

[FlatulentTax]

This should be an easy decision by the user. Perhaps the main attraction to the standard deduction is not having to find relevant paperwork and enter all that information! I want it to be my choice.

[pragmatico]

I agree. When  I know I will be taking the standard deduction, TT ought to give me an abbreviated pathway that doesn't require that I enter numbers that can only be used if I were to take the itemized deduction path. Please give me the shortcut!

[VolvoGirl]

You should still enter your deductions in case you can itemize on the state return.  Otherwise to skip Deductions say no or $0 whenever Turbo Tax asks a question about deductions.

[pragmatico]

1. Not everyone files a state return. I don't.

2. Entering $0 or saying "no" to quite a long list of irrelevant questions is no shortcut. It's more like a nanny inquisition that just prolongs the agony of filing and may create confusion about what items might still be deductible above and beyond the standard deduction.

3. If TT insists on asking the irrelevant questions, then the software can at least tell the user to enter $0 or no if, for him or her, the standard deduction is a done deal. TT doesn't do that now. It's not so hard to build a little more intelligence into the question stream to make things easier for different categories of users.

[FlatulentTax]

@VolvoGirl  good point about state returns. I'm not sure I had considered that.

As for "say no or $0 whenever Turbo Tax asks a question about deductions" -- it's been nearly a year since I last used the software, but I don't recall being given even those simple options. But I'll keep it in mind in the next couple days. Thanks.

[FlatulentTax]

@pragmatico  Ah, that too is a good point. Maybe that's what I encountered last year: that I'd have to enter a bunch of zeros or click "no" many times. Indeed that is no shortcut. Prolonging the agony is exactly how it felt to me last year.