Deductions such as medical expenses, charitable contributions, mortgage interest, property taxes, state and local income or sales taxes and others are what is known as “itemized deductions”. You can see a more complete list of all these deductions by looking at Schedule A of Form 1040. They are used to reduce your taxable income. The total of all your itemized deductions must exceed your standard deduction to be of any tax benefit. Anyone filing a Federal income tax return (other than children under the age of 24 with unearned income) is entitled to the standard deduction. The standard deduction for 2016 is $6,300 Single and $12,600 Married Filing Jointly.
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