mega deductions and credits yet only qualify for standard deduction?

[1ED]

Have over 46K in deductions and credits yet Turbo Tax still lumps me with only standard deduction category and not allowing itemization.  What the hey?

[SusanY1]

It may depend on the nature of those deductions.  If a large portion of those deductions are from State and Local taxes, TurboTax can only count the first $10,000 toward the deductible amount.  This is the most common reason for the standard deduction to be used even when the input of deductible items exceeds the standard deduction amount. 

If after reducing your state taxes to $10,000 and adding the other items back you are still seeing more than the standard deduction, you could be running into some other limitations such as limitations on charitable deductions or medical deductions not exceeding 7.5% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). 

[1ED]

Here is the rundown.  Gross joint income 115k.  Mortgage interest 10.3k (0 points), real estate taxes 3.5k, charitable contributions 1.9k (using TurboTax calculator), federal student loan interest 2.1k, medical expenses 5.2k, FITW 14.1k, sales tax 3.1k, IRA contribution 2.9k, teacher expenses 1.6k (actual receipts), job related expenses 1.4k (credit only $250.00???).  State income tax not even mentioned.  Total listed deductions = 46.1k (over 40% of gross income) but again, we only are relegated to using the standard deduction (12.2k)?  Turbotax does NOT allow the provision to do long form with Schedule A so that 33.9k difference in deductions are even considered and taken into account!!  Standard deduction is but a little more than 25% of the actual deductions!  Appears TurboTax does not offer the ability to itemize and just pushes the "standard deduction" as the ONLY option which automatically places tax filers in a higher tax bracket by default!!!

[GiseleD]

Not all of the deductions you listed are itemized deductions. Some are deducted/listed on other places on the return. 

Itemized Deductions:

Mortgage Interest: 10.3k

Real Estate Tax 3.5k (subject to the $10,000 cap on state/local taxes)

Charitable gifts: 1.5k

Medical exp: 5.2k (can only itemize medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your AGI. I can't see your AGI, but based on the income number you provided, it is likely too high for you to leverage your medical expenses.)

Sales tax: 3.1k. (You can either deduct sales tax or state income tax withheld. Not both. Again, this deduction on Schedule A is limited to $10,000k.)

The below deductions do NOT get itemized. They are deducted on different areas of the return.

Schedule 1

Student loan interest: 2.1k

IRA deduction: 2.9k

Educator expenses/job expenses: capped at $250 per teacher. This is federal law, not a TurboTax limit. 

Federal Withholding: 14.1k (this is not an itemized deduction)

If you are filing jointly, the standard deduction for your filing status starts at $24400. If either or you are blind or over 65, then this deduction goes up. Without seeing your return, I cannot definitively do the math, but here is the math based on the data you have given me:

10.3k + 10k max state and local tax (assumption that you qualify for the max) + 1.5k = $21,800. Not enough to itemize. 

Sometimes it helps to preview your return to have a holistic view of where the numbers fell. Here's how to look at your current-year return forms:

• In the left-hand menu bar, click on Tax Tools, then click Tools.
• Under Other helpful links, click View Tax Summary.
• Your Tax Summary will be displayed. In the left-hand menu bar, you will see a new option: Preview My 1040. Click it, and this will allow you to see the forms. It is important to check your 1040 before you check your state return, as much of your entries on the 1040 will impact the state return.
• If you want to view your state entries, Click on Tax Home in the left-hand menu bar. In the center of your screen, scroll down until you see State Taxes. Click on it to review your state entries.

I hope this helps explain things.

@1ED