My medical expenses alone are 52,084. Why would my refund not be higher than it would be with the standard deduction

[Klb]

the standard deduction is 34,700. My itemized deductions are 12,000 more. Turbo Tax is suggesting the standard deduction. Why?

[xmasbaby0]

MEDICAL EXPENSES

The medical expense deduction has to meet a rather large threshold before it can affect your return. The amount of medical (including dental, vision, etc.)  expenses that will count toward itemization is the amount that is OVER 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. You should only enter the amount that you paid in 2025—do not include any amounts that were covered by insurance or that are still outstanding.  Of course, your medical expenses plus your other itemized deductions still have to exceed your standard deduction before you will see a difference in your tax due or refund.

To enter your medical expenses go to Federal>Deductions and Credits>Medical>Medical Expenses

2025 STANDARD DEDUCTION AMOUNTS

SINGLE $15,750  (65 or older/legally blind + $2000)

MARRIED FILING SEPARATELY $15,750  (65 or older/legally blind +1600)

MARRIED FILING JOINTLY $31,500  (65 or older/legally blind + $1600)

HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD $23,625 (65 or older/legally blind + $2000)

[SharonD007 · Accepted solution]

TurboTax automatically compares your itemized deductions against your standard deduction and selects the higher one. If the software suggests the standard deduction, it means it is providing you with a higher total deduction and, therefore, a larger potential refund than itemizing.

Some potential reasons why TurboTax is suggesting the standard deduction:

• The IRS only allows you to deduct the portion of your medical expenses that exceeds 7.5% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). Even if your total itemized deductions (medical + others) are higher than the standard deduction, the deductible amount of your medical expenses might be less than your standard deduction for your filing status.
• Your filing status.  If you are Married Filing Separately (MFS), both spouses must either itemize or take the standard deduction. If your spouse takes the standard deduction, you must also.
• You may have accidentally checked a box in the "Deductions & Credits" section electing to take the standard deduction despite having higher expenses.

To verify:

1. Go to the "Deductions & Credits" section in TurboTax.
2. Review the "Itemized vs. Standard" summary screen. It will show the exact breakdown of how your medical expenses were reduced by 7.5% of your AGI and compare it to the standard deduction.