Oregon medical deductions, why itemize for both spouses

[zorch593]

I didn't have to separate them on the fed return

[DawnC0 · Accepted solution]

Each state has its own guidelines and tax rules for preparing income tax returns.  In the state of Oregon, if you or your spouse were age 64 or older on December 31, 2016 and have qualifying medical and/or dental expenses, you may qualify for the special Oregon medical subtraction.  

https://www.oregon.gov/DOR/forms/FormsPubs/publication-or-17_101-431_2016.pdf (page 77 explains the state deduction)

[ThickAsABrick]

I'm not sure this answer explains the splitting of medical deductions (on a single page in TurboTax).

I figured it was because one party might not hit some minimum... but I'm not sure.

In the case of my wife and I (over 65), we had records to split the total on the state return. It turned out to be nearly 50:50. But what if it wasn't? How would that really matter?

[DaveF1006]

it is probably one of those things that is embedded in the tax code that states since you are filing jointly, you both must have an equal amount of medical expenses to get the maximum deduction. I plugged this scenario in my test turbo tax return and found that if you allocated the full amount to yourself, you did not get as big of a subtraction a you would if you allocated these amounts equally.