Why can't I choose itemized deduction (which is larger than standard deduction)? It keep defaulting to the standard...

[DaveF1006]

One reason I can think of if you are filing Married Filing Separately. If your spouse has already filed and claimed the standard deduction, you cannot itemize. Other than that reason, I can't think of any situation that will limit you from claiming an itemized deduction. Check in your deductions and credits section and scroll through your entries. There are other possible reasons listed below.

1. Make note if you have medical expenses. There is a AGI limitation for medical expenses that disallow the first 7.5% of your AGI. This may be one reason that your itemize expenses did not exceed your standard deduction.
2. Also if you entered property taxes, this is capped at $10,000.
3. Scroll through your deduction and credit section.  When you come to a page that says Based on what you just told us, the Standard Deduction is best for you, it will tell you what your standard and itemized deductions are. You can even view a breakdown of your itemized expenses in this screen.
4. in this screen you have an option to change to an itemized deduction if you wish. That option is toward the bottom of the screen.

[JB9]

I have the same question. I am filing married/joint. Both of us are over 65. It lists the standard deduction as 27,400, and our amount on Schedule A is higher, though not by much. I tried to check the box on schedule A to itemize but it will not let me do it, nor can I override. (The amounts not allowed for medical and for more than 10K property tax were already removed...so the total is what is actually allowed.) I should think TT would let me choose. 

Turbo Tax also decreased the amount on my 1040... It did not put my actual amount from Schedule A onto line 12. It defaulted to the 27,400 amount.  I can't override it there, either.

Then I did what was proposed by DaveF1006. TT said good news, you're getting the standard deduction. Then on the next screen, it tells me itemized would be better. The screen tells me I'm getting Federal Itemized Deductions, but I'm not... until I check the box to change my deductions.  Then it says itemized is recommended. This is very contradictory! I checked the box. Interestingly the tax refund did not budge. I will have to check what the % is... I would have though the amount would change, even if it was only a few dollars.

I would like to add that just now, in looking at the standard deduction worksheet, it says the deduction is 24,800. Why7 would it say that there, but 27,400 elsewhere??? And, TT enters 27,400 on my 1040, even when I choose the itemized amount, and it tells me I've chosen itemized? This is truly puzzling!

Thoughts?

[DaveF1006]

It may be the fact that your Adjusted gross income is below the threshold for the itemized and standard deductions.  This is easy to check.

If using Turbo Tax Online, go to tax tools>tools>view tax summary. Look at the third line where it says Adjusted Gross income and if it zero or below your deductions, then your refund will not change.

[JB9]

I'll have a look. While you were replying, I was editing my original post. I added text that indicated the worksheet shows something different. Would you look at the last para of the previous post? Sorry, I can't grab it from here. Let me post this and go back and maybe I can paste it back in to this one. Also, I'm using TT Deluxe.

Here's what I added: I would like to add that just now, in looking at the standard deduction worksheet, it says the deduction is 24,800. Why would it say that there, but 27,400 elsewhere??? And, TT enters 27,400 on my 1040, even when I choose the itemized amount, and it tells me I've chosen itemized? This is truly puzzling!

Thanks!

[DaveF1006]

If you both are 65 or older, the standard deduction is $27,400.

[VolvoGirl]

ALSO - How much are your Itemized Deductions?  The questions I've seen turn out that the Standard Deduction + the extra 300 for charity is more than your Itemized Deductions .  Check 1040 line 10b.

[JB9]

VolvoGirl--That's it!! (I think)

My charitable (cash) of $280 is higher than the difference between standard and itemized. (it was 27,479... so not much higher, but still...). So if I had had zero charitable deductions, then this would have worked... but the 280 brings the 27,479 down by 280, if I understand you correctly.

Maybe this explains another question I had. This same amount of 280 shows up on my social security benefits worksheet as being brought in from schedule 1, line 6. Yet.... that line is zero.  I'll have to float that as a theory on that thread.

Thanks so much, to you and Dave.

[V677LS]

Married Filing Jointly. 

It recommend the itemized deduction. I select the itemized deduction. But the software keeps switching it back to and processing it as the lesser standardized deduction. 

[VolvoGirl]

Did you read this whole thread?  How much are your Itemized Deductions?

[JB9]

As VolvoGirl said, check the amount of your itemized AND check line 10b for charitable contributions on your 1040.  Turbo Tax brought that forward from my Schedule A (line 11), and when it did (even though it left the amount on Schedule A), that's what blocked me from itemizing. I couldn't take the deduction twice, obviously, and it was more advantageous to have it taken off on 1040 line 10b. By not counting the amount on schedule A line 11, my deductions fell below the 27,400.

[JG575]

Turbotax tells me I'm Itemizing but then gives errors related to the standard deduction when doing SmartCheck.  When I go to forms it's clearly taking the std deduction when I have itemized deductions of 24,878.  What gives and how can I change?  Seems to be based on a std deduction of 25,100 in the calculations.  When I add in itemized over 25,100 it all works correctly.  

[JB9]

Assuming I understood your question, did you make any charitable contributions? I had this same thing happen where I tried to itemize and TT kept giving me the standard deduction. If you contributed cash to any charity, then TTax probably put up to $300 (allowed limit)  of that on 1040 line 10 (a or b, I can’t remember), which then reduced your itemized deductions by that same amount. Perhaps just enough so that you didn’t qualify any more for the itemized deductions.  There is a more comprehensive thread on this elsewhere in the forum that explains it better. 

[JB9]

Sorry, didn’t realize I was responding a few minutes ago  in the same thread where this concern and charities were addressed. The other posts didn’t show on my screen. I’m guessing if you read them, you’ll find your answer.

[mnt8899]

This is not correct.   If you are slightly over the itemized deduction amount.  It may NOT be in your interest to take a standard deduction and claim up to $300 above the line charity deductions.  Some states (MD) conform to federal when itemizing vs std deduction and the amount of the standard deduction may be lower.  As a result, you may be overpaying for state income taxes.  The software is NOT working properly.  It should allow you to chose.