{"id":1196,"date":"2013-03-21T10:45:56","date_gmt":"2013-03-21T15:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hoorfarlaw.com\/blog\/?p=1196"},"modified":"2013-03-21T10:45:56","modified_gmt":"2013-03-21T15:45:56","slug":"itemizing-vs-standard-deduction-six-facts-to-help-you-choose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoorfarlaw.com\/blog\/?p=1196","title":{"rendered":"<a href=http:\/\/www.hoorfarlaw.com>Itemizing vs. Standard Deduction: Six Facts to Help You Choose<\/a>"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When you file a tax return, you usually have a choice to make: whether to itemize deductions or take the standard deduction. You should compare both methods and use the one that gives you the greater tax benefit.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/hoorfarlaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/deductions.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-thumbnail wp-image-1198\" title=\"deductions\" src=\"http:\/\/hoorfarlaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/deductions-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The IRS offers these six facts to help you choose.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1.\u00a0Figure your itemized deductions.<\/strong>\u00a0 Add up the cost of items you paid for during the year that you might be able to deduct. Expenses could include home mortgage interest, state income taxes or sales taxes (but not both), real estate and personal property taxes, and gifts to charities. They may also include large casualty or theft losses or large medical and dental expenses that insurance did not cover. Unreimbursed employee business expenses may also be deductible.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2.\u00a0Know your standard deduction.<\/strong>\u00a0 If you do not itemize, your basic standard deduction amount depends on your filing status. For 2012, the basic amounts are:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022\u00a0Single = $5,950<br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0Married Filing Jointly\u00a0 = $11,900<br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0Head of Household = $8,700<br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0Married Filing Separately = $5,950<br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0Qualifying Widow(er) = $11,900<\/p>\n<p><strong>3.\u00a0Apply other rules in some cases. <\/strong>Your standard deduction is higher if you are 65 or older or blind. Other rules apply if someone else can claim you as a dependent on his or her tax return. To figure your standard deduction in these cases, use the worksheet in the instructions for Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4.\u00a0Check for the exceptions.\u00a0 <\/strong>Some people do not qualify for the standard deduction and should itemize. This includes married people who file a separate return and their spouse itemizes deductions. See the Form 1040 instructions for the rules about who may not claim a standard deduction.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5.\u00a0Choose the best method.\u00a0 <\/strong>Compare your itemized and standard deduction amounts. You should file using the method with the larger amount.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6.\u00a0File the right forms.\u00a0<\/strong> To itemize your deductions, use Form 1040, and Schedule A, Itemized Deductions. You can take the standard deduction on\u00a0 Forms 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ.<\/p>\n<p>Courtesy of the Internal Revenue Service.<\/p>\n<p>Check out our website at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.Hoorfarlaw.com\">www.Hoorfarlaw.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you file a tax return, you usually have a choice to make: whether to itemize deductions or take the standard deduction. You should compare both methods and use the one that gives you the greater tax benefit. The IRS &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hoorfarlaw.com\/blog\/?p=1196\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[229,146,16,230,231,209],"class_list":["post-1196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-hoorfar-law","tag-internal-revenue-service","tag-irs","tag-itemize-deductions","tag-standard-deduction","tag-tax-deductions"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoorfarlaw.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoorfarlaw.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoorfarlaw.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoorfarlaw.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoorfarlaw.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1196"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/hoorfarlaw.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1200,"href":"https:\/\/hoorfarlaw.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1196\/revisions\/1200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoorfarlaw.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoorfarlaw.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoorfarlaw.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}