Form 1040, line 11; a year
Our estimate for California; a year
On your home, a year
Form 1098, with points; a year
Cash, check or card; a year
Not paid by insurance, an HSA or pre-tax; a year
More options· Blindness, large mortgages, PMI, donated items, other deductions
Only matters over $750,000
Form 1098, box 5; a year
Clothes, goods or shares, at their value
Gambling losses up to winnings, disaster losses and so on
Better for you in 2026
The standard deduction
$5,620 more than itemizing
- Standard, with charity
- $34,200
- Itemized
- $28,580
You’d need $5,620 more in deductions before itemizing is worth it.
What this means
The standard deduction for a married couple filing jointly is $32,200 in 2026. If you take it, you can also deduct $2,000 of your cash gifts to charity, a new deduction from 2026. Itemizing only helps when your deductions add up to more.
All $11,330 of your state and local taxes counts, under the $40,400 cap. Mortgage interest, property tax and big donations are what usually make itemizing worth it.
What counts
| You paid | Counts | |
|---|---|---|
| State and local taxes | $11,330 | $11,330 |
| Mortgage interest | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Gifts to charityOnly gifts above $750 (0.5% of AGI) count | $3,000 | $2,250 |
| Itemized deductions | $28,580 | |
| Standard deduction | $32,200 | |
| Plus cash gifts to charity | $2,000 |
Itemized or standard
Assumptions in this estimate
- Uses 2026 federal rules. The tax shown is federal income tax at the regular rates, before credits; capital gains rates and the alternative minimum tax aren’t included.
- The state income tax estimate is for wages only, with the state’s standard deduction; use the amount withheld on your W-2s (box 17) plus any you paid when filing, or the sales tax you paid if that’s more.
- The $6,000 deduction for people 65 or older applies whether you itemize or not, so it doesn’t change which is better.
- Your state return may have its own rules: some states make you choose the same way as on your federal return, and some don’t allow itemizing.