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July 15, 2020
Question

I just want to claim the standard deduction without entering all the detailed info about charities, childcare, etc into Turbotax. How do I do that?

  • July 15, 2020
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Employee
July 15, 2020

You can skip the itemized deductions if you want to.  The childcare credit is not an itemized deduction. That is a different kind of credit and you can enter it if you paid someone to take care of your child so you could work.

 

 

Go to Deductions and Credits>You and Your Family>Child and Dependent Care Credit.  You will need your childcare provider's tax ID or Social Security number.

 

And so you know---

If you want to skip entering your itemized deductions you can do that.  Many people will not have enough itemized deductions this year to itemize, and will just be getting their new higher standard deduction.  The thing is, though, that some of those deductions could make a difference on a state return even if they do not affect your federal return.  Information flows from your federal return to your state return, so it might not be a bad idea to go ahead and enter them anyhow.  It cannot hurt you.

 

The following states allow you to itemize deductions on just the state return: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Wisconsin.

 

I do want to ask--if you are not wanting to be bothered with entering detailed information, why did you choose the expensive online Live Premier software that includes live help from a CPA?

 

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**