Video: Standard Deduction vs Itemized Deductions: What Changed | 2025 Tax Changes For Filing in 2026 | Part 2
You can claim either the standard deduction or itemized deductions on your tax return—but not both. In part 2 of our series, “What’s New in 2026,” we cover changes for the 2025 tax year that could impact your choice.
The One Big Beautiful Bill that passed includes permanently extending tax cuts from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including increasing the cap on the amount of state and local or sales tax and property tax (SALT) that you can deduct, makes cuts to energy credits passed under the Inflation Reduction Act, makes changes to taxes on tips and overtime for certain workers, reforms Medicaid, increases the Debt ceiling, and reforms Pell Grants and student loans. Updates to this article are in process. Check our One Big Beautiful Bill article for more information.
Video Transcript:
Welcome to another season of TurboTax Tips. Real advice for real people.
Get your taxes done right any time from anywhere.
You can claim the standard deduction or itemized deductions on your federal income tax return,
but you can't claim both.
In most cases, you can pick which one helps you the most.
In part two of what's new in 2026, we'll go over some changes for the 2025 tax year that might affect your choice for the return you'll file in 2026.
First, the standard deduction is adjusted for inflation every year. Plus, for the 2025 tax year, an extra 5% increase was added. As a result for single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately, the standard deduction rose $1,150 over the previous year to $15,750.
It's double that amount for married couples filing jointly. If you're filing as a head of household,
the standard deduction is $23,625, up $1,125.
If you itemize, you can deduct your state and local taxes. This write off is commonly known as the SALT deduction. The deduction is limited, but the annual cap was increased to $10,000 to $40,000 for the 2025 tax year.
However, the $40,000 cap is reduced, but not below $10,000 if your modified adjusted gross income is over $500,000 or over $250,000 for married people filing separate returns.
For some people, the higher cap will result in a significantly larger SALT deduction, which will increase the combined total of their itemized deduction. This might also make itemizing a better option than the standard deduction in some cases.
That's all for today!
Remember, with TurboTax, our easy process takes the guesswork out of filing your taxes.
For more information about deductions and other topics, visit TurboTax.
And don't forget to tune in for another episode of TurboTax Tips, because doing your taxes
is easier than you think.

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