The truth about tax deductions

First a disclaimer. I can not give tax advice and this isn’t tax advice. These are observations.

Just because something is tax deductible does not mean that you will get a tax deduction. Many people get a larger deduction by taking the standard deduction rather than itemizing.

The interest paid on a home mortgage could be a deduction but might not be. It would depend upon the income of the borrower and if they have enough deductions so that they come out ahead of itemizing. There is also now a limit on how much mortgage interest can be deducted.

When you drop off a donation at a Goodwill or some of the other non-profit thrift stores the person who receives your donation may ask if you would like a receipt so that you can take advantage of the tax deduction. It is true that charitable contributions are tax deductible but there is a minimum amount and a person would have to itemize to get the deduction.

In 2022 a married couple filing jointly may able to a standard deduction of 25,900 to 27,300. It might not make sense to itemize if all of the allowable deductions add up to less than the standard deduction. A person could of course itemize anyway and pay more in taxes.

It is correct to say that the interest paid on the mortgage may be tax deductible.

There was great concern a few years ago that if the mortgage interest tax deduction went away people would stop buying houses.

Also, some Minnesota property taxpayers get money refunded back by the State of Minnesota. 

The deadline for filing 2022 taxes for most people is April 18,2023.

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