

Suppose, however, there was a mistake in calculating your $1200 of state income tax and the actual tax owed turned out to be $900, so the state refunded $300 to you.

Obviously, you would choose the larger of the deductions, which, in this case, is the $1200 of state income tax. Suppose that, in the previous tax year, you had the choice of claiming either a deduction of $1200 of state income tax or $1000 for the state sales tax. This amount is found by calculating what the taxable income would have been without the tax deduction.Įxample: State Refunds are Includible in Income to the Extent of their Tax Benefit in the Previous Tax Year However, only the amount subject to additional taxes needs to be included as income. However, if the taxpayer receives any refund of taxes that were previously claimed as a deduction, then the income that created the tax benefit received by claiming the deduction must be added back to the taxpayer's income because, by claiming a larger deduction than what the taxpayer was entitled to, he paid less federal tax than what would otherwise be the case if the state tax was not deducted. estimated tax payments for the next tax year, but only those paid during the tax year, which does not include the January payment paid in the following year.overpayments from the previous year that are applied to the current year.If the taxpayer elects to deduct income taxes, then any tax paid during the tax year for state and local income taxes are deductible, including: However, the taxpayer can choose to deduct only one or the other - not both. This choice is offered because some states do not impose an income tax and some do not impose a general sales tax, but every state imposes one or the other.

However, Congress made this choice permanent in 2016. This was a time-limited option for a few years, that had to be periodically renewed by Congress. The taxpayer can choose to deduct either state and local income taxes or general sales taxes. As planned, this provision will hurt the taxpayers living in California or New York or other predominantly Democratic states, which generally have higher income or sales taxes, and higher property taxes. Starting for the tax year 2018, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed by the Republicans at the end of 2017, the deductibility of income or sales taxes and property taxes is capped at $10,000 per return, and this is not indexed for inflation. Either State and Local Income Taxes or General Sales Taxes Are Deductible This deduction is only reduced, not completely phased out, so even the richest taxpayers will be able to deduct at least 20% of their itemized deductions. Additionally, as itemized deductions, which are claimed on Schedule A of Form 1040, the deduction of taxes is subject to the same adjusted gross income (AGI) reduction rules that apply to itemized deductions in general, where up to 80% of the itemized deductions may be nondeductible. Note, however, that state and local taxes cannot be deducted under the alternative minimum tax. Transfer or excise taxes imposed on the sale of property are deductible by increasing the adjusted basis of the property for the buyer and as a sales expense for the seller. However, most taxpayers will save more money on foreign income taxes by claiming the foreign tax credit, which is claimed on Form 1116, Foreign Tax Credit. State, local, and foreign real property taxes are also deductible. Individual taxpayers can also reduce their income tax liability by claiming itemized deductions for property taxes, and either state, local, and foreign income taxes, or sales taxes. So if a business pays $5 for paperclips, and pays $.30 for sales tax, then it can deduct $5.30 for the cost of the paperclips. Sales taxes on items that businesses buy are deductible only as an adjustment to the basis of the property.

Businesses can deduct taxes directly from their income by claiming them on Schedule C. Many taxes can be deducted from federal income tax. Deductibility Of Taxes: State, Local, and Foreign Income Taxes, General Sales Taxes, and Real Estate Taxes › Money › Taxes › Personal Tax Deductions and Tax Credits Deductibility of Taxes: State, Local, and Foreign Income Taxes, General Sales Taxes, and Real Estate Taxes
