Schedule A Itemized Deduction Worksheet

Schedule A (Form 1040) is the IRS form used to report itemized deductions. It covers six categories: medical and dental expenses, taxes paid (SALT), interest paid (including mortgage), gifts to charity, casualty and theft losses, and other itemized deductions. You file Schedule A when your total itemized deductions exceed the standard deduction.

Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), the SALT cap for 2025 is $40,000 ($20,000 if married filing separately). The cap phases out for incomes above $500,000 ($250,000 MFS), with a floor of $10,000 ($5,000 MFS). This covers the combined deduction for state income taxes, property taxes, and personal property taxes.

Mortgage interest is deductible on loan balances up to $750,000 ($375,000 MFS) for mortgages originated after December 15, 2017. Mortgages taken out before that date are grandfathered at the $1 million limit ($500,000 MFS). If your balance exceeds the limit, only a prorated portion of interest is deductible.

Cash contributions to qualifying charities are limited to 60% of your AGI. Non-cash contributions (property, stock, etc.) are generally limited to 30% of AGI. The overall total of all charitable contributions cannot exceed 50% of AGI. Excess contributions can be carried forward for up to 5 years. Starting in 2026, OBBBA adds a 0.5% AGI floor — only the portion of your total charitable deduction above 0.5% of AGI is deductible (e.g., at $200,000 AGI, the first $1,000 of giving no longer produces a deduction).

Personal casualty and theft losses are deductible only if they result from a declared disaster. The TCJA limited this to federally declared disasters from 2018, and OBBBA made that limitation permanent. Beginning in 2026, OBBBA also lets state-declared disasters qualify. Losses outside a declared disaster (ordinary theft, fire, or storms) remain non-deductible, and the $100-per-event and 10%-of-AGI reductions still apply.