What Is Schedule A? Claiming Itemized Deductions in 2025

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What is the Schedule A?
How to fill out Schedule A
- Form 1098 from your mortgage lender (it shows interest you paid for the year).
- Property tax bills, state income tax records and sales tax records.
- Receipts for unreimbursed medical expenses.
- Records of your charitable donations during the year.
How Schedule A works
- Schedule A is divided into seven sections: medical and dental expenses, taxes you paid, interest you paid, gifts to charity, casualty and theft losses, other itemized deductions and a section for your total itemized deductions.
- Each of the seven sections has subsections so that you can add up various types of expenses that qualify for the deduction.
- Once you have a grand total of the itemized deductions, you enter that on your Form 1040.
Who needs to file a Schedule A tax form
Filing status | Deduction amount |
---|---|
Single | $14,600. |
Married filing separately | $14,600. |
Head of household | $21,900. |
Married filing jointly | $29,200. |
Surviving spouse | $29,200. |
Filing status | Deduction amount |
---|---|
Single | $15,750. |
Married filing separately | $15,750. |
Head of household | $23,625. |
Married filing jointly | $31,500. |
Surviving spouses | $31,500. |
What items can be deducted on Schedule A?
- Deduction for state and local income taxes paid.
- Casualty and theft losses in a federally declared disaster area.
- Gambling losses.
- Casualty and theft losses of certain income-producing property.
- Federal estate taxes on income in respect of a decedent.
- Amortizable bond premiums.
- Ordinary loss attributable to certain bond investments.
- Certain repayments of Social Security or other income.
- Certain unrecovered investments in a pension.
- Impairment-related work expenses for a person who's disabled.
Schedule A tips and tricks for itemizing
- Educator expenses.
- Certain business expenses.
- Health savings account contributions.
- Contributions to retirement plans and health insurance premiums for self-employed people.
- Early withdrawal penalties for savings.
- Alimony payments.
- Contributions to an IRA.
- Student loan interest.