Instructions for Schedule A (Form 1040)
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP55a4eb46taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP174ff1a3
- Federal income and most excise taxes.
- Social security, Medicare, federal unemployment (FUTA), and railroad retirement (RRTA)
taxes.
- Customs duties.
- Federal estate and gift taxes. But see the instructions for line
28.
- Certain state and local taxes, including: tax on gasoline, car inspection fees, assessments for sidewalks or other improvements to your property, tax you paid for someone else, and license fees (marriage, driver's, dog,
etc.).
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP237cdcb3 | You can elect to deduct state and local general sales taxes instead of state and local income taxes.
You cannot deduct both.
|
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP7c34b2f6If you elect to deduct state and local income taxes, you
must
check
box a
on line 5. Include on this line the state and local income taxes listed below.
- State and local income taxes withheld from your salary during 2011. Your Form(s) W-2 will show these amounts. Forms W-2G, 1099-G, 1099-R, and 1099-MISC may also show state and local income taxes
withheld.
- State and local income taxes paid in 2011 for a prior year, such as taxes paid with your 2010 state or local income tax return. Do not include penalties or
interest.
- State and local estimated tax payments made during 2011, including any part of a prior year refund that you chose to have credited to your 2011 state or local income
taxes.
- Mandatory contributions you made to the California, New Jersey, or New York Nonoccupational Disability Benefit Fund, Rhode Island Temporary Disability Benefit Fund, or Washington State Supplemental Workmen's Compensation
Fund.
- Mandatory contributions to the Alaska, California, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania state unemployment
fund.
- Mandatory contributions to state family leave programs, such as the New Jersey Family Leave Insurance (FLI) program and the California Paid Family Leave
program.
Do not reduce your deduction by any:
- State or local income tax refund or credit you expect to receive for 2011,
or
- Refund of, or credit for, prior year state and local income taxes you actually received in 2011. Instead, see the instructions for Form 1040, line
10.
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP54ad2755If you elect to deduct state and local general sales taxes, you
must check
box b
on line 5. To figure your deduction, you can use either your actual expenses or
the optional sales tax tables.
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP1a3d6ec1Generally, you can deduct the actual state and local general sales taxes (including compensating use taxes) you paid in 2011 if the tax rate was the same as the general sales tax rate. However, sales taxes on food, clothing, medical supplies, and motor vehicles are deductible as a general sales tax even if the tax rate was less than the general sales tax rate. If you paid sales tax on a motor vehicle at a rate higher than the general sales tax rate, you can deduct only the amount of tax that you would have paid at the general sales tax rate on that vehicle. Motor vehicles include cars, motorcycles, motor homes, recreational vehicles, sport utility vehicles, trucks, vans, and off-road vehicles. Also include any state and local general sales taxes paid for a leased motor vehicle. Do not include sales taxes paid on items used in your trade or
business.
 | You must keep your actual receipts showing general sales taxes paid to use this
method. |
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP3435107fIf you received a refund of state or local general sales taxes in 2011 for amounts paid in 2011, reduce your
actual
2011 state and local general sales taxes by this amount. If you received a
refund of state or local general sales taxes in 2011 for prior year purchases,
do not reduce your 2011 state and local general sales taxes by this amount. But
if you deducted your
actual
state and local general sales taxes in the earlier year and the deduction
reduced your tax, you may have to include the refund in income on Form 1040,
line 21. See
Recoveries
in Pub.
525 for details.
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP743df63aInstead of using your actual expenses, you can use the 2011 Optional State and Certain Local Sales Tax Table and the 2011 Optional Local Sales Tax Tables for Certain Local Jurisdictions at the end of these instructions to figure your state and local general sales tax deduction. You may also be able to add the state and local general sales taxes paid on certain specified
items.
To figure your state and local general sales tax deduction using the tables, complete the State and Local General Sales Tax Deduction Worksheet or use the Sales Tax Deduction Calculator on the IRS website. To use the Sales Tax Deduction Calculator, go to IRS.gov and enter
sales tax deduction calculator
in the search box.
 | If your filing status is married filing separately, both you and your spouse elect to deduct sales taxes,
and
your spouse elects to use the optional sales tax tables, you also must use the
tables to figure your state and local general sales tax deduction. |
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#w53061x04 | State and Local General Sales Tax Deduction Worksheet—Line
5b (p3)
 | Instead of using this worksheet, you can find your deduction by using the Sales Tax Deduction Calculator at
IRS.gov. | See the instructions for line 1 of the worksheet if you:- Lived in more than one state during 2011, or
- Had any nontaxable income in 2011.
| | | 1. | Enter your
state
general sales taxes from the 2011 Optional State and Certain Local Sales Tax
Table
| 1. | $ | | | | Next.
If, for all of 2011, you lived only in Connecticut, the District of Columbia,
Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode
Island, or West Virginia, skip lines 2 through 5, enter -0- on line 6, and go to
line 7. Otherwise, go to line 2.
| | | | | 2. | Did you live in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California (Los Angeles County only), Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, or Virginia in 2011?
| | | | | |
| No.
Enter -0-
|
 |
2. | $ | | | |
| Yes.
Enter your base
local
general sales taxes from the 2011 Optional Local Sales Tax Tables for Certain
Local Jurisdictions
| | | | | 3. | Did your locality impose a
local
general sales tax in 2011? Residents of California and Nevada see the
instructions for line 3 of the worksheet.
| | | |
| No. Skip lines 3 through 5, enter -0- on line 6, and go to line 7.
| | | | | | | |
| Yes. Enter your
local
general sales tax rate, but omit the percentage sign. For example, if your local
general sales tax rate was 2.5%, enter 2.5. If your local general sales tax rate
changed or you lived in more than one locality in the same state during 2011,
see the instructions for line 3 of the worksheet
| 3. | . | | | | | 4. | Did you enter -0- on line 2 above? | | | | | | | |
| No.
Skip lines 4 and 5 and go to line 6.
| | | | | | | |
| Yes.
Enter your
state
general sales tax rate (shown in the table heading for your state), but omit the
percentage sign. For example, if your state general sales tax rate is 6%, enter
6.0
| 4. | . | | | | | 5. | Divide line 3 by line 4. Enter the result as a decimal (rounded to at least three
places) | 5. | . | | | | | 6. | Did you enter -0- on line 2 above? | | | | | | | |
| No.
Multiply line 2 by line 3
|
 | 6. | $ | | | |
| Yes.
Multiply line 1 by line 5. If you lived in more than one locality in the same state during 2011, see the instructions for line 6 of the worksheet
| | 7. | Enter your state and local general sales taxes paid on specified items, if any. See the instructions for line 7 of the
worksheet | 7. | $ | | | 8. | Deduction for general sales taxes.
Add lines 1, 6, and 7. Enter the result here and the total from all your state
and local general sales tax deduction worksheets, if you completed more than
one, on Schedule A, line 5. Be sure to check
box b on that line
| 8. | $ | | | |
|
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP4cf7373ataxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP5a7f5473If you lived in the same state for all of 2011, enter the applicable amount, based on your 2011 income and exemptions, from the 2011 Optional State and Certain Local Sales Tax Table for your state. Read down the
At least–But less than
columns for your state and find the line that includes your 2011 income. If
married filing separately, do not include your spouse's income. Your 2011 income
is the amount shown on your Form 1040, line 38,
plus any nontaxable items, such as the following.
- Tax-exempt interest.
- Veterans' benefits.
- Nontaxable combat pay.
- Workers' compensation.
- Nontaxable part of social security and railroad retirement
benefits.
- Nontaxable part of IRA, pension, or annuity distributions. Do not include
rollovers.
- Public assistance payments.
The exemptions column refers to the number of exemptions claimed on Form 1040, line
6d.
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP04d749e9If you lived in more than one state during 2011, look up the table amount for each state using the above rules. If there is no table for your state, the table amount is considered to be zero. Multiply the table amount for each state you lived in by a fraction. The numerator of the fraction is the number of days you lived in the state during 2011 and the denominator is the total number of days in the year (365). Enter the total of the prorated table amounts for each state on line 1. However, if you also lived in a locality during 2011 that imposed a local general sales tax, do not enter the total on line 1. Instead, complete a separate worksheet for each state you lived in and enter the prorated amount for that state on line
1.
You lived in State A from January 1 through August 31, 2011 (243 days), and in State B from September 1 through December 31, 2011 (122 days). The table amount for State A is $500. The table amount for State B is $400. You would figure your state general sales tax as follows.
| State A: | $500 x 243/365 = | $333 | |
| State B: | $400 x 122/365 = | 134 | |
| Total | = | $467 | |
If none of the localities in which you lived during 2011 imposed a local general sales tax, enter $467 on line 1 of your worksheet. Otherwise, complete a separate worksheet for State A and State B. Enter $333 on line 1 of the State A worksheet and $134 on line 1 of the State B
worksheet.
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP0b74be79If you checked the
No
box, enter -0- on line 2, and go to line 3. If you checked the
Yes
box and lived in the same locality for all of 2011, enter the applicable amount,
based on your 2011 income and exemptions, from the 2011 Optional Local Sales Tax
Tables for Certain Local Jurisdictions for your locality. Read down the
At least–But less than
columns for your locality and find the line that includes your 2011 income. See
the instructions for line 1 of the worksheet to figure your 2011 income. The
exemptions column refers to the number of exemptions claimed on Form 1040, line
6d.
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP3f9f1525If you lived in more than one locality during 2011, look up the table amount for each locality using the above rules. If there is no table for your locality, the table amount is considered to be zero. Multiply the table amount for each locality you lived in by a fraction. The numerator of the fraction is the number of days you lived in the locality during 2011 and the denominator is the total number of days in the year (365). If you lived in more than one locality in the same state and the local general sales tax rate was the same for each locality, enter the total of the prorated table amounts for each locality in that state on line 2. Otherwise, complete a separate worksheet for lines 2 through 6 for each locality and enter each prorated table amount on line 2 of the applicable
worksheet.
You lived in Locality 1 from January 1 through August 31, 2011 (243 days), and in Locality 2 from September 1 through December 31, 2011 (122 days). The table amount for Locality 1 is $100. The table amount for Locality 2 is $150. You would figure the amount to enter on line 2 as follows. Note that this amount may not equal your local sales tax deduction, which is figured on line 6 of the worksheet.
| Locality 1: | $100 x 243/365 = | $ 67 | |
| Locality 2: | $150 x 122/365 = | 50 | |
| Total | = | $117 | |
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP4954b1e2If you lived in California, check the
No
box if your combined state and local general sales tax rate is 7.7459%.
Otherwise, check the
Yes
box and include on line 3 only the part of the combined rate that is more than
7.7459%.
If you lived in Nevada, check the
No
box if your combined state and local general sales tax rate is 6.8500%.
Otherwise, check the
Yes
box and include on line 3 only the part of the combined rate that is more than
6.8500%.
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP187d339dIf you checked the
Yes
box and your local general sales tax rate changed during 2011, figure the rate
to enter on line 3 as follows. Multiply each tax rate for the period it was in
effect by a fraction. The numerator of the fraction is the number of days the
rate was in effect during 2011 and the denominator is the total number of days
in the year (365). Enter the total of the prorated tax rates on line 3.
Locality 1 imposed a 1% local general sales tax from January 1 through September 30, 2011 (273 days). The rate increased to 1.75% for the period from October 1 through December 31, 2011 (92 days). You would enter
1.189
on line 3, figured as follows.
| January 1 – September 30: | 1.00 x 273/365 = | 0.748 | |
| October 1 – December 31: | 1.75 x 92/365 = | 0.441 | |
| Total | = | 1.189 | |
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP43377ce3Complete a separate worksheet for lines 2 through 6 for each locality in your state if you lived in more than one locality in the same state during 2011 and either of the following applies.
- Each locality did not have the same local general sales tax
rate.
- You lived in Los Angeles County, CA.
To figure the amount to enter on line 3 of the worksheet for each locality in which you lived (except a locality for which you used the 2011 Optional Local Sales Tax Tables for Certain Local Jurisdictions to figure your local general sales tax deduction), multiply the local general sales tax rate by a fraction. The numerator of the fraction is the number of days you lived in the locality during 2011 and the denominator is the total number of days in the year
(365).
You lived in Locality 1 from January 1 through August 31, 2011 (243 days), and in Locality 2 from September 1 through December 31, 2011 (122 days). The local general sales tax rate for Locality 1 is 1%. The rate for Locality 2 is 1.75%. You would enter
0.666
on line 3 for the Locality 1 worksheet and
0.585
for the Locality 2 worksheet, figured as follows.
| Locality 1: | 1.00 x 243/365 = | 0.666 | |
| Locality 2: | 1.75 x 122/365 = | 0.585 | |
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP7874f655If you lived in more than one locality in the same state during 2011, you should have completed line 1 only on the first worksheet for that state and separate worksheets for lines 2 through 6 for any other locality within that state in which you lived during 2011. If you checked the
Yes
box on line 6 of any of those worksheets, multiply line 5 of that worksheet by
the amount that you entered on line 1 for that state on the first worksheet.
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP17764228Enter on line 7 any state and local general sales taxes paid on the following specified items. If you are completing more than one worksheet, include the total for line 7 on only one of the worksheets.
- A motor vehicle (including a car, motorcycle, motor home, recreational vehicle, sport utility vehicle, truck, van, and off-road vehicle). Also include any state and local general sales taxes paid for a leased motor vehicle. If the state sales tax rate on these items is higher than the general sales tax rate, only include the amount of tax you would have paid at the general sales tax
rate.
- An aircraft or boat, if the tax rate was the same as the general sales tax
rate.
- A home (including a mobile home or prefabricated home) or substantial addition to or major renovation of a home, but only if the tax rate was the same as the general sales tax rate and any of the following
applies.
- Your state or locality imposes a general sales tax directly on the sale of a home or on the cost of a substantial addition or major
renovation.
- You purchased the materials to build a home or substantial addition or to perform a major renovation and paid the sales tax
directly.
- Under your state law, your contractor is considered your agent in the construction of the home or substantial addition or the performance of a major renovation. The contract must state that the contractor is authorized to act in your name and must follow your directions on construction decisions. In this case, you will be considered to have purchased any items subject to a sales tax and to have paid the sales tax
directly.
Do not include sales taxes paid on items used in your trade or business. If you received a refund of state or local general sales taxes in 2011, see
Refund of general sales taxes, earlier.
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP462fd797taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP5409cd43 | If you are a homeowner who received assistance under a State Housing Finance Agency Hardest Hit Fund program or an Emergency Homeowners' Loan program, see Pub.
530 for the amount you can deduct on line 6. |
Include taxes (state, local, or foreign) you paid on real estate you own that was not used for business, but only if the taxes are based on the assessed value of the property. Also, the assessment must be made uniformly on property throughout the community, and the proceeds must be used for general community or governmental purposes. Pub. 530 explains the deductions homeowners can
take.
Do not include the following amounts on line 6.
- Itemized charges for services to specific property or persons (for example, a $20 monthly charge per house for trash collection, a $5 charge for every 1,000 gallons of water consumed, or a flat charge for mowing a lawn that had grown higher than permitted under a local
ordinance).
- Charges for improvements that tend to increase the value of your property (for example, an assessment to build a new sidewalk). The cost of a property improvement is added to the basis of the property. However, a charge is deductible if it is used only to maintain an existing public facility in service (for example, a charge to repair an existing sidewalk, and any interest included in that
charge).
If your mortgage payments include your real estate taxes, you can deduct only the amount the mortgage company actually paid to the taxing authority in
2011.
If you sold your home in 2011, any real estate tax charged to the buyer should be shown on your settlement statement and in box 5 of any Form 1099-S you received. This amount is considered a refund of real estate taxes. See
Refunds and rebates
below. Any real estate taxes you paid at closing should be shown on your
settlement statement.
 | You must look at your real estate tax bill to decide if any nondeductible itemized charges, such as those listed above, are included in the bill. If your taxing authority (or lender) does not furnish you a copy of your real estate tax bill, ask for
it. |
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP385eeb21If you received a refund or rebate in 2011 of real estate taxes you paid in 2011, reduce your deduction by the amount of the refund or rebate. If you received a refund or rebate in 2011 of real estate taxes you paid in an earlier year, do not reduce your deduction by this amount. Instead, you must include the refund or rebate in income on Form 1040, line 21, if you deducted the real estate taxes in the earlier year and the deduction reduced your tax. See
Recoveries in Pub.
525 for details on how to figure the amount to include in income.
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP1d6f9cb5taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP5789b72fEnter the state and local personal property taxes you paid, but only if the taxes were based on value alone and were imposed on a yearly
basis.
You paid a yearly fee for the registration of your car. Part of the fee was based on the car's value and part was based on its weight. You can deduct only the part of the fee that was based on the car's
value.
taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP1f07f265taxmap/instr/i1040sca-002.htm#TXMP56d160dbIf you had any deductible tax not listed on line 5, 6, or 7, list the type and amount of tax. Enter only one total on line 8. Include on this line income tax you paid to a foreign country or U.S. possession.
 | You may want to take a credit for the foreign tax instead of a deduction. See the instructions for Form 1040, line 47, for
details. |