Artículo Joint state and local returns.. Joint state and local returns.

id="en_US_2025_publink1000173155"> Joint state and local returns. If you and your spouse file joint state and local returns and separate federal returns, each of you can deduct on your separate federal return a part of the state and local income taxes paid during the tax year. You can deduct only the amount of the total taxes that is proportionate to your gross income compared to the combined gross income of you and your spouse. However, you can’t deduct more than the amount you actually paid during the year. You can avoid this calculation if you and your spouse are jointly and individually liable for the full amount of the state and local income taxes. If so, you and your spouse can deduct on your separate federal returns the amount you each actually paid. Joint federal return. If you file a joint federal return, you can deduct the state and local income taxes both of you paid. Contributions to state benefit funds. As an employee, you can deduct mandatory contributions to state benefit funds withheld from your wages that provide protection against loss of wages. For example, certain states require employees to make contributions to state funds providing disability or unemployment insurance benefits. Mandatory payments made to the following state benefit funds are deductible as state income taxes on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 5a. Alaska Unemployment Compensation Fund. California Nonoccupational Disability Benefit Fund. New Jersey Nonoccupational Disability Benefit Fund. New Jersey Unemployment Compensation Fund. New York Nonoccupational Disability Benefit Fund. Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Fund. Rhode Island Temporary Disability Benefit Fund. Washington State Supplemental Workmen's Compensation Fund. . Employee contributions to private or voluntary disability plans aren’t deductible. . Refund (or credit) of state or local income taxes. If you receive a refund of (or credit for) state or local income taxes in a year after the year in which you paid them, you may have to include the refund in income on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 1, in the year you receive it. This includes refunds resulting from taxes that were overwithheld, applied from a prior-year return, not figured correctly, or figured again because of an amended return. If you didn’t itemize your deductions in the previous year, don’t include the refund in income. If you deducted the taxes in the previous year, include all or part of the refund on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 1, in the year you receive the refund. For a discussion of how much to include, see Recoveries in Pub. 525 for more information. Foreign Income Taxes Generally, you can take either a deduction or a credit for income taxes imposed on you by a foreign country or a U.S. territory. However, you can’t take a deduction or credit for foreign income taxes paid on income that is exempt from U.S. tax under the foreign earned income exclusion or the foreign housing exclusion. For information on these exclusions, see Pub. 54, Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad. For information on the foreign tax credit, see Pub. 514. State and Local General Sales Taxes You can elect to deduct state and local general sales taxes, instead of state and local income taxes, as an itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 5a. You can use either your actual expenses or the state and local sales tax tables to figure your sales tax deduction. Actual expenses. Generally, you can deduct the actual state and local general sales taxes (including compensating use taxes) if the tax rate was the same as the general sales tax rate. Food, clothing, and medical supplies. Sales taxes on food, clothing, and medical supplies are deductible as a general sales tax even if the tax rate was less than the general sales tax rate. Motor vehicles. Sales taxes on motor vehicles are deductible as a general sales tax even if the tax rate was less than the general sales tax rate. However, if you paid sales tax on a motor vehicle at a rate higher than the general sales tax, you can deduct only the amount of the tax that you would have paid at the general sales tax rate on that vehicle. Include any state and local general sales taxes paid for a leased motor vehicle. For purposes of this section, motor vehicles include cars, motorcycles, motor homes, recreational vehicles, sport utility vehicles, trucks, vans, and off-road vehi