The recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill has significantly updated the tax code, altering the calculus for taxpayers deciding between the standard deduction and itemized deductions on their tax returns.
The new law not only affects traditional itemized expenses but also creates several new tax deductions that can be claimed by both people who take the standard deduction and those who itemize.
The standard deduction is a fixed amount set by the IRS that lowers your taxable income based on your filing status (single, married filing jointly, etc.). Itemized deductions are a list of qualifying expenses — like home mortgage interest and charitable donations — that you can use to reduce your taxable income instead.
While these provisions apply to federal tax returns for individuals, the One Big Beautiful Bill also introduced changes that impact businesses. Deductions for businesses are calculated separately.
We’ll provide a more detailed overview of both the standard deduction and itemized deductions as we outline how to determine which one might work best for your financial situation.
- Standard deduction vs. itemized deductions: How they work
- How the One Big Beautiful Bill could affect your deductions
- New tax deductions for itemizers and non-itemizers alike
Standard deduction vs. itemized deductions: How they work
To decide between the standard and itemized deduction, start by comparing your total eligible tax write-offs to the standard deduction for your filing status. The option that results in a larger deduction will maximize your tax savings.
Standard deduction
Claiming the standard deduction is easier because you don’t have to keep track of expenses. For taxes on your 2025 income, the standard deduction is …
- $15,750 for taxpayers filing as single or married filing separately
- $23,625 for head of household filers
- $31,500 for taxpayers filing as married filing jointly
Itemized deductions
To itemize your deductions, you’ll likely want to track and document specific expenses throughout the year by saving receipts, bank statements and other records.
After adding up all of your qualifying expenses, you’ll need to complete and file Schedule A (Form 1040) to see if your total exceeds the standard deduction for your filing status. If it does, itemizing could lead to a lower tax bill.
Itemized deductions that haven’t changed for tax year 2025 include …
- Mortgage interest: You can deduct home mortgage interest on up to $750,000 of that debt.
- Medical expenses: You may deduct out-of-pocket medical and dental expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.
- Charitable contributions: You can deduct cash and property donations made to qualified charitable organizations, typically up to 60% of your adjusted gross income.
How the One Big Beautiful Bill could affect your deductions
The One Big Beautiful Bill introduces key tax code changes that may affect your decision on whether to take the standard deduction or to itemize.
While the new tax law made many provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, including the larger standard deduction, it also made a number of changes. For example, the new tax law temporarily offers a more generous deduction for state and local taxes.
Increase in the SALT deduction cap
The State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction allows taxpayers who itemize to subtract certain taxes — such as property, income or sales taxes — paid to state and local governments from their federal taxable income.
Since 2018, this deduction has been limited to a combined total of $10,000 ($5,000 if married filing separately).
For tax years 2025 through 2029, the new law …
- Raises the cap to $40,000 for taxpayers with a Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) under $500,000 ($250,000 for those married filing separately).
- Gradually phases out the cap for taxpayers with a MAGI over $500,000, reducing it by 30% for every dollar their income exceeds the threshold until it reaches the original $10,000 limit.
- Adjusts the cap and income threshold annually by 1% to account for inflation.
New tax deductions for itemizers and non-itemizers alike
The One Big Beautiful Bill introduced several new deductions for tax years 2025 through 2028 that you can claim whether you take the standard deduction or itemize.
Additional senior deduction
Taxpayers ages 65 and older can claim an additional deduction of $6,000. For married couples filing jointly, the maximum deduction is $12,000 if both people qualify.
Eligibility: This deduction is phased out for single filers with a MAGI over $75,000 and for joint filers with a MAGI over $150,000.
Tip income
Eligible workers can deduct up to $25,000 in qualified tips.
Eligibility: The deduction begins to phase out for single filers with a Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) over $150,000 and for joint filers with a MAGI over $300,000.
Overtime pay
Workers who receive qualified overtime pay can deduct up to $12,500 ($25,000 for joint filers).
Eligibility: The deduction begins to phase out for single filers with a MAGI over $150,000 and for joint filers with a MAGI over $300,000.
New car loan interest
A deduction of up to $10,000 is available for interest paid on a loan for a new car assembled in the U.S. Used vehicles are not eligible for this new deduction.
Eligibility: This deduction phases out for single filers with a MAGI over $100,000 and for joint filers with a MAGI over $200,000.
Next steps
Deciding whether to itemize or take the standard deduction is often a simple comparison, but the best choice depends on your personal situation.
A good first step is to create a digital or physical folder to collect and organize all of your documents for potential tax write-offs throughout the year.
As you track your deductible expenses, like medical bills or charitable donations, you can compare your running total to the standard deduction amount for your filing status.
This proactive approach can help you determine which option will lead to the biggest tax savings.A free online tool like TurboTax’s Tax Refund Calculator can also help you run the numbers to estimate your tax refund or what you may owe.