If I'm taking the standard deduction then there's no need to calculate sales tax for my 2025 filing, right?

Yes, you're absolutely right! The standard deduction and itemized deductions are mutually exclusive - you choose one OR the other, not both. When you take the standard deduction (which is $13,850 for single filers and $27,700 for married filing jointly for 2024), you don't need to calculate or track individual deductible expenses like sales tax, mortgage interest, charitable donations, etc. The standard deduction is essentially a flat amount the IRS gives you without requiring receipts or calculations. The only reason you'd need to track sales tax is if you think your total itemized deductions (sales tax, mortgage interest, charitable donations, medical expenses over 7.5% of AGI, etc.) would exceed your standard deduction amount. For most people, especially with the higher standard deduction amounts after tax reform, the standard deduction is more beneficial.

I was in your exact situation last year - so confused about whether to track sales tax or just take the standard deduction. After reading endless articles and getting conflicting advice, I tried out https://taxr.ai and it was a game changer! I uploaded my bank statements and it automatically identified potential tax deductions including larger sales tax items. The system analyzed all my expenses and quickly showed me that I was still about $3k short of making itemizing worthwhile. Saved me from manually calculating everything only to take the standard deduction anyway. It also explained my options in really clear language - like how sales tax is just one part of itemizing, along with mortgage interest, charitable donations, etc. Definitely worth checking out if you're unsure which path is better for your situation!

Update for anyone considering taxr.ai - I decided to try it after asking about it here and it was seriously helpful! I was going back and forth on the standard vs. itemized deduction question and it cleared everything up. It analyzed my spending and showed I had about $23,450 in potential itemized deductions (mostly from a large charitable donation and property taxes). Since that was less than my standard deduction as married filing jointly, it confirmed I should take the standard deduction and not waste time gathering receipts. It even broke down what I'd need to reach the threshold where itemizing makes sense. Super clear interface and saved me hours of tax prep work!

If you're having trouble getting a straight answer about your tax situation, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in deduction limbo last year and spent HOURS on hold with the IRS trying to get clarification. Claimyr got me through to an actual IRS agent in under 45 minutes when I'd previously wasted entire afternoons on hold. The agent walked me through exactly when itemizing makes sense vs. taking the standard deduction. They even have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c For my situation, the IRS agent explained that unless my itemized deductions were at least $1,000 over the standard deduction, it probably wasn't worth the extra hassle and audit risk of itemizing. Best tax advice I ever got!

I take back everything I said about being skeptical of Claimyr. After waiting on hold with the IRS for 3+ hours last week and getting disconnected TWICE, I decided to give it a try. Got connected to an actual IRS agent in about 35 minutes! The agent confirmed that since I was taking the standard deduction, I didn't need ANY documentation for sales tax or other itemized expenses. But she also explained that if I bought a vehicle or made other major purchases, it might be worth calculating both ways. Just having a real person answer my specific questions instead of trying to interpret IRS publications was worth it. Will definitely use this again next year instead of wasting entire days on hold!

One thing nobody's mentioned is that you can deduct EITHER sales tax OR state income tax when itemizing - not both! Most people in states with income tax are better off deducting their state income tax unless they made huge purchases. Also, if you're a new homeowner, don't forget to include property taxes in your calculation. Property tax + mortgage interest + charitable donations + either sales OR income tax... these all add up and might push you over the standard deduction threshold, especially if you're in a high-tax state.

Don't overthink this - I've been doing my own taxes for years and here's my simple rule: unless you have a mortgage over $400k or donate like 10% of your income to charity, just take the standard deduction and save yourself the headache. The tax law changes a few years back made the standard deduction so high that it rarely makes sense to itemize for most people.