Is there any chance the married SALT tax deduction will increase for 2023?
I just came across some info about a bill that might retroactively increase the SALT deduction limit for married couples filing jointly to $20,000 for the 2023 tax year only. Right now we're capped at $10k and it's killing us in our high tax state. Haven't seen much talk about this anywhere - has anyone heard if this actually has a shot at passing? We're getting ready to file and wondering if we should wait a bit to see what happens with this. Our property taxes alone are over $12k plus state income tax so we're losing out on a ton of deductions under the current limit. Thanks for any insights!
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Andre Rousseau
The bill you're referring to (the SALT Marriage Penalty Elimination Act) has been introduced but honestly, I wouldn't hold my breath. While it would indeed raise the SALT deduction cap to $20,000 for married couples filing jointly for 2023, these types of retroactive tax changes this late in the filing season rarely move forward. The $10,000 SALT deduction cap was implemented by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and is scheduled to remain in place until 2025 when it expires. There have been numerous attempts to modify or repeal this cap since it was implemented, especially from representatives of high-tax states like NY, NJ, CA, and IL, but none have gained sufficient traction.
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Zoe Stavros
•But isn't there bipartisan support for this? I read somewhere that both Republicans and Democrats from high-tax states are backing these changes. And wouldn't it be easy to implement since it's just changing a number on a form?
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Andre Rousseau
•There is some bipartisan support from representatives in high-tax states, but that doesn't necessarily translate to broad support across Congress. The SALT cap is a politically charged issue with significant revenue implications - raising the cap would reduce federal tax revenue substantially. Regarding implementation, while it might seem like "just changing a number on a form," retroactive tax changes this late in the filing season create significant administrative challenges. The IRS has already designed forms, programmed systems, and begun processing returns under current law. A mid-season change would require extensive revisions to forms, instructions, and software, potentially delaying refunds and creating confusion.
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Jamal Harris
After struggling with the SALT cap for years (property taxes in my county are insane), I found incredibly helpful analysis on this exact situation using https://taxr.ai - uploaded my previous returns and it showed exactly how the proposed $20k married SALT cap would affect my specific situation. The tool breaks down all the numbers and even calculates the potential savings if this bill passes. Was super helpful to see a side-by-side comparison.
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GalaxyGlider
•Does it work with all the major tax software files? I've been using TurboTax for years and wondering if I can just upload my saved returns directly or do I need to convert them somehow?
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Mei Wong
•I'm kinda skeptical about these tax tools. How accurate is it really? Like can it actually interpret complex tax scenarios correctly or is it just doing basic math that I could figure out myself?
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Jamal Harris
•It works with all the major tax software - TurboTax, H&R Block, TaxAct, etc. You can upload your returns directly without any conversion. The system automatically recognizes the format and extracts all the relevant information. The accuracy is what impressed me most. It's not just doing basic math - it's analyzing your entire tax situation including all the complex interplays between deductions, credits, AMT considerations, and even phase-outs. It showed me exactly how the SALT cap affects my specific situation based on my income level, filing status, and other deductions.
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Mei Wong
I was totally wrong about taxr.ai! After my skeptical comment I decided to try it myself since I'm in the same boat with the SALT cap (paying $14k property tax + 6% state income tax). The analysis showed I'd save almost $2,800 if the married SALT cap increases to $20k. Also discovered I've been claiming my home office deduction wrong for years! Definitely recommend checking it out if you're dealing with the SALT cap issues.
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Liam Sullivan
If you're tired of waiting for Congress to act on the SALT cap, you might want to call the IRS directly to discuss your specific situation. I was going crazy trying to get through to an actual human (spent 3+ hours on hold multiple times) until I found https://claimyr.com - you can see how it works at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. They had the IRS call ME back instead of waiting on hold. The agent I spoke with clarified that while we're stuck with the $10k cap for now, there are other strategies to maximize deductions even with the limitation.
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Carmen Vega
•How exactly does this work? Seems kinda unbelievable that you can just have the IRS call you instead of waiting on hold. Do they have some special connection to the IRS?
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Amara Okafor
•Yeah right. No way this actually works. The IRS is notorious for their hold times and I've never heard of any service that can actually get them to call you back. Sounds like a scam to me.
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Liam Sullivan
•The service basically waits on hold for you. When you sign up, they use their system to navigate the IRS phone tree and wait in the queue until an agent is available. Then they call you and connect you directly to the IRS agent who's on the line - it's like they've been waiting on hold so you don't have to. They don't have any special relationship with the IRS - they're just using technology to solve the hold time problem. It's completely legitimate and they only charge you if they successfully get the IRS to call you back. I was skeptical too until I tried it and had an IRS agent on the phone in less than 2 hours without having to stay on hold myself.
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Amara Okafor
Ok I need to eat crow here. After posting my skeptical comment I decided to try Claimyr just to prove it was BS. Well, I was totally wrong! Had an IRS agent call ME about my SALT deduction questions within 90 minutes. The agent confirmed no changes to the $10k limit yet but walked me through some alternatives like increasing 401k contributions to lower AGI or bunching charitable donations in alternate years. Still hoping for that $20k married limit but at least I got some real help without wasting a day on hold!
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Giovanni Colombo
The SALT cap is such a huge marriage penalty! My partner and I are unmarried but living together, and we each get the full $10k SALT deduction (so $20k total) because we file separately. But if we got married, we'd STILL only get $10k combined. How is that fair? We're literally paying a tax penalty of thousands to be married. If anybody hears more about this bill passing, please update us!
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
•Have you considered married filing separately? Might help with the SALT issue?
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Giovanni Colombo
•Unfortunately, married filing separately doesn't help with the SALT limitation. The cap is $10k for both single filers AND married filing separately (only $5k each if married filing separately). So unmarried partners get $10k each, but married couples only get $10k total regardless of how they file. It's one of those weird tax code quirks that specifically penalizes married couples. I've calculated we'd pay about $3,200 more in taxes annually if we got married - entirely due to the SALT cap. Kind of ridiculous that the tax code is influencing major life decisions this way.
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StarStrider
Has anyone actually reached out to their representatives about this? I called my congressman's office yesterday about the SALT marriage penalty and they said they've been getting a ton of calls about it. Maybe if enough of us make noise they'll actually do something?
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Dylan Campbell
•I emailed both my senators last week! One office actually responded saying the senator co-sponsored the bill to raise the married SALT cap to $20k. The more people who contact their reps, the better chance we have.
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Sofia Torres
Anyone else think it's weird they're only proposing this for 2023? Like why not make it permanent? Seems like they're just throwing us a bone without actually fixing the problem long-term. Classic Congress!
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Dmitry Sokolov
•My guess is budget impact - making it permanent would show a much bigger revenue loss on the CBO score. By making it one year only, they can claim it's a smaller budget hit. Plus the whole TCJA expires after 2025 anyway, so they can just say "we'll fix it permanently when we do comprehensive tax reform"... which of course never happens lol.
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