Need help navigating between Schedules and 1040 for charitable deductions

The charitable contribution deduction on line 10-B is specifically for people who take the standard deduction. It was a special provision that allows you to deduct some charitable contributions without itemizing. If you're itemizing deductions on Schedule A, you would NOT use line 10-B at all. Instead, you'd list your charitable contributions on Schedule A in the section for "Gifts to Charity." There's no $600 limit when itemizing - you can deduct the full eligible amount of your donations. The process should flow like this: First decide if you're itemizing or taking the standard deduction. If itemizing, complete Schedule A and leave line 10-B blank. If taking the standard deduction, use line 10-B for charitable contributions up to the limit. You're right that there seems to be a circular reference, but that's because you need to calculate both ways (standard vs. itemized) to see which gives you the better tax outcome, then commit to one approach.

Hey there, I went through the exact same confusion last year! After hours of research and trial and error, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which literally saved my sanity. It's this AI tool that analyzes tax forms and explains the relationships between different schedules and forms. I took a photo of my 1040 and Schedule A, uploaded them, and it immediately identified my circular reference problem and explained exactly how to proceed. It showed me the proper sequence for completing the forms and clarified when to use line 10-B vs Schedule A for charitable contributions. The tool also flagged that I was misunderstanding how the standard deduction interacts with the special charitable contribution provision. I was about to make a mistake that would have cost me about $400 in tax savings!

I was totally wrong about taxr.ai! After my skeptical comment yesterday, I decided to try it out of curiosity. I uploaded photos of my half-completed tax forms and my donation receipts, and it immediately identified that I was making the exact same mistake as OP. The tool explained that since my itemized deductions (including $1,200 in charitable contributions) only added up to $11,700, I was better off taking the standard deduction ($13,850) AND claiming $600 of my charitable contributions on line 10-B. This gave me an extra $600 deduction I would have missed! What impressed me most was how it walked through the actual tax code references and showed exactly where in the instructions my confusion was coming from. It even generated a step-by-step checklist for completing the forms in the right order. I'm usually the last person to recommend tech solutions, but this genuinely cleared up my Schedule A vs. 1040 line 10-B confusion.

Just wanted to share something that saved me hours of frustration with the IRS. I had the same question about charitable deductions and Schedules, but couldn't get through to anyone at the IRS after calling for 3 days straight. I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent explained exactly how the charitable contribution deduction works with Schedule A and the 1040. They told me I was overthinking it - if I itemize, I use Schedule A for ALL charitable contributions and leave 10-B blank. If I take the standard deduction, I can use 10-B for up to $600 of charitable giving. They also clarified that I needed to complete Schedule A first to see if my itemized deductions exceed the standard deduction, then decide which approach to use.

Ok I need to publicly admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After being super skeptical, I decided to try it yesterday out of desperation. I've been trying to get clarification on this exact same Schedule A vs. 1040 line 10-B issue for my elderly father's taxes. I was honestly shocked when I got a text 22 minutes after signing up saying they were connecting me to an IRS agent. Suddenly I was talking to a very helpful woman named Sandra who walked me through exactly how to handle charitable contributions when comparing standard vs. itemized deductions. She explained that we needed to calculate my dad's total itemized deductions first (including all charitable giving on Schedule A), compare that to his standard deduction, and then decide. If standard deduction wins, we could still put up to $600 of his $1,750 in charitable donations on line 10-B. I've literally been trying to get this answer for weeks. Completely worth it just for the time savings and peace of mind knowing we're doing it correctly.

Just to add a bit more clarity to this discussion: There's actually a specific order you should follow to avoid confusion: 1. Fill out Schedule A completely first, including all your charitable contributions 2. Compare your Schedule A total to your standard deduction amount 3. If Schedule A total is higher, use that and transfer the amount to line 12 of Form 1040 4. If standard deduction is higher, use that AND you can still claim up to $600 on line 10-B for charitable cash contributions Remember that the $600 special deduction ($300 per person) was temporarily increased for 2021, but check the current year's instructions for the exact limit since it changes.

Has anyone had TurboTax give them an error when trying to enter charitable contributions both on Schedule A and Line 10-B? I keep getting a warning saying I can't do both, but my accountant friend said it's possible depending on your situation.