Back Taxes Paid In 2009 for 3 prior years can

[Bobby]

tax payer amendend his 2009 return and claim all the back taxes to the Standard Deduction. In 2009 Real Estate Taxes could be added to your regular Standard Deduction,
I can't find any place where it says yes or no. But taxes are only deductible in the year paid, He paid about 7,000 back taxes in 2009 for prior years so even if he couldn't itemize it would make a big difference in his 2009 Tax Return.

[JohnH]

The addition to standard deduction in 2009 is limited to $1,000 on a joint return, $500 on a Single of HOH. He's entitled to take it, but I don't know how huge the result will be.

Of course, if his other itemized deductions added to the $7K get him significantly over the stadard deduciton threshhold, then he's certainly entitled to amend. Just be sure to strip out the penalties and interest (if any) from the $7K when figuring the deduction.

[Bobby]

Back taxes

Thanks John, I wasn't even thinking of the 1,000 limit.

[JohnH]

The only reason I was thinking of it was because yesterday I'd just finished reviewing a 2008 return which missed the property tax addition to the standard deduction. On any other day I'd have probably overlooked it as well. Sometimes we're all thinking minute-by-minute this time of the year...