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Itemizing when married filing separately

Varies

Can You Write Off Itemizing When Married Filing Separately?

Short answer: If one spouse itemizes, the other must too, even if their standard deduction would be bigger.

Run both ways before choosing separate returns.

Records to keep: Keep receipts, statements (1098, 1098-T, 1099, W-2G), and a note of what each cost was for. Compare itemizing to the 2026 standard deduction before you claim.