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Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service 2020 Instructions for Schedule A Itemized Deductions Use Schedule A (Form 1040) to figure your itemized deductions. In most cases, your federal income tax will be less if you take the larger of your itemized deductions or your standard deduction. If you itemize, you can deduct a part of your medical and dental expenses, and amounts you paid for certain taxes, interest, contributions, and other expenses. You can also deduct certain casualty and theft losses. If you and your spouse paid expenses jointly and are filing separate returns for 2020, see Pub. 504 to figure the portion of joint expenses that you can claim as itemiz- ed deductions. Don't include on Schedule A items deducted elsewhere, such as on Form 1040, Form 1040-SR, or Schedule C, E, or F. CAUTION ! Section references are to the Internal Revenue Code unless otherwise noted. Future Developments. For the latest information about developments related to Schedule A (Form 1040) and its in- structions, such as legislation enacted af- ter they were published, go to IRS.gov/ ScheduleA. What's New Qualified contributions. For 2020 and 2021, you may be able to elect a tempo- rary suspension of certain limitations that apply to cash contributions made during the year. See Line 11, later, and Pub. 526 for more information. Standard mileage rates. The standard mileage rate allowed for operating ex- penses for a car when you use it for medical reasons decreased to 17 cents a mile. The 2020 rate for use of your vehi- cle to do volunteer work for certain charitable organizations remains at 14 cents a mile. Medical and Dental Expenses You can deduct only the part of your medical and dental expenses that ex- ceeds 7.5% of the amount of your adjus- ted gross income on Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line 11. If you received a distribution from a health savings account or a medical savings account in 2020, see Pub. 969 to figure your deduc- tion. Deceased taxpayer. Certain medical expenses paid out of a deceased taxpay- er's estate can be claimed on the de- ceased taxpayer's final return. See Pub. 502 for details. More information. Pub. 502 discusses the types of expenses you can and can’t deduct. It also explains when you can deduct capital expenses and special care expenses for disabled persons. Examples of Medical and Dental Payments You Can Deduct To the extent you weren't reimbursed, you can deduct what you paid for: • Insurance premiums for medical and dental care, including premiums for qualified long-term care insurance con- tracts as defined in Pub. 502. But see Limit on long-term care premiums you can deduct, later. Reduce the insurance premiums by any self-employed health insurance deduction you claimed on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 16. You can't deduct insurance premiums paid by making a pre-tax reduction to your em- ployee compensation because these amounts are already being excluded from your income by not being included in box 1 of your Form(s) W-2. If you are a retired public safety officer, you can't deduct any premiums you paid to the ex- CAUTION ! tent they were paid for with a tax-free distribution from your retirement plan. If, during 2020, you were an el- igible trade adjustment assis- tance (TAA) recipient, an alter- native TAA (ATAA) recipient, reemploy- ment TAA (RTAA) recipient, or Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) payee, you must reduce your insurance premiums by any amounts used to figure the health coverage tax credit. See Line 1, later. • Prescription medicines or insulin. • Acupuncturists, chiropractors, den- tists, eye doctors, medical doctors, occu- pational therapists, osteopathic doctors, physical therapists, podiatrists, psychia- trists, psychoanalysts (medical care on- ly), and psychologists. • Medical examinations, X-ray and laboratory services, and insulin treat- ments your doctor ordered. • Diagnostic tests, such as a full-body scan, pregnancy test, or blood sugar test kit. • Nursing help (including your share of the employment taxes paid). If you paid someone to do both nursing and housework, you can deduct only the cost of the nursing help. • Hospital care (including meals and lodging), clinic costs, and lab fees. • Qualified long-term care services (see Pub. 502). • The supplemental part of Medicare insurance (Medicare B). • The premiums you pay for Medi- care Part D insurance. CAUTION ! A-1 Jan 04, 2021 Cat. No. 53061X