A History of the Standard Deduction

We’re in the thick of tax season, which means that you’ve probably given thought to your deductions. So, will you be itemizing your eligible expenses, or taking the standard deduction allowed to most of us?

The standard deduction is a basic tax break that all taxpayers get, as long as they fall under a certain income limit. Specifically, the standard deduction is the amount you can subtract from your income before it is taxed. The government provides this as a sort of tax break.

The amount of your standard deduction depends on your taxpayer filing status, your age, and whether you are disabled or claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return. As you can see from the tables below--covering the past several years of this tax break--the largest portion of your deduction comes automatically, and depends on your filing status.

Related: Cash App Taxes Review

2023 Standard Deductions

2022 Standard Deductions

2021 Standard Deductions

2020 Standard Deductions

2019 Standard Deductions

2018 Standard Deductions

2017 Standard Deductions

2016 Standard Deductions

2015 Standard Deductions

2014 Standard Deductions

2013 Standard Deductions

The IRS determines the standard deduction figures each year and must account for inflation (rising prices of goods and services). As you can see, from 2013 to 2020, the standard deduction amounts often fluctuated year to year. Only in 2016 did the amounts remain the same as the previous year.

While a ~1% increase each year doesn’t seem like much, it translates to extra money in your pocket come tax time, without you having to lift an extra finger. That’s always a good thing. And if history is any indication of the future, you might expect next year’s standard deductions to increase by at least a percentage point or two.

In 2018, you’ll notice that the deduction rose by approximately 90% for all tax filers! That’s because on January 1, 2018, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act went into effect.

One of the main reasons for the massive increase in the standard deduction was to limit the number of taxpayers who would need to itemize their deductions. Fewer itemizers mean less paperwork for the IRS to sift through. And taking the standard deduction is certainly less complicated than itemizing your deductions.

And as you can see, 2023 (for the 2022 tax year) has increased substantially across all filing statuses to account for inflation.

In some cases, it might still be better to opt for itemized deductions instead of the standard deduction. If you have a lot of itemized deductions like large charitable contributions, mortgage interest, medical expenses, etc.--you might reduce your taxable income by itemizing deductions.

If after itemizing your deductions the amount is less than the standard deduction, obviously just go the standard route.