You have an important decision to make each year when filing your federal income tax return—itemize or take the standard deduction. You can only pick one, but at least you can select the option that cuts your tax bill the most.
The standard deduction amounts are adjusted each year to account for inflation, which helps taxpayers by increasing their deduction nearly every year (and certainly this year, since inflation is still on the high side). And for smart taxpayers who want to start thinking about their 2024 tax situation now, the IRS has already released the standard deduction amounts for the 2024 tax year.
So, if you want to get a jump on your 2024 tax planning, all the various standard deduction amounts for next year are laid out below. This is typically the most important tax deduction for about 90% of all Americans—so it’s something you definitely want to be on top of well before it’s time to file your return.
Related: Federal Tax Brackets and Rates for 2024
Standard Deduction Amounts for the 2024 Tax Year
Your standard deduction for the year primarily depends on your filing status, but it can also be impacted by your age, whether or not you’re a dependent, and even your vision.
For the 2024 tax year, the basic standard deduction based on your filing status will be as follows:
| Filing Status | 2024 Standard Deduction |
|---|---|
| Single | $14,600 |
| Married Filing Jointly | $29,200 |
| Married Filing Separately | $14,600 |
| Head of Household | $21,900 |
| Qualifying Surviving Spouse | $29,200 |
Standard Deduction Limit for Dependents
The basic standard deduction is capped for people who can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return. For 2024, a dependent’s basic standard deduction will be limited to the greater of:
- $1,300
- Your earned income plus $450 (but not more than the applicable basic standard deduction amount)
Earned income includes salaries, wages, tips, professional fees, and other compensation for work. It also includes any part of a taxable scholarship or fellowship grant.
Related: 12 States That Tax Social Security Benefits
Additional Standard Deduction for Age and/or Blindness
Anyone who’s at least 65 years old or legally blind at the end of next year will be able to claim the following additional standard deduction amount for the 2024 tax year:
- $1,550 for married couples filing jointly, married taxpayers filing separately, and surviving spouses
- $1,950 for single and head-of-household filers
For married couples who file a joint tax return, both spouses will get an additional standard deduction for being at least 65 years old or blind. If you or your spouse is both 65 or older and blind, then the additional deduction for that person will be doubled.
If you’re married but file a separate return, your spouse will be eligible for the additional standard deduction on your return only if he or she has no income, isn’t filing a return, and can’t be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return for the tax year. The additional deduction will also be doubled for separate filers for either qualifying spouse who is both 65 or older and blind.
For more on the standard deduction, including the 2023 standard deduction amounts, see What Is the Standard Deduction?
Related: Capital Gains Tax Rates for 2024
Inflation Adjustments for the 2024 Standard Deduction Amounts
The 2024 basic standard deduction amounts for most people increased by approximately 5.4% when compared to the 2023 amounts (5.3% for head-of-household filers). That rate of increase is higher than what we normally see because the inflation rate is still relatively high.
WealthUp Tip: The 5.4% increase translates to a $750 jump in the basic standard deduction from 2023 to 2024 for single taxpayers, a $1,500 rise for joint filers, and a $1,100 boost for head-of-household filers.
However, the basic standard deduction jumped a whopping 6.95% from 2022 to 2023 for the majority of people (7.22% for head-of-household filers). That’s because the inflation rate was even higher last year than it is now.
The standard deduction amounts don’t usually rise as swiftly as they have in the past two years, though. That’s because the inflation rate has been unusually high over the past couple of years.
Since the standard deduction was nearly doubled by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (starting with the 2018 tax year), the increases have been more modest, as shown in the table below.
| Tax Year | Head of Household Filer’s Standard Deduction Increase | All Other Taxpayer’s Standard Deduction Increase |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3.19% | 3.18% |
| 2021 | 0.80% | 1.21% |
| 2020 | 1.63% | 1.64% |
| 2019 | 1.94% | 1.67% |
Note that, if any increase triggered by the inflation adjustment rules is not a multiple of $50, the increase is rounded to the next lowest multiple of $50.
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