What common expenses can I write off only if I itemize instead of taking the standard deduction?

Itemized deductions on Schedule A include state and local taxes (income or sales plus property, subject to the IRS cap), home mortgage interest, gifts to qualified charities, and out-of-pocket medical expenses above a percentage of your AGI that the IRS sets. Casualty losses in federally declared disaster areas also qualify. Notably, unreimbursed employee expenses and most miscellaneous deductions were suspended for regular employees under current law. If your total of these itemized items does not exceed your standard deduction, you claim none of them and simply take the standard amount instead. That is why so many households with no mortgage end up taking the standard deduction. Track these throughout the year rather than scrambling in April.