What does bunching itemized deductions mean?

Bunching means concentrating deductible expenses you control into a single tax year so your itemized deductions exceed the standard deduction ($16,100 single / $32,200 married filing jointly in 2026), then taking the standard deduction in the alternating off years. With today's high standard deduction, many people fall just short of itemizing every year and get no extra benefit from their giving or other deductions. By bunching, say two years of charitable gifts, several elective medical procedures, or property tax payments into one year, you clear the standard deduction in that year and still get the full standard deduction in the next. Common candidates are charitable donations (a donor-advised fund makes this easy), medical expenses, and timing-flexible state and property taxes (within the $10,000 SALT cap). See wealthserene.com/tools/tax-strategies to test whether bunching pays off for you.