Tom and Betsy, who are married filing jointly, reported a standard deduction of $24,000 on their 2018 tax return. They paid $500 to the state for income taxes in 2018. In 2019, they received a $125 refund of state taxes paid in 2018. What is the amount that Tom and Betsy need to report on their 2019 tax return?

Respuesta :

Answer:

$0

Explanation:

Since Tom and Betsy didn't itemize their deductions in 2018 (they chose the standard deduction), they didn't include the state taxes in their tax filing. Since the state taxes were not used by Tom and Betsy to reduce their federal income taxes, then any refund will not be included in their current income. Only if state taxes are used to lower federal taxes, do taxpayers need to include any refund.