To enter personal property tax or sales tax paid on a new vehicle:

1. From within your TaxAct return (Online or Desktop), click Federal. On smaller devices, click in the upper left-hand corner, then click Federal.
2. Click Itemized or Standard Deductions in the Federal Quick Q&A Topics menu to expand, then click Taxes paid.
3. Continue with the interview process to enter all of the appropriate information.
4. On the screen titled Would you like to review your state and local sales tax?, click Yes.
5. On the screen titled Choose your sales tax calculation method, click Enter Both.
6. On the screen titled Enter sales tax you paid on specified items, enter the General sales taxes paid on specified items paid on the vehicle, then click Continue.
7. On the screen titled Enter your deductible personal property taxes, enter the Personal property taxes paid in 2020, then click Continue.

Personal Property Taxes

According to the IRS Instructions for Schedule A Itemized Deductions, you can only deduct state and local personal property taxes if they were based on value alone and were imposed on a yearly basis. The most common type of personal property tax is vehicle registration fees. Many state or local taxing authorities base this fee on the value of your vehicle. If you're unsure whether or not your vehicle registration fees are based on value, please contact the taxing authority for verification. See Auto Registration Fees for more information.

Sales Tax

You can elect to deduct state and local general sales taxes instead of state and local income taxes as an itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040). You cannot deduct both. To figure your state and local general sales tax deduction, you can use either your actual expenses or the state sales tax tables.

Actual Amount

This allows you to put in the actual amounts paid. You will need to have receipts as proof for these amounts.

Table Amount

This allows you to enter the information and use a standard tax (percentage) rate. You may also be able to add the state and local general sales taxes paid on certain specified items, such as motor vehicles (purchased or leased), aircraft, boats, homes (including mobile and prefabricated homes) and home building materials.

Per IRS Instructions for Schedule A, starting on page A-6:

Line 7. Enter on line 7 any state and local general sales taxes paid on the following specified items. If you are completing more than one worksheet, include the total for line 7 on only one of the worksheets.

1. A motor vehicle (including a car, motorcycle, motor home, recreational vehicle, sport utility vehicle, truck, van, and off-road vehicle). Also include any state and local general sales taxes paid for a leased motor vehicle. If the state sales tax rate on these items is higher than the general sales tax rate, only include the amount of tax you would have paid at the general sales tax rate.
2. An aircraft or boat, but only if the tax rate was the same as the general sales tax rate.
3. A home (including a mobilehome or prefabricated home) or substantial addition to or major renovation of a home, but only if the tax rate was the same as the general sales tax rate and any of the following applies.
   a. Your state or locality imposes a general sales tax directly on the sale of a home or on the cost of a substantial addition or major renovation.
   b. You purchased the materials to build a home or substantial addition or to perform a major renovation and paid the sales tax directly.
   c. Under your state law, your contractor is considered your agent in the construction of the home or substantial addition or the performance of a major renovation. The contract must state that the contractor is authorized to act in your name and must follow your directions on construction decisions. In this case, you will be considered to have purchased any items subject to a sales tax and to have paid the sales tax directly.

Per IRS Publication 17 Your Federal Income Tax, on page 98:

Taxes and Fees You Can't Deduct

• Employment taxes. This includes social security, Medicare, and railroad retirement taxes withheld from your pay. However, one-half of self-employment tax you pay is deductible. In addition, the social security and other employment taxes you pay on the wages of a household worker may be included in medical expenses that you can deduct, or childcare expenses that allow you to claim the child and dependent care credit. For more information, see Pub. 502, Medical and Dental Expenses, and Pub. 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses.
• Estate, inheritance, legacy, or succession taxes. You can deduct the estate tax attributable to income in respect of a decedent if you, as a beneficiary, must include that income in your gross income. In that case, deduct the estate tax on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 16. For more information, see Pub. 559, Survivors, Executors, and Administrators.
• Federal income taxes. This includes income taxes withheld from your pay.
• Fines and penalties. You can’t deduct fines and penalties paid to a government for violation of any law, including related amounts forfeited as collateral deposits.
• Foreign personal or real property taxes.
• Gift taxes.
• License fees. You can’t deduct license fees for personal purposes (such as marriage, driver's, and pet license fees).
• Per capita taxes. You can’t deduct state or local per capita taxes.

Related Links

• Auto Registration Fees
• Sales Tax - Elect General Sales Tax Deduction or State Income Tax Deduction
• Sales Tax - State Tables and Rates
• Sales Tax - Entering Local Rate
• Sales Tax - Optional Local Sales Tax Table Locality Name

Note that any link in the information above is updated each year automatically and will take you to the most recent version of the document at the time it is accessed.