What Deductions Can I Claim in Addition to Standard Deduction?

Even if you take the standard deduction — $16,100 for single filers and $32,200 for married couples filing jointly in 2026¹ — you can still claim a long list of other deductions. The main group is called above-the-line deductions, or adjustments to income, and they come off your income before the standard deduction is applied. A new charitable deduction for non-itemizers and the qualified business income deduction also stack on top of the standard amount. Lowering your adjusted gross income has a second benefit: many tax credits and benefits phase out as AGI rises, so cutting AGI can quietly unlock them.

Student Loan Interest

You can deduct up to $2,500 a year in interest on qualified education loans without itemizing.² The loan has to have been used for tuition, room and board, or related fees for you, your spouse, or a dependent. Your servicer sends Form 1098-E showing what you paid, and you enter the deduction on Schedule 1 of Form 1040.

The full amount is only available below certain income thresholds. For 2026, single filers begin phasing out at $85,000 of modified AGI and lose the deduction entirely at $100,000; joint filers phase out between $175,000 and $205,000. Married filing separately disqualifies you completely.

Traditional IRA Contributions

Contributions to a traditional IRA are deductible above the line, up to $7,500 for 2026, or $8,600 if you are 50 or older.³ Only contributions you make with after-tax money to the account qualify; payroll-deducted retirement contributions and Roth IRA contributions do not.⁴ The deduction is reported on Schedule 1, and your financial institution confirms the amount on Form 5498.

Whether you can deduct the full contribution depends on workplace plan coverage. For 2026, if you are single and covered by an employer plan, the deduction phases out between $81,000 and $91,000 of MAGI. For joint filers where the contributing spouse has a workplace plan, the range is $129,000 to $149,000. If only your spouse is covered, your phase-out runs from $242,000 to $252,000.³ If neither spouse has a workplace plan, there is no income limit at all.

Health Savings Account Contributions

If you are enrolled in a high-deductible health plan, contributions you make to an HSA are deductible on Schedule 1.⁵ The 2026 cap is $4,400 for self-only coverage and $8,750 for family coverage, plus a $1,000 catch-up if you are 55 or older.⁶ To qualify as a high-deductible plan for 2026, the deductible must be at least $1,700 for individual coverage or $3,400 for family coverage. Employer contributions made through a cafeteria plan are already excluded from your wages and cannot be deducted a second time.

You calculate the deduction on Form 8889, and the total flows to Schedule 1. Your HSA trustee reports contributions on Form 5498-SA.

Educator Expenses

K–12 teachers, counselors, principals, and aides can deduct up to $300 of unreimbursed classroom spending above the line for 2026.⁷ Books, supplies, computer equipment, and professional development courses all count. Starting in 2026, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act also allows educators to deduct qualifying expenses above the $300 as an itemized deduction on Schedule A, but the $300 above-the-line piece remains available whether or not you itemize. Save your receipts.

Deductions for the Self-Employed

Working for yourself opens up a group of adjustments that W-2 employees never see. Together they often add up to the biggest tax break in this whole list.

Half of Self-Employment Tax

Self-employed people pay both the employer and employee shares of Social Security and Medicare, and the tax code lets you deduct the employer-equivalent half.⁸ You figure the total on Schedule SE and move half to Schedule 1.

Health Insurance Premiums

If you are self-employed, you can deduct premiums for medical, dental, and vision insurance covering yourself, your spouse, dependents, and children under 27.⁹ The deduction cannot exceed your net self-employment income and is unavailable for any month you were eligible for a subsidized employer plan through a spouse or other job. It goes on Schedule 1, not Schedule C.

Retirement Plan Contributions

Contributions to a SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, or solo 401(k) are deductible above the line.¹⁰ A SEP IRA allows up to 25% of net self-employment earnings, capped at $72,000 for 2026.¹¹ A solo 401(k) combines employee deferrals of up to $24,500 (plus catch-up amounts if you are 50 or older) with an employer profit-sharing contribution of up to 25% of compensation, subject to the same overall cap.³ For many self-employed filers, this is the single largest above-the-line deduction on the return.

Charitable Deduction for Non-Itemizers

Charitable giving has historically only helped taxpayers who itemize, but the One Big Beautiful Bill Act created a new above-the-line deduction of up to $2,000 for cash contributions to qualifying charities starting in 2026, available to filers who take the standard deduction. If you already give regularly, this is a straight reduction in AGI without switching to Schedule A. The IRS is expected to issue guidance on qualifying gifts and documentation.

Qualified Business Income Deduction

Sole proprietors and owners of pass-through entities like S corporations and partnerships can deduct up to 20% of their qualified business income under Section 199A.¹² The mechanics differ from the adjustments above: the QBI deduction is taken after AGI is calculated, so it does not lower AGI. It still reduces taxable income on top of the standard deduction. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act made this deduction, which was set to expire after 2025, permanent.

For 2026, the full 20% is available without restriction to single filers with taxable income below $276,750 and joint filers below $553,500. Above those thresholds, limits based on business type and W-2 wages paid start to apply, and specified service businesses like law, accounting, and consulting face the steepest restrictions.

Situational Deductions Worth Checking

A few above-the-line deductions apply only in narrow situations, but they add up when they fit.

Alimony paid under a divorce or separation agreement finalized before January 1, 2019 is still deductible above the line, and the recipient reports it as income. For agreements signed in 2019 or later, the deduction was eliminated. If a pre-2019 agreement was modified and the modification states the new rules apply, the deduction is lost going forward.¹³
Active-duty members of the Armed Forces relocating for a permanent change of station can deduct moving expenses on Form 3903, with the result flowing to Schedule 1. Civilians lost this deduction after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and remain ineligible through 2026.¹⁴
Reservists traveling more than 100 miles from home for duty, qualifying performing artists, and fee-basis government officials can deduct certain unreimbursed work expenses using Form 2106.⁷
If your bank charged an early withdrawal penalty for cashing out a CD or other time deposit before maturity, the penalty is deductible above the line. It appears on Form 1099-INT and gets claimed on Schedule 1. This one is easy to miss.

How the Deductions Compound

Every above-the-line deduction cuts your AGI, and a lower AGI does more than lower your bracket. It can expand your eligibility for education credits, the child tax credit, and other benefits that phase out as AGI rises. Someone who puts $7,500 in a traditional IRA, pays $2,000 in student loan interest, and contributes $4,400 to an HSA has shaved $13,900 off AGI before the standard deduction even applies. The standard deduction then comes off that reduced figure, and the QBI deduction can reduce taxable income further.

All of the adjustments feed into Schedule 1, and the total lands on Line 10 of Form 1040. For a self-employed filer, the combined weight of the SE tax deduction, health insurance premiums, and a retirement plan can easily add $20,000 or more of deductions beyond the standard amount. The difference between capturing these and missing them usually comes down to record-keeping through the year rather than reconstruction at filing time.

1
Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 221 – Interest on Education Loans
3
Internal Revenue Service. 401(k) Limit Increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA Limit Increases to $7,500
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 219 – Retirement Savings
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 223 – Health Savings Accounts
6
IRS.gov. Expanded Availability of Health Savings Accounts Under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 62 – Adjusted Gross Income Defined
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 164 – Taxes
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 162 – Trade or Business Expenses – Section: Special Rules for Health Insurance Costs of Self-Employed Individuals
10
Internal Revenue Service. Calculating Your Own Retirement Plan Contribution and Deduction
11
Internal Revenue Service. SEP Contribution Limits (Including Grandfathered SARSEPs)
12
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 199A – Qualified Business Income
13
Internal Revenue Service. Alimony and Separate Maintenance
14
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 217 – Moving Expenses