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Betty is age 34 and has AGI of 50,000. The following items may qualify as itemized deductions for Betty: Qualified medical expenses (before 10 Real estate tax1,200 State income tax800 Charitable contributions 600 Mortgage interest on acquisition indebtedness2,000 Home equity interest on a loan used to improve the home 300 What is the itemized deduction add-back for the AMT?

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Final answer:

To calculate Betty's AMT itemized deduction add-back, disallowed deductions such as real estate and state income tax, which total $2,000, must be added back to her taxable income. Without the exact figures for medical expenses, the add-back for those cannot be calculated, but mortgage interest and donations are fully allowed, and home equity interest is deductible if used for home improvement.

Step-by-step explanation:

For the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), certain itemized deductions are disallowed and must be added back to taxable income. To determine Betty's AMT itemized deduction add-back, we review the potential deductions listed:


  • Qualified medical expenses - only the amount that exceeds 7.5% of AGI is deductible for AMT, which must be subtracted from the total medical expenses before considering them for AMT.

  • Real estate tax - disallowed for AMT.

  • State income tax - disallowed for AMT.

  • Charitable contributions - fully allowed for AMT.

  • Mortgage interest on acquisition indebtedness - allowed for AMT as long as the loan was to buy, build, or substantially improve the taxpayer's home.

  • Home equity interest - deductible for AMT, but only to the extent it was used to improve the home.

Betty's AGI is $50,000. Calculating the threshold for medical expenses: 7.5% of AGI is $3,750. Since Betty's qualified medical expenses before the 7.5% threshold are not provided, we cannot calculate that potential add-back. However, we can calculate the add-back for real estate and state income tax. These total $2,000 ($1,200 + $800), which is the amount of the itemized deduction add-back for the AMT, given that the mortgage interest and charity contributions are fully allowed, and home equity interest is deductible only if it was used to improve the home.

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