The thought that comes to the minds of most tax payers concerns either itemizing their deductions or taking the standard deduction route. This implies that the standard deduction is usually fixed and has a certain amount while the other one allows for itemization of certain qualified expenditures. Familiarity with both standard vs itemized deduction will allow one to know which route works out best for them when making the decisions. There are a number of factors to take into account such as mortgage interest, medical expenses, and contributions.