Common questions about casualty and loss amounts reduced on Schedule A in ProConnect Tax

Individuals may be able to deduct part of all of each loss attributable to a federally declared disaster caused by theft, vandalism, fire, storm, or other similar causes. Refer to Pub 547 for information on federal disaster area losses.

Individuals can no longer claim a loss on a deposit in an insolvent or bankrupt financial institution as a personal casualty or theft loss unless you have personal casualty gains to the extent the losses don’t exceed your gains.

Proof of costs associated with the loss may include:

• Appraisal fees
• Photographs
• Receipts for improvements or restorations
• Newspaper clippings or articles about the disaster

Starting in 2018, personal casualty losses are deductible only to the extent that they're attributable to a federally declared disaster. Net casualty losses no longer have to exceed 10% of AGI, but there is a $500 per casualty limit.

Special rules apply if you had both gains and losses from nonbusiness casualties or thefts. See the instructions for Form 4684 for more details.

Check out this article for information on entering Form 4684 in the Individual module.