• Decrease your tax burden by finding out which deductions you can claim as a senior citizen.Southern Stock/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Senior citizens who receive retirement benefits, compensations and other types of income are also subject to the payment of federal and state taxes, especially income taxes. However, as with any other citizen who pays income taxes, they also have tax deductions available to them. If you are a senior citizen, learn which deductions you are allowed to make to decrease your taxes.
  
  

Higher Standard Deductions

• As a senior citizen you can claim higher standard deductions than other citizens on your tax return form. Normal standard deductions are specific amounts of money that people can claim for deductions. The IRS changes this amount every year to adjust it to inflation. However, as a senior, you can qualify for a higher standard deduction which means you can take a higher amount for deductions than other citizens. To qualify for a higher standard deduction, either you must be 65 or older and not itemize your deductions or you must be considered totally or partially blind. If your spouse is 65 or older or she is totally or partially blind, you also qualify for the higher standard deduction. If you paid real estate or local taxes, purchased a motor vehicle or had net losses due to a disaster, you can claim higher standard deductions in these situations as well.
  
  

Insurance Premiums

• Premiums for qualified insurance policies with long-term care contracts are deductible. If you do claim deductions due to premiums you have paid, the policy must be renewable, must not provide for a cash surrender value or other money that can be paid, assigned, pledged or borrowed, must provide that refunds and dividends under the contract can be used only to reduce future premiums or to increase future benefits and must not pay or reimburse expenses incurred for services or items that would be reimbursed under Medicare. The premium amount you can include for deductions is limited. If you are age 51 to 60, you can include $1,190; if you are age 61 to 70, you can include $3,180; if you are age 71 or older you can include $3,980. The premiums you pay for medical insurance coverage are also considered deductible expenses.
  
  

Medical and Dental Expenses

• If you prefer not to make a standard deduction, you can still itemize your deductions. Medical and dental expenses count as itemized deductions. For this reason, as a senior, any expenses in dental or health care that you had during the year for yourself, your spouse, your children or any dependents are deductible expenses that you can itemize on Schedule A. To qualify for a deduction, these expenses combined must have been more than 7.5 percent of your gross income, and you need to have paid (or incurred the debt) for them them in the same year in which you are itemizing the deduction, regardless of when the services were provided.
  
  

Home Improvements

• If you incur expenses related to home improvement, you might be able to itemize these expenses as deductions. The main condition as a senior to qualify your home improvement expenses for deduction is that the improvement must be related to medical care necessary for you, your spouse, your children or another dependent. For instance, if someone in the house is now in a wheelchair, expenses related to the installation of a wheelchair ramp can be deductible.
  
  

Other Deductions

• If you have to pay for expenses in lodging and meals while in a hospital or similar place in which you or a family member receive medical care, you may deduct these expenses. Expenses on prescribed medicine, nursing services and transportation related to medical needs are also deductible.