This was my first year paying taxes with a full year's worth of paying a mortgage (which means it's also the year with the most mortgage interest paid). The mor

This was my first year paying taxes with a full year's worth of paying a mortgage (which means it's also the year with the most mortgage interest paid). The mortgage deduction didn't matter, the standard deduction was still higher. It used to matter more, before the Trump tax plan significantly increased the standard deduction. The mortgage deduction is bad tax policy but it's hard to get rid of.