Have the 2008 Form 1040 Instructions been released yet (in draft form)? Specifically, I need to see the information on page 31 regarding Standard Deduction. The 2007 instructions won't help because of recent changes.

If the 2008 instructions are available, I would be very grateful for a link, as searching for it on my own has yielded no results. Thanks for your kind assistance!

I just found the answer to my question.

For anyone interested, there is a 2008 Standard Deduction Worksheet on page 9 of the "2008 Instructions for Form 1040 - Draft Worksheet(s) and Tables", located at http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/pub/irs-dft/i1040gi--dft.pdf.

This worksheet can be used to calculate the additional standard deduction of $500 ($1,000 for joint filers) for real estate property taxes paid during the year to state and local governments, for taxpayers who do not itemize. This additional deduction is available for 2008 only.