The main tax benefit of owning a house is that the imputed rental income homeowners receive is not taxed. Although that income is not taxed, homeowners still may deduct mortgage interest and property tax payments, as well as certain other expenses from their federal taxable income if they itemize their deductions.
The first tax benefit you receive when you buy a home is the mortgage interest deduction, meaning you can deduct the interest you pay on your mortgage every year from the taxes you owe on loans up to $750,000 as a married couple filing jointly or $350,000 as a single person.
The First-Time Homebuyer Act or $15,000 First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit of 2021 is not a loan to be repaid, and it's not a cash grant like the Downpayment Toward Equity Act. The tax credit is equal to 10% of your home's purchase price and may not exceed $15,000 in 2021 inflation-adjusted dollars.
If you itemize your taxes, you can usually deduct your closing costs in the year in which you closed on your home. If you close on your home in 2021, you can deduct these costs on your 2021 taxes.
What do first-time homeowners need in order to file taxes? When filing your taxes as a new homeowner, be sure to have tax documents related to your mortgage payments, mortgage insurance payments, property taxes, receipts of home repairs, and receipts of expenses related to a home office if you work from home.
Taxpayers can deduct the interest paid on first and second mortgages up to $1,000,000 in mortgage debt (the limit is $500,000 if married and filing separately). Any interest paid on first or second mortgages over this amount is not tax deductible.
Some of the reasons include: not having a down payment, having bad credit or a high debt ratio, having no job security, and renting being 50% cheaper. Other reasons include: moving frequently, being in an unstable relationship, being in a declining market, traveling a lot, or the fact that everyone else is doing it.
If you're a homeowner, chances are you're worth much more than someone who rents, according to the Federal Reserve's 2020 Survey of Consumer Finances. Homeowners have a net worth that is more than 40 times greater than their renter counterparts, which reinforces the idea that owning a home is a smart financial move.
Any mortgage taken out before October 13, 1987 is considered grandfathered debt and is not limited. All of the interest you pay is fully deductible. Any home purchased after October 13, 1987 and before December 16, 2017 is still eligible for the $1 million limit ($500,000 each, if married and filing separately).
Although the IRS cannot track her property sale made in cash nor the content of the safety deposit box, the car and loan repayment transactions are going to represent blatant red flags.
Is PMI deductible? The legislation, signed into law Dec. 20, 2019, not only makes the deduction available again for eligible homeowners for the 2020 and future tax years, but also enables taxpayers to take it retroactively for the 2018 and 2019 tax years by filing amended returns.
The Rules Of Primary Residence
But if you live in more than one home, the IRS determines your primary residence by: Where you spend the most time. Your legal address listed for tax returns, with the USPS, on your driver's license and on your voter registration card.
The Fresh Start Initiative Program provides tax relief to select taxpayers who owe money to the IRS. It is a response by the Federal Government to the predatory practices of the IRS, who use compound interest and financial penalties to punish taxpayers with outstanding tax debt.
To claim the whole exclusion, you must have owned and lived in your home as your principal residence an aggregate of at least two of the five years before the sale (this is called the ownership and use test). You can claim the exclusion once every two years.
Income Phaseout
There is an income threshold where once breached, every $100 over minimizes your mortgage interest deduction. That level is roughly $200,000 per individual and $400,000 per couple for 2021.
There is an ideal age to buy your first home, and that's between the ages of 25 to 34. As you enter your golden years and (hopefully) retirement, the equity in your home will become even more important to your financial health, especially should you need to refinance to cover any gaps in your retirement savings.
There is no definitive answer as to whether renting or owning a home is better. The answer depends on your own personal situation—your finances, lifestyle, and personal goals. You need to weigh out the benefits and the costs of each based on your income, savings, and how you live.
For many Americans, home buying is simply a waste of money. You could spend years paying thousands of dollars of interest on a mortgage, never reap the full tax benefits and never see enough appreciation to make it worthwhile.
No, renting is not a waste of money. Rather, you are paying for a place to live, which is anything but wasteful. Additionally, as a renter, you are not responsible for many of the costly expenses associated with home ownership. Therefore, in many cases, it is actually smarter to rent than buy.
Key Takeaways
Paying all cash for a home can make sense for some people and in some markets, but be sure that you also consider the potential downsides. The downsides include tying up too much investment capital in one asset class, losing the leverage provided by a mortgage, and sacrificing liquidity.