Tax Advantages of Home Buying

Tax Advantages of Home Buying

When you buy a home there are some big tax advantages when you have a home mortgage to write off. Uncle Sam plays a big role, offering a variety of tax breaks for home owners. However, taxes can be messy and they can be complicated. It can be well worth your while to learn about the benefits, the pitfalls and how to file your taxes properly.

The tax benefits are very useful to first-time home buyers because during the early years of the home mortgage most of each monthly payment goes to pay interest, which is deductible. Very little principal is paid back.

The longer you pay on an amortized home mortgage, the more of each monthly payment goes to pay the principle. Less of each monthly payment goes towards interest. You lose some of your interest write-off as you build equity in the property.

Try to remember that you can only take these tax deductions if you switch from standard deduction, which all tax payers are entitled to, to itemized deductions. If you itemize deductions, including home mortgage interest and property taxes, do not exceed the standard deduction amount, you are better off taking the standard deduction.

What can be deducted with a home mortgage?

1. Interest on you home mortgage, whether paid to a lender or to a home seller, or another party.

2. Property taxes are completely deductible, but special government fee such as water or sewer assessment may not be.

3. For a purchase mortgage, loan points are fully deductible in the year that they are paid. In refinance, the points are written off in increments over the term of a home mortgage.

What cannot be deducted with a home mortgage?

1. Home improvement expenses

2. Closing costs other than prorated property taxes and points on the home loan.

3. Real estate commission paid to real estate or mortgage loan brokers

4. Home inspections, appraisals or home loan application fees

5. Homeowner and co-op dues

6. Insurance expenses

IRAs can cause step penalties for a home mortgage.

You cannot use a conventional IRA account or 401-K plan for a down payment without paying steep penalties and taxes on the gains that were made while the money sat in your saving plan. However, if you are saving to become a first-time home buyer, check out a Roth IRA. The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 created a new type of individual retirement account called both a Roth IRA, which allows penalty-free withdrawals for first-time home buyers. Just be sure to read all the fine print carefully before you use a Roth IRA for a home mortgage down payment.

Here are some factors to consider with deductions.

1. Deduct income not contributions. Contributions to a Roth IRA are not deductible, but no taxes are paid on qualified distributions.

2. You must wait 5 years to be qualifies for a Roth IRA, a distribution must be made five taxable years after the first contribution to the account was made.

3. Limits on the contribution of up to $4,000 a year can be contributed to an account, but only by single tax-filers with adjusted gross income of less than $95,000 and joint-filers with a combined income of less than $150,000.

4. Be sure to convert your existing IRA very carefully. The tax law permits you to convert your existing individual retirement account into a Roth IRA if your adjusted gross income is les than $100,000.

With these many tax advantages you can see why a home mortgage can be a real benefit if you know how to apply the tax benefits of owning a home.