The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) defines “mortgage interest” as the interest that accrues on any loan secured by your primary home or second home. Homeownership debt is limited to the amount of expenses incurred within the period beginning 24 months before work is completed and ending on the mortgage date. If you meet the criteria, you can deduct all mortgage interest on your loan and all real estate taxes on your primary home. If you applied for a mortgage on your home before October 14, 1987, or if you refinanced that mortgage, it could qualify as previous debt.
The mortgage interest deduction allows you to reduce your taxable income by the amount of money you have paid in mortgage interest during the year. If a divorce or separation agreement requires you or your spouse or former spouse to pay mortgage interest on a home for both of you, the interest payment may be alimony. The mortgage deduction can be beneficial if it works in your favor; however, many homeowners don't actually receive the tax benefit based on their financial situation. Unlike credit cards and student loans, each mortgage is structured according to a repayment program that allocates your monthly payments partly to interest and partly to the payment of your mortgage principal balance.
If you used the mortgage product in line 12 for more than one activity, you can allocate the interest in line 16 between the activities in the manner you select (up to the total amount of interest that can be allocated to each activity). Mortgage insurance premiums are allocated for 84 months, which is shorter than the 15-year (180-month) mortgage life. If you used all of the income from line 12 mortgages for an activity, all interest in line 16 will be allocated to that activity. The above article is intended to provide generalized financial information designed to educate a broad segment of the public; it does not provide personalized advice on tax, investment, legal, or other business and professional matters.
