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The mortgage interest deduction cap of $750,000 applies to the combined balance of your primary mortgage and a home equity loan or a HELOC. It is important to note that a taxpayer will not be allowed the home equity interest deduction if he or she takes out a home equity loan on his or her main home and uses the loan proceeds to purchase or remodel a second home. March 1, 2018 — The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed in December changed the rules regarding the deductibility of mortgage and home equity loan interest. Prior to the law change interest on up to $1,000,000 of home acquisition debt and interest on up to $100,000 of home equity debt was deductible. Understanding the potential and limits of the mortgage interest deduction can help you properly deduct home equity loan interest and reduce your tax bill.

You may be able to get a tax credit equal to 22% to 30% of the improvement costs toward eco-friendly improvements like installing solar panels or energy-efficient appliances. Child and family tax credit – Credit increased to $2,000 from $1,000 and increases to $1,400 the refundable portion of the credit. Also includes a new $500 credit for a taxpayer’s dependents who are not qualifying children.
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But, she said, the interest may not be deductible on next year’s tax return — depending how you spent the money. If you itemize, you might be able to fully deduct interest payments on either type of loan. This distinguishes these loans from other forms of consumer credit. Since the collateral is your home, interest rates are lower than other consumer loans or credit cards. That gives people borrowing for renovations more benefits than before.
Starting with tax year 2018, state and local taxes, including property and income or sales taxes, are capped at a total of $10,000 combined. Interest on home equity debt is tax deductible if you use the funds for renovations to your homethe phrase is buy, build, or substantially improve. Whats more, you must spend the money on the property in which the equity is the source of the loan. If you meet the conditions, then interest is deductible on a loan of up to $750,000 . Passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017 has led to confusion over some longstanding deductions.
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It’s now $12,000 for single individuals, $18,000 for heads of household, and $24,000 for married couples filing jointly. John Lieberman, a New York City certified public accountant, says more than half his clients use home equity loans to help buy or renovate their primary residences or second homes. “There was a lot of concern that these were no longer deductible for those purposes,’’ he says. As of tax year 2021, you can only deduct interest on a home equity loans or home equity lines of credit if the loan amount is used to buy, build, or substantially improve the home against which the money was borrowed. As a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in 2017, the deduction works differently in tax years 2018 and beyond compared to years prior.

A home equity loan is a consumer loan allowing homeowners to borrow against the equity in their home. Amanda Jackson has expertise in personal finance, investing, and social services. She is a library professional, transcriptionist, editor, and fact-checker. Lea has worked with hundreds of federal individual and expat tax clients.
IRS Clarifies Home Equity Loan Tax Deductions Under New Law
This memo specified that interest on home equity loans, HELOCs, and second mortgages still might be deductible, as long as the loan is for an IRS-approved use. Specifically, these loans must be used to “buy, build or substantially improve the taxpayer’s home that secures the loan” for the interest to be deductible. Prior to the TCJA, there were no restrictions on how homeowners could use funds. The new tax reform states homeowners can claim the mortgage interest paid on up to $750,000 of the principal value on a new home as an itemized deduction. The previous $1 million cap will still apply to property owners who took out their mortgages on or before December 15, 2017. This is along with refinancing on mortgages taken out during the same period.

The TCJA limits the amount of the mortgage interest deduction for taxpayers who itemize through 2025. Beginning in 2018, for new home purchases, a taxpayer can deduct interest only on acquisition mortgage debt of $750,000. For tax purposes, a qualified residence is the taxpayer’s principal residence and a second residence, which can be a house, condominium, cooperative, mobile home, house trailer or boat.
You should receive IRS Form 1098 from your lender with details about the interest you've paid on your home equity loan. Of Schedule A (Form 1040.) Any non-tax deductible interest paid on a home equity loan needs to be reported on line 8b. Speaking with a tax preparer who is familiar with the details of your home equity loan can help you avoid any problems when taking the deduction. The private mortgage insurance deductionwas re-upped for tax year 2017. Ditto the residential energy tax credits for installing things like energy-efficient windows and doors, water heaters, furnaces, and insulation. The student loan deduction— up to $2,500 if you’re repaying — stays put, and you don’t have to itemize to take it.

If you contribute to a tax-advantaged savings plan, such as an individual retirement account or health savings account, those contributions are still eligible for the same tax benefits. The good news is this change only applies to new homeowners, according to Josh Zimmelman, owner of Westwood Tax & Consulting. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which passed in December 2017, involved some of the most sweeping changes to the U.S. tax system in more than 30 years. And Americans will experience the effects of those changes when they file taxes for 2018.
You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. We know you have many options when it comes to accounting firms in St. Paul or the Twin Cities area, and we know we’re not the right fit for everyone—but when you’re ready to start a conversation, we’ll be ready to listen. The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Ebony Howard is a certified public accountant and a QuickBooks ProAdvisor tax expert. She has been in the accounting, audit, and tax profession for more than 13 years, working with individuals and a variety of companies in the health care, banking, and accounting industries.

Also, you can refinance that existing mortgage and keep deducting the interest on up to $1 million of debt, so long as you don’t increase the amount you owe with the refi. The sweeping tax bill signed into law just before the 2017 holidays brings changes for virtually all homeowners -- but, for the most part, not until you file your 2018 tax return in 2019. All of this is subject to the new $750,000 debt limit on the total amount of all loans.
Early on, the Republicans in the House and Senate passed the $1.5 trillion tax bill. It was “an act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018.” It sounds complex, but in reality, it’s not. These changes can affect you as a taxpayer or business owner once you file next year. Hilarey Gould has spent 10+ years in the digital media space, where she's developed a passion for helping people understand economics, saving, investing, credit card perks, mortgage rates, and more. Hilarey is the editorial director for The Balance and has held full-time and freelance roles at a variety of financial media companies including realtor.com, Bankrate, and SmartAsset. She has a master's in journalism from the University of Missouri, and a bachelor's in journalism and professional writing from The College of New Jersey .
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