Home Life Events Series: How Will Buying My First House Help My Taxes? Read the Article Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Written by TurboTaxBlogTeam Published Feb 26, 2024 3 min read Reviewed by Katharina Reekmans, Enrolled Agent A great milestone of your financial life is the purchase of your first home. While less exciting, the tax implications of that achievement are no less critical. After all, home ownership creates several new opportunities for you to save on your taxes. Table of Contents Mortgage Interest DeductionReal Estate Tax DeductionCharitable Donation DeductionOther Considerations for First Time Home Buyers Mortgage Interest Deduction That big mortgage payment you now have to pay every month has an upside. The interest portion of every payment is tax deductible. Keep in mind that, at the beginning of your mortgage, most of your payment is interest, meaning that the overwhelming majority of your payment may be tax deductible. With the recent interest rate hike, you may see an increase in the mortgage interest you pay. An increase in your monthly mortgage payment may not be ideal, but remember that you can deduct your mortgage interest at tax-time, lowering your taxes. Real Estate Tax Deduction Money you pay for real estate taxes is tax deductible. While it’s never fun to learn that your property taxes have gone up again, at least you will be able to take some solace in knowing your tax deductions will increase at the same time. Charitable Donation Deduction While the charitable donation deduction might seem unrelated to a home purchase, this is income taxes we’re talking about. Before you purchased your home, you may not have had enough tax deductions to itemize your deductions and you may have had to claim the standard deduction instead ($13,850 single, $27,700 married filing jointly, $20,800 head of household for tax year 2023; $14,600 single, $29,200 married filing jointly, $21,900 head of household for tax year 2024). Why? Since you didn’t have itemized deductions like home mortgage interest and property taxes prior to buying your home, your standard deduction may have been greater than your itemized deductions so you could not benefit from other itemized deductions like charitable contributions. However, when you become a homeowner, the mortgage interest and real estate taxes alone often make it so that you will be able to itemize which means you are now eligible for additional tax deductions. Don’t forget that in order to claim a tax deduction for charitable donations, you have to donate to a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization and typically you need enough tax deductions to itemize your deductions. Other Considerations for First Time Home Buyers Save your closing statement (HUD). When you file your tax return for the first time after buying a home, additional expenses incurred on your HUD may be tax deductible, including prepaid interest (points) you pay at closing. Save all of your home improvement receipts. You are likely to sell your home one day. Although the sale of your principal residence where you live may not result in income tax, it is possible if you move very quickly or make a very big profit. To lessen the odds you will owe capital gains taxes on the sale of your home, save your receipts for home improvements made, as they can increase your cost and lower your gain when you sell. Don’t worry about knowing these tax rules. No matter what moves you made last year, TurboTax will make them count on your taxes. Whether you want to do your taxes yourself or have a TurboTax expert file for you, we’ll make sure you get every dollar you deserve and your biggest possible refund – guaranteed. Get started now Previous Post Clean Vehicle Tax Credit: Find Out If You Qualify Next Post Can I File Exempt & Still Get a Tax Refund? Written by TurboTaxBlogTeam More from TurboTaxBlogTeam 9 responses to “Life Events Series: How Will Buying My First House Help My Taxes?” I co-worker a mortgage with my children so they could buy a home. What do I do at tax time? Reply Im closing on a house i brought for cash today. Will i have to file it with the irs when i file taxes this year or next year Reply Enjoyed reading your post. Loved it. Reply I bought a house last year and paid cash. Is there a deduction or tax break for first time home buyers without a mortgage? Reply I normally receive my turbo tax by mail, I have not received it as of yet, however I might need a upgrade I purchased a new home this year and also I am owner financing my mobile home that I used live in.. Any help would be appreciated. Reply we had some timber cut and sold from our land. what forms would i need to fill out? Reply Last year I paid my 2012 taxes in January. This year I am able to pay my 2013 taxes in December. Am I allowed to deduct both since they were paid in 2013? Reply My husband and I bought our first home 3 years ago. He is very handy and have made some major changes to the house, such as changing a window onto a patio door that has access to the side yard and to a newly built deck. Since this work was not done by a contractor, can we still deduct the cost of these upgrades, AND are these tax deductible when we sell the house or before? Reply Hi Britany, The materials and supplies used for the improvements are added to the cost basis of your house. You cannot add the value of your husband’s labor. There is no deduction for them currently. When you sell the house, you will include these costs in determining the profit you make on the sale, and if the profit exceeds a certain amount, ($500,000 for a married couple filing a joint tax return) you will be taxed on the excess. Mary Ellen Reply Leave a ReplyCancel reply Browse Related Articles Home Is Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) Interest Tax Dedu… Home What Parts of My House Payment are Tax Deductible? Tax Deductions and Credits Pay These Bills Early to Boost Your Tax Deductions Home I Bought a Home Last Year. Do I Get a Tax Deduction? Deductions and Credits How Do I Deduct Points Paid on My Mortgage? Tax Deductions and Credits Tax Deduction vs. Tax Credit Tax Deductions and Credits What Is the Standard Tax Deduction for 2023 – 202… Business Income Self-Employed: Is This Tax Deductible? Taxes 101 Should You Take the Standard or Itemized Deduction? 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Im closing on a house i brought for cash today. Will i have to file it with the irs when i file taxes this year or next year Reply
I bought a house last year and paid cash. Is there a deduction or tax break for first time home buyers without a mortgage? Reply
I normally receive my turbo tax by mail, I have not received it as of yet, however I might need a upgrade I purchased a new home this year and also I am owner financing my mobile home that I used live in.. Any help would be appreciated. Reply
Last year I paid my 2012 taxes in January. This year I am able to pay my 2013 taxes in December. Am I allowed to deduct both since they were paid in 2013? Reply
My husband and I bought our first home 3 years ago. He is very handy and have made some major changes to the house, such as changing a window onto a patio door that has access to the side yard and to a newly built deck. Since this work was not done by a contractor, can we still deduct the cost of these upgrades, AND are these tax deductible when we sell the house or before? Reply
Hi Britany, The materials and supplies used for the improvements are added to the cost basis of your house. You cannot add the value of your husband’s labor. There is no deduction for them currently. When you sell the house, you will include these costs in determining the profit you make on the sale, and if the profit exceeds a certain amount, ($500,000 for a married couple filing a joint tax return) you will be taxed on the excess. Mary Ellen Reply