About Property Tax Deductions

Individuals who purchase and own property are accountable for paying property taxes. Municipal governments levy those taxes as a way to boost revenue for providing services. To counter such outflows, federal and state taxation authorities offer property tax deductions. The property tax deduction was made to promote homeownership and business investment.

Identification

The property tax deduction generally goes over all people and business entities that purchase American real estate. Private individuals may deduct property taxes on their principal residences and holiday homes. For business concerns and property investors, property taxes are deductible expenses that reduce business expenses.

Features

Lenders that handle mortgage escrow accounts for your benefit prepare Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 1098 forms to outline any mortgage interest and property tax payments made throughout the tax season. Individuals and businesses that submit property tax payments directly to municipal treasuries need to review banking records to calculate their overall allotments. From there, individual homeowners will itemize their property taxes with Schedule A. Schedule A adds up all itemized deductions, until they’re contained on the 1040 form to help calculate your taxable income. Individual filers may choose to either itemize, or take the standard deduction from their taxable income. For the 2010 tax year, single filers have a $5,700 standard deduction, even while married couples might take the $11,400 regular deduction. Confirm your total itemized deductions for property and state taxes, alongside charitable donations, exceed the standard deduction prior to proceeding. For property investments, sole proprietors and partners will file Schedule E to deduct property taxes from their housing-related income. Corporations, however Form 1120 to record property tax expenses.

Misconceptions

Be advised that taxation law shifts with time, according to existing economic conditions and political sentiment. In 2009, single and married taxpayers who chose not to itemize could add $500 or $1,000 for their individual standard deduction amount. This standard deduction accession, however, has expired heading into the 2010 tax year.

Factors

State tax laws allow citizens to deduct property taxes. As a member of Schedule CA, all property taxes might be itemized in California. Other nations generally restrict property tax deductions into primary residences and business property situated within their specific state.

Warning

Filers who itemize property tax deductions may trigger the alternative minimum tax (AMT). AMT is a parallel tax code, which has been originally introduced as a member of the Tax Reform Act of 1969 to prevent wealthy households from legally avoiding all tax statements through deductions. Alternative minimum tax provisions have never been corrected for inflation and so target many of today’s middle-class families. Complete Form 6251 to ascertain if you must pay higher taxes due to AMT.

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