Debt not secured by home.

A debt isn’t secured by your home if it is secured solely because of a lien on your general assets or if it is a security interest that attaches to the property without your consent (such as a mechanic's lien or judgment lien).

A debt isn’t secured by your home if it once was, but is no longer secured by your home.

Wraparound mortgage.

This isn’t a secured debt unless it is recorded or otherwise perfected under state law.

Choice to treat the debt as not secured by your home.

You can choose to treat any debt secured by your qualified home as not secured by the home. This treatment begins with the tax year for which you make the choice and continues for all later tax years. You can revoke your choice only with the consent of the IRS.

You may want to treat a debt as not secured by your home if the interest on that debt is fully deductible (for example, as a business expense) whether or not it qualifies as home mortgage interest. This may allow you, if the limits in Part II apply, more of a deduction for interest on other debts that are deductible only as home mortgage interest.

Cooperative apartment owner.

If you own stock in a cooperative housing corporation, see the Special Rule for Tenant-Stockholders in Cooperative Housing Corporations near the end of this Part I.

Main home.

You can have only one main home at any one time. This is the home where you ordinarily live most of the time.

Second home.

A second home is a home that you choose to treat as your second home.

Second home not rented out.

If you have a second home that you don’t hold out for rent or resale to others at any time during the year, you can treat it as a qualified home. You don't have to use the home during the year.

Second home rented out.

If you have a second home and rent it out part of the year, you must also use it as a home during the year for it to be a qualified home. You must use this home more than 14 days or more than 10% of the number of days during the year that the home is rented at a fair rental, whichever is longer. If you don't use the home long enough, it is considered rental property and not a second home. For information on residential rental property, see Pub. 527.

More than one second home.

If you have more than one second home, you can treat only one as the qualified second home during any year. However, you can change the home you treat as a second home during the year in the following situations.

Divided use of your home.

The only part of your home that is considered a qualified home is the part you use for residential living. If you use part of your home for other than residential living, such as a home office, you must allocate the use of your home. You must then divide both the cost and fair market value of your home between the part that is a qualified home and the part that isn't. Dividing the cost may affect the amount of your home acquisition debt, which is limited to the cost of your home plus the cost of any improvements. (See Home Acquisition Debt in Part II, later.)

Renting out part of home.

If you rent out part of a qualified home to another person (tenant), you can treat the rented part as being used by you for residential living only if all of the following conditions apply.

Office in home.

If you have an office in your home that you use in your business, see Pub. 587, Business Use of Your Home. It explains how to figure your deduction for the business use of your home, which includes the business part of your home mortgage interest.

Home under construction.

You can treat a home under construction as a qualified home for a period of up to 24 months, but only if it becomes your qualified home at the time it is ready for occupancy.

The 24-month period can start any time on or after the day construction begins.

Home destroyed.

You may be able to continue treating your home as a qualified home even after it is destroyed in a fire, storm, tornado, earthquake, or other casualty. This means you can continue to deduct the interest you pay on your home mortgage, subject to the limits described in this publication.

You can continue treating a destroyed home as a qualified home if, within a reasonable period of time after the home is destroyed, you:

This rule applies to your main home and to a second home that you treat as a qualified home.

Time-sharing arrangements.

You can treat a home you own under a time-sharing plan as a qualified home if it meets all the requirements. A time-sharing plan is an arrangement between two or more people that limits each person's interest in the home or right to use it to a certain part of the year.

Rental of time-share.

If you rent out your time-share, it qualifies as a second home only if you also use it as a home during the year. See Second home rented out, earlier, for the use requirement. To know whether you meet that requirement, count your days of use and rental of the home only during the time you have a right to use it or to receive any benefits from the rental of it.

Married taxpayers.

If you're married and file a joint return, your qualified home(s) can be owned either jointly or by only one spouse.

Separate returns.

If you're married filing separately and you and your spouse own more than one home, you can each take into account only one home as a qualified home. However, if you both consent in writing, then one spouse can take both the main home and a second home into account.

Late payment charge on mortgage payment.

You can deduct as home mortgage interest a late payment charge if it wasn't for a specific service performed in connection with your mortgage loan.

Mortgage prepayment penalty.

If you pay off your home mortgage early, you may have to pay a penalty. You can deduct that penalty as home mortgage interest provided the penalty isn't for a specific service performed or cost incurred in connection with your mortgage loan.

Sale of home.

If you sell your home, you can deduct your home mortgage interest (subject to any limits that apply) paid up to, but not including, the date of the sale.

Prepaid interest.

If you pay interest in advance for a period that goes beyond the end of the tax year, you must spread this interest over the tax years to which it applies. You can deduct in each year only the interest that qualifies as home mortgage interest for that year. However, there is an exception that applies to points, discussed later.

Mortgage interest credit.

You may be able to claim a mortgage interest credit if you were issued a mortgage credit certificate (MCC) by a state or local government. Figure the credit on Form 8396, Mortgage Interest Credit. If you take this credit, you must reduce your mortgage interest deduction by the amount of the credit.

See Form 8396 and Pub. 530 for more information on the mortgage interest credit.

Ministers' and military housing allowance.

If you're a minister or a member of the uniformed services and receive a housing allowance that isn't taxable, you can still deduct your home mortgage interest. For more information, see Pub. 3 (military) or Pub. 517 (ministers).

Mortgage assistance payments under section 235 of the National Housing Act.

If you qualify for mortgage assistance payments for lower-income families under section 235 of the National Housing Act, part or all of the interest on your mortgage may be paid for you. You can't deduct the interest that is paid for you.

No other effect on taxes.

Don’t include these mortgage assistance payments in your income. Also, don't use these payments to reduce other deductions, such as real estate taxes.

Homeowner Assistance Fund.

The Homeowner Assistance Fund program (HAF) was established to provide financial assistance to eligible homeowners for purposes of paying certain expenses related to their principal residence to prevent mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, loss of utilities or home energy services, and also displacements of homeowners experiencing financial hardship after January 21, 2020. If you are a homeowner who received assistance under the HAF, the payments from the HAF program are not considered income to you and you cannot take a deduction or credit for expenditures paid from the HAF program.

See sections on State and Local Real Estate Taxes and Home Mortgage Interest, in Pub. 530, to determine whether you meet the rules to deduct all of the mortgage interest on your loan and all of the real estate taxes on your main home. For more details about the HAF program, see Homeowner Assistance Fund in Pub. 530. If you received HAF funds from an Indian Tribal Government or an Alaska Native Corporation and wish more details about the HAF program, see FAQs for Payments by Indian Tribal Governments and Alaska Native Corporations to Individuals Under COVID-Relief Legislation.

Divorced or separated individuals.

If a qualified pre-2019 divorce or separation agreement requires you to pay home mortgage interest on a home owned by your spouse or former spouse or by both of you, the payment of interest may be alimony. See the discussion of Payments for jointly owned home under Alimony in Pub. 504, Divorced or Separated Individuals.

Redeemable ground rents.

In some states (such as Maryland), you can buy your home subject to a ground rent. A ground rent is an obligation you assume to pay a fixed amount per year on the property. Under this arrangement, you're leasing (rather than buying) the land on which your home is located.

If you make annual or periodic rental payments on a redeemable ground rent, you can deduct them as mortgage interest.

A ground rent is a redeemable ground rent if all of the following are true.

Payments made to end the lease and to buy the lessor's entire interest in the land aren't deductible as mortgage interest.

Nonredeemable ground rents.

Payments on a nonredeemable ground rent aren't mortgage interest. You can deduct them as rent if they are a business expense or if they are for rental property.

Reverse mortgages.

A reverse mortgage is a loan where the lender pays you (in a lump sum, a monthly advance, a line of credit, or a combination of all three) while you continue to live in your home. With a reverse mortgage, you retain title to your home. Depending on the plan, your reverse mortgage becomes due, with interest, when you move, sell your home, reach the end of a pre-selected loan period, or die. Because reverse mortgages are considered loan advances and not income, the amount you receive isn't taxable. Generally, any interest (including original issue discount) accrued on a reverse mortgage is considered interest on home equity debt and isn’t deductible.

Rental payments.

If you live in a house before final settlement on the purchase, any payments you make for that period are rent and not interest. This is true even if the settlement papers call them interest. You can't deduct these payments as home mortgage interest.

Mortgage proceeds invested in tax-exempt securities.

You can't deduct the home mortgage interest on grandfathered debt if you used the proceeds of the mortgage to buy securities or certificates that produce tax-free income. “Grandfathered debt” is defined in Part II of this publication.

Refunds of interest.

If you receive a refund of interest in the same tax year you paid it, you must reduce your interest expense by the amount refunded to you. If you receive a refund of interest you deducted in an earlier year, you must generally include the refund in income in the year you receive it. However, you need to include it only up to the amount of the deduction that reduced your tax in the earlier year. This is true whether the interest overcharge was refunded to you or was used to reduce the outstanding principal on your mortgage. If you need to include the refund in income, report it on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 8z.

If you received a refund of interest you overpaid in an earlier year, you will generally receive a Form 1098, Mortgage Interest Statement, showing the refund in box 4. For information about Form 1098, see Form 1098, Mortgage Interest Statement, later.

For more information on how to treat refunds of interest deducted in earlier years, see Recoveries in Pub. 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income.

SBA disaster home loans.

Interest paid on disaster home loans from the Small Business Administration (SBA) is deductible as mortgage interest if the requirements discussed earlier under Home Mortgage Interest are met.

Prepaid interest on Form 1098.

If you prepaid interest in 2023 that accrued in full by January 15, 2024, this prepaid interest may be included in box 1 of Form 1098. However, you can't deduct the prepaid amount for January 2024 in 2023. (See Prepaid interest, earlier.) You will have to figure the interest that accrued for 2024 and subtract it from the amount in box 1. You will include the interest for January 2024 with other interest you pay for 2024.

Refunded interest.

If you received a refund of mortgage interest you overpaid in an earlier year, you will generally receive a Form 1098 showing the refund in box 4. See Refunds of interest, earlier.

More than one borrower.

If you and at least one other person (other than your spouse if you file a joint return) were liable for and paid interest on a mortgage that was for your home, and the other person received a Form 1098 showing the interest that was paid during the year, attach a statement to your paper return explaining this. Show how much of the interest each of you paid, and give the name and address of the person who received the form. Deduct your share of the interest on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 8b, and print “See attached” next to the line.

Similarly, if you're the payer of record on a mortgage on which there are other borrowers entitled to a deduction for the interest shown on the Form 1098 you received, deduct only your share of the interest on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 8a. Let each of the other borrowers know what their share is.

Mortgage proceeds used for business or investment.

If your home mortgage interest deduction is limited under the rules explained in Part II, but all or part of the mortgage proceeds were used for business, investment, or other deductible activities, see Table 2 near the end of this publication. It shows where to deduct the part of your excess interest that is for those activities. The Table 1 Instructions for line 16 in Part II explain how to divide the excess interest among the activities for which the mortgage proceeds were used.

Cooperative housing corporation.

This is a corporation that meets all of the following conditions.

Stock used to secure debt.

In some cases, you can't use your cooperative housing stock to secure a debt because of either:

Figuring deductible home mortgage interest.

Generally, if you're a tenant-stockholder, you can deduct payments you make for your share of the interest paid or incurred by the cooperative. The interest must be on a debt to buy, build, change, improve, or maintain the cooperative's housing, or on a debt to buy the land.

Figure your share of this interest by multiplying the total by the following fraction.

Cooperative apartment owner.

If you own a cooperative apartment, you must reduce your home mortgage interest deduction by your share of any cash portion of a patronage dividend that the cooperative receives. The patronage dividend is a partial refund to the cooperative housing corporation of mortgage interest if paid in a prior year.

If you receive a Form 1098 from the cooperative housing corporation, the form should show only the amount you can deduct.

Limits on deduction.

To figure how the limits discussed in Part II apply to you, treat your share of the cooperative's debt as debt incurred by you. The cooperative should determine your share of its grandfathered debt, and its home acquisition debt. (Your share of each of these types of debt is equal to the average balance of each debt multiplied by the fraction just given.) After your share of the average balance of each type of debt is determined, you include it with the average balance of that type of debt secured by your stock.

Form 1098.

The cooperative should give you a Form 1098 showing your share of the interest. Use the rules in this publication to determine your deductible mortgage interest.

Home acquisition debt limit.

The total amount you (or your spouse if married filing a joint return) can treat as home acquisition debt on your main home and second home is limited based on when the debt is secured.

Refinanced home acquisition debt.

Any secured debt you use to refinance home acquisition debt is treated as home acquisition debt. However, the new debt will qualify as home acquisition debt only up to the amount of the balance of the old mortgage principal just before the refinancing. Any additional debt not used to buy, build, or substantially improve a qualified home isn't home acquisition debt.

Mortgage that qualifies later.

A mortgage that doesn't qualify as home acquisition debt because it doesn't meet all the requirements may qualify at a later time. For example, a debt that you use to buy your home may not qualify as home acquisition debt because it isn't secured by the home. However, if the debt is later secured by the home, it may qualify as home acquisition debt after that time. Similarly, a debt that you use to buy property may not qualify because the property isn't a qualified home. However, if the property later becomes a qualified home, the debt may qualify after that time.

Mortgage treated as used to buy, build, or substantially improve home.

A mortgage secured by a qualified home may be treated as home acquisition debt, even if you don't actually use the proceeds to buy, build, or substantially improve the home. This applies in the following situations.

Example 2.

On January 31, Logan began building a home on the lot that Logan owned. Logan used $45,000 of personal funds to build the home. The home was completed on October 31. On November 21, Logan took out a $36,000 mortgage that was secured by the home. The mortgage can be treated as used to build the home because it was taken out within 90 days after the home was completed. The entire mortgage qualifies as home acquisition debt because it wasn't more than the expenses incurred within the period beginning 24 months before the home was completed. This is illustrated by Figure C.

Figure C. Logan's example

Figure C.

Figure C.

Summary: This is the illustration of the description in the text determining if the whole mortgage in the example is considered home acquisition debt.

Please click here for the text description of the image.

Date of the mortgage.

The date you take out your mortgage is the day the loan proceeds are disbursed. This is generally the closing date. You can treat the day you apply in writing for your mortgage as the date you take it out. However, this applies only if you receive the loan proceeds within a reasonable time (such as within 30 days) after your application is approved. If a timely application you make is rejected, a reasonable additional time will be allowed to make a new application.

Cost of home or improvements.

To determine your cost, include amounts paid to acquire any interest in a qualified home or to substantially improve the home.

The cost of building or substantially improving a qualified home includes the costs to acquire real property and building materials, fees for architects and design plans, and required building permits.

Substantial improvement.

An improvement is substantial if it:

Repairs that maintain your home in good condition, such as repainting your home, aren't substantial improvements. However, if you paint your home as part of a renovation that substantially improves your qualified home, you can include the painting costs in the cost of the improvements.

Acquiring an interest in a home because of a divorce.

If you incur debt to acquire the interest of a spouse or former spouse in a home because of a divorce or legal separation, you can treat that debt as home acquisition debt.

Part of home not a qualified home.

To figure your home acquisition debt, you must divide the cost of your home and improvements between the part of your home that is a qualified home and any part that isn't a qualified home. See Divided use of your home under Qualified Home in Part I, earlier.

Refinanced grandfathered debt.

If you refinanced grandfathered debt after October 13, 1987, for an amount that wasn't more than the mortgage principal left on the debt, then you still treat it as grandfathered debt. To the extent the new debt is more than that mortgage principal, it is treated as home acquisition debt (so long as the proceeds were used to buy, build, or substantially improve the home), and the mortgage is a mixed-use mortgage (discussed later under Average Mortgage Balance in the Table 1 Instructions). The debt must be secured by the qualified home.

You treat grandfathered debt that was refinanced after October 13, 1987, as grandfathered debt only for the term left on the debt that was refinanced. After that, you treat it as home acquisition debt to the extent that it was used to buy, build, or substantially improve the home.

Exception.

If the debt before refinancing was like a balloon note (the principal on the debt wasn't amortized over the term of the debt), then you treat the refinanced debt as grandfathered debt for the term of the first refinancing. This term can't be more than 30 years.