ComputerHunter.org

 

Home Equity Loan Tax Deductions


Interest - is an amount you pay for the use of borrowed money.

Several lenders are currenty offering amazing deals for 125% home equity loans. As highly advertized as these loans are they don't highly advertize that the interest payments on these loans are not neccessarily fully tax deductable.

To understand why these interest payments don't qualify as tax deductable lets look at what is considered a tax deductable interest payment. The IRS website states that to be considered for full tax deductable interest your mortgage must fall into one of these three catagories:

  • Mortgages you took out on or before October 13, 1987 (called grandfathered debt).

  • Mortgages you took out after October 13, 1987, to buy, build, or improve your home (called home acquisition debt), but only if these mortgages plus any grandfathered debt totaled $1 million or less ($500,000 or less if married filing separately).

  • Mortgages you took out after October 13, 1987, other than to buy, build, or improve your home (called home equity debt), but only if these mortgages totaled $100,000 or less ($50,000 or less if married filing separately) and totaled no more than the fair market value of your home reduced by (1) and (2).

    As described by the IRS to be considered as home equity debt the amount of the loan must be equal or less then the Fair Market Value of your home minus any outstanding debt from your first or second mortgage up to a loan amount of $100,000.

    For example, your home's fair market value is $150,000 your outstanding debt or mortgage is $115,000. This means the equity that you have built from your home is $35,000.

    Now your looking to cash in and a lender offers you a 125% home equity loan, 125% x $150,000 = $187,500 subtract your outstanding debt of $115,000 and you have qualified for a $62,500 dollar loan. So finally lets divide this loan into two parts.

    First $35,000 is your secured home equity debt and $27,500 is your unsecured home equity debt. The problem lies that as discussed before the tax exemption for interest payments only covers the secured home equity debt amount, leaving you with the financial liability of paying off the interst on $27,500 of your loan.

    *Their is a notable exception in regards to the purpose of the home equity loan. If the loan is used for home improvement it can possibly be considered as a "home aquisition debt" and the interest payments may be deductable for a loan greater then your actual equity value.

    The best course of action is to always speak to a tax advisor regarding any type of home loan. Being aware of tax deductions and liabilities can save you a huge headache and possibly thousands of dollars!

    Richard Mccaffery is owner of Home Equity Loan Lenders, a free content website meant to assist consumers in finding home equity loan information.







    Google News - Top Stories

    BBC News

    Lil Wayne, Coldplay Lead Grammy Nods
    People Magazine - 47 minutes ago
    By Brian Orloff Not only did the rapper's album Tha Carter III go five times platinum, selling over five million copies, but on Wednesday, he was nominated for eight Grammy Awards, including the prestigious album of the year honors.
    Lil Wayne and Coldplay lead Brit-heavy Grammy field Reuters
    Lil Wayne, Coldplay rake in Grammy nominations Los Angeles Times
    BBC News - MTV.com - USA Today - The Associated Press
    all 552 news articles


    ABC News

    Rice Urges 'Robust' Pakistani Response To Mumbai Attacks
    Voice of America - 28 minutes ago
    By VOA News US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is urging Pakistan to mount a "robust" response to last week's deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
    Video: Rice: Pakistan Must Cooperate Fully AssociatedPress
    Rice urges Pakistan to take on terrorists CNN
    Bloomberg - Reuters India - AFP - USA Today
    all 3,830 news articles


    ABC News

    Ford, GM Bonds Rise on Optimism Over US Bailout (Update1)
    Bloomberg - 6 hours ago
    By Bryan Keogh Dec. 3 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. bonds rose on optimism that the US government will bail out the auto industry after the companies promised to cut costs and asked Congress for $27 billion in aid.
    Detroit trio hits the road to the Hill MarketWatch
    Wake-up call as Detroit paints an increasingly bleak picture Financial Times
    AFP - Boston Herald - Bangor Daily News - Wall Street Journal
    all 2,952 news articles


    Seattle Post Intelligencer

    Long Road Behind Him, Richardson Gets a Post
    New York Times - 2 hours ago
    Bill Richardson joined Barack Obama for the announcement Wednesday that Mr. Richardson was commerce secretary-designate. By PETER BAKER CHICAGO - At some point during the long series of Democratic presidential debates, Bill Richardson came to realize ...
    Video: Obama taps Richardson for Commerce ReutersVideo
    Building a more diverse Cabinet Chicago Tribune
    Kansas City Star - Los Angeles Times - Reuters - The Associated Press
    all 2,780 news articles


    ABC News

    Soaring Tuition Pushes College Out of Reach
    ABC News - 2 hours ago
    By BILL WEIR Zach Hall is a government major at the University of Texas, but in his senior year, he is also learning about finance -- the hard way.
    College May Become Unaffordable for Most in US New York Times
    College could become too expensive for 'most Americans' CNN
    ReporterNews.com - San Jose Mercury News - Leader-Telegram - Dayton Daily News
    all 893 news articles

  • Google
     

    Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base