#home-ownership
Track home ownership costs, mortgage, and property expenses
Section 25C's 30% federal credit for heat pumps, insulation, windows, and other home efficiency upgrades ends with the OBBBA sunset on December 31, 2025, making the 2025 return the last chance to claim up to $3,200 per household — provided you supply a valid 4-character QMID on Form 5695.
Form 1099-S reports the gross sale price of a home, not the net, which routinely triggers IRS CP2000 notices for sellers whose gain is fully excluded under Section 121. This guide explains the Rev. Proc. 2007-12 certification that lets qualifying principal-residence sales bypass the form, the $250,000/$500,000 thresholds, the nonqualified use trap added in 2008, and how to defensibly report when the 1099-S cannot be skipped.
OBBBA raised the SALT deduction cap to $40,400 for 2026, but a 30-cent-per-dollar MAGI phase-down between $505,000 and $606,333 creates a roughly 45% effective marginal rate — the "SALT torpedo." Here is how to decide whether to re-itemize.
Section 163(h) decides whether your largest Schedule A line is a $14,000 deduction or an $8,500 one. Here is how the permanent $750,000 TCJA cap, the grandfathered $1 million pre-2018 loans, the HELOC "substantial improvement" rule, and the 2026 return of the mortgage insurance premium deduction actually work — with worked examples and the records you need on audit.
How Section 165(i) lets taxpayers in federally declared disaster areas deduct casualty losses on the prior year's return via Form 4684 and Form 1040-X — election mechanics, the six-month deadline, safe-harbor valuations, and when the prior-year election actually beats waiting.
A side-by-side comparison of the simplified $5-per-square-foot method and Form 8829's actual expense method for the 2026 home office deduction, with worked examples, depreciation recapture math, carryover rules, and a decision framework for self-employed filers.
How Section 121 lets U.S. homeowners exclude up to $250,000 ($500,000 for joint filers) of capital gains on a primary home sale — covering the 24-month ownership and use tests, the two-year frequency rule, partial exclusions, depreciation recapture, and the nonqualified-use allocation.
Section 25D's 30% residential clean energy credit ends December 31, 2025 under the OBBBA. How to file the final-year claim on Form 5695, carry unused credit forward indefinitely, and use TPO leases or Section 48E to capture value in 2026.
For 2026 the SALT cap rises to $40,000, reviving the sales tax deduction for homeowners and big-ticket buyers. Choose between sales tax and state income tax on Schedule A, use the IRS optional tables, and stack actual tax paid on vehicles, boats, or renovation materials on top of the table amount.
US 2026 SALT cap rises to $40,400, restoring property-tax deductions for many homeowners — federal rules and planning moves.
Schedule A itemized deductions return in play for 2026 as the SALT cap rises from $10,000 to $40,400, charitable gifts face a new 0.5% AGI floor, and the $750,000 mortgage interest cap becomes permanent. This guide covers what qualifies, what changed under the OBBB, and how to decide whether itemizing beats the standard deduction.
IRS Form 1098 reports your mortgage interest paid and is the key document for claiming the mortgage interest deduction on Schedule A. Covers every box on the form, 2026 deduction limits, the expanded SALT cap, and step-by-step filing instructions.
