Home Loan Advice

A home equity line of credit can be tax deductible as a second mortgage for many people. However, you should be aware that there are a number of considerations to take into account before you can actually deduct your loan interest from your taxes.

A home equity line of credit can be used as an itemized deduction in cases where a person is legally liable to pay the interest on the home loan. For example, you pay the interest during the course of the tax year for which you’re filing  your taxes and the debt is secured with your home and the interest that is deducted does not exceed the limitations specified and set forth by the Internal Revenue Service.  It is also important to note that there are limitations that exist on the amount of interest that can be deducted as a second mortgage from your taxes.

It is important to note that there is a difference between a home equity line of credit, sometimes called a HELOC, and a standard home equity loan. This is very important since there are consequences to each type of loan.  These differences are important especially when considering your taxes and how much interest can be deducted from your taxes.  Home equity loans have a number of specific characteristics that cause them to be different from the standard home equity lines of credit. These differences will come into play when you file your taxes.  A home equity loan has a fixed interest rate that doesn’t change over time. It also has regular monthly payments that have been timed and sized to pay off the home loan over the defined time limit as established by the financial institution that gave the individual the home equity loan in the first place.

A home equity line of credit, or HELOC, is different in several aspects.  In this case, the line of credit does not have a fixed interest rate.  Instead, the HELOC has an adjustable rate of interest.  The interest rate is typically tethered to the changes in the prime rate of the line of credit.  In response, the prime rate of the line of credit is tethered to changes that have occurred within the targeted federal funds rates.

The HELOC is considered to be a second mortgage on a home by the IRS.  Any mortgage that is placed on a home other than the primary mortgage loan which is taken out in order to purchase, build or reconstruct the home is considered to be a second mortgage by the IRS.  Therefore, the HELOC is considered to be a second mortgage. This means that it is deductible as a second mortgage if the individuals are able to meet the IRS tax criteria. It is possible for a HELOC to be considered as a second mortgage. In this case, the interest is deductible from your taxes.

There are limitations that exist on HELOC deductions that include that someone cannot deduct more than $100,000 in interest per year.  If a couple is married but filing separately, the individuals, on their own, may not deduct more than $50,000 each.

I hope this article has provided you with more information about deducting a home equity line of credit home loan.

Related posts:

1. Federal Home Loan Modification Plans Are you investigating the new federal home loan modification plans? They promise much needed relief for homeowners who are dealing with mortgage payments and possibly facing foreclosure should they continue to struggle. There is a new federal program that will assist Americans homeowners in refinancing or modifying their mortgages. This...
2. Adjustable Rate Mortgages Advice Part of the economic problems we’re facing today are tied to the thousands and thousands of homeowners who financed or refinanced their home loans with ARM’s, aka Adjustable Rate Mortgages. ARM’s are mortgages have a low interest rates in the beginning and this causes many new homeowners to borrow more...
3. Low Down Payment Home Loans Getting a low down payment home loan these days is tougher today than it was just a few years ago. The days of the zero down home loan are behind us now due to the credit crisis. Banks and other home mortgage lenders are returning to the old days where...
4. How To Qualify for Making Home Affordable If you are having trouble making your mortgage payments you may be able to qualify for the Making Home Affordable program. This relatively new US federal government loan-modification and refinancing program promises to help beleaguered homeowners who are having difficulty making their mortgage payments. Here’s how to find out if...
5. Quit Claim Deed Advice One option that people are considering in these recessionary times is to use a quit claim deed to pass ownership of a property. As you may already know, a deed to a particular piece of property is a legal document that establishes the ownership of that property. There are different...