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June 1, 2019
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Can i claim the interest on my land loan

  • June 1, 2019
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Best answer by DavidD66

Like many tax questions, the answer to whether or not you can deduct the interest on land that you own is, "It depends." You cannot deduct interest on a lot that you hold for personal use at some point in the future. However, if the lot is an investment or will be used to build a home relatively quickly, you can deduct the mortgage interest, subject to some limitations.

Lot for Personal Use
A lot that you own for your eventual use at some yet-undetermined time in the future isn't tax deductible. To be claimed for the home mortgage interest deduction, a property must meet the IRS definition of a "qualified home." Qualified homes have eating, sleeping and bathroom facilities.

Lot for Personal Construction

Interest on land can be deductible if you intend to build a house on it. You can claim a mortgage interest deduction if you will be completing and moving into the home within 24 months of when you start claiming the write-off. The deduction covers your loan on your lot as well as your construction loan, if any. To be able to claim this write off, the house under construction must be your first or second house, and your total mortgage debt must be $1.1 million or less.

Investment Lots
Interest on land held for investment purposes is deductible on Schedule E as an investment real estate expense. Schedule E lets you subtract all of your expenses from your rental income to reduce your taxable profit from real estate rental activities. If you don't have any rental income, though, you can only use your losses to reduce your regular income up to $25,000 per year, and only if your adjusted gross income is below $100,000. The write-off provision gradually goes away for AGIs between $100,000 and $150,000, and is completely gone above that threshold.







1 reply

DavidD66Answer
June 1, 2019

Like many tax questions, the answer to whether or not you can deduct the interest on land that you own is, "It depends." You cannot deduct interest on a lot that you hold for personal use at some point in the future. However, if the lot is an investment or will be used to build a home relatively quickly, you can deduct the mortgage interest, subject to some limitations.

Lot for Personal Use
A lot that you own for your eventual use at some yet-undetermined time in the future isn't tax deductible. To be claimed for the home mortgage interest deduction, a property must meet the IRS definition of a "qualified home." Qualified homes have eating, sleeping and bathroom facilities.

Lot for Personal Construction

Interest on land can be deductible if you intend to build a house on it. You can claim a mortgage interest deduction if you will be completing and moving into the home within 24 months of when you start claiming the write-off. The deduction covers your loan on your lot as well as your construction loan, if any. To be able to claim this write off, the house under construction must be your first or second house, and your total mortgage debt must be $1.1 million or less.

Investment Lots
Interest on land held for investment purposes is deductible on Schedule E as an investment real estate expense. Schedule E lets you subtract all of your expenses from your rental income to reduce your taxable profit from real estate rental activities. If you don't have any rental income, though, you can only use your losses to reduce your regular income up to $25,000 per year, and only if your adjusted gross income is below $100,000. The write-off provision gradually goes away for AGIs between $100,000 and $150,000, and is completely gone above that threshold.







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June 1, 2019
What if I plan to finish building and more in within 2 years but it might take 3 years?