Is reverse mortgage interest deductible

[JohnB5677]

@gkulesza  Yes to both questions.

Mortgage Insurance Premiums (Often called Points) are included on your Schedule A (Itemized Deductions).  They are usually amortized over the life of the loan, but if you sell the house they will flow through and be fully deductible

You will have to pay off any outstanding loan in a reverse mortgage, plus the accrued interest.  That interest will be included on your Schedule A for that tax year.

[KatMC]

If the home is inherited and the heir has paid off the reverse mortgage is the heir able to deduct the accumulated PMI, Interest on the 1098 paid to acquire the home from the reverse mortgage vultures?   The reverse mortgage company also tacked on attorney fees when they attempted to foreclose even though we had notified them that we were approved for a loan.  Would the attorney fees be allowed under the administrator's expenses or where?  

[NCperson]

suggest taking a look at the thread above your post and this IRS overview: 

https://www.irs.gov/faqs/other/for-senior-taxpayers/for-senior-taxpayers

Question

Are the proceeds I receive from a reverse mortgage taxable to me?

Answer

No, reverse mortgage payments aren't taxable. Reverse mortgage payments are considered loan proceeds and not income. The lender pays you, the borrower, loan proceeds (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.
• Interest (including original issue discount) accrued on a reverse mortgage isn't deductible until you actually pay it (usually when you pay off the loan in full). Also, a deduction of interest may be limited because a reverse mortgage generally is subject to the limit on home equity debt, which is not deductible unless the proceeds are used to buy, build, or substantially improve the home that secures the loan. For information on deducting mortgage interest and the debt limit that applies, see Publication 936, Home Mortgage Interest Deduction.

 To the extent that the money was used to replace any 'aquisition debt' or used to substantionally improve the home, then the related interest IS deductible when the reverse mortgage is paid off.  If the money received from the reverse mortgage was simply used over time 'to live on', now that the reverse mortage has been paid off, the interest is NOT deductible which is the same as the normal home equity rules.

Any PMI paid should be deductible.  Look at the 1098 form received. Also assumes the IRS extends the deductibility for 2022.

I'd be curious with what others may state, but I wonder if attorney fees are simply added to your cost basis.  They were a cost to acquire the property, right?