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Level 1
June 5, 2019
Solved

Interest deduction on construction loan

  • June 5, 2019
  • 2 replies
  • 21 views
I lived in one house, while building another. I then sold the old house and moved into the new one in October. Can I deduct the interest on the construction loan while my new house was being built?
Best answer by IsabellaG

Yes you can deduct the interest on your construction loan if the loan was secured by the property you moved into. 

You can treat a home under construction as a qualified home for a period of up to 24 months, but only if it becomes your qualified home at the time it is ready for occupancy. The 24-month period can start any time on or after the date that construction begins.

See page 4 under Qualified Home and Home Under Construction: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p936.pdf

2 replies

IsabellaG
IsabellaGAnswer
Level 13
June 5, 2019

Yes you can deduct the interest on your construction loan if the loan was secured by the property you moved into. 

You can treat a home under construction as a qualified home for a period of up to 24 months, but only if it becomes your qualified home at the time it is ready for occupancy. The 24-month period can start any time on or after the date that construction begins.

See page 4 under Qualified Home and Home Under Construction: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p936.pdf

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Level 2
February 7, 2020

We paid interest on a construction loan last year and I was curious where I report that on my taxes? The bank sent me a statement showing how much interest we paid but it is not a 1098, so I don't really know where I document it on my turbo tax forms. Thanks for your help

RobertG
Level 12
February 7, 2020

You don't need Form 1098 to report mortgage interest.

 

As long as you have the information you need, you can enter the mortgage interest into TurboTax.

 

You can get your mortgage info by going to your lender’s website. Other documents, like your monthly mortgage bills and your Closing Disclosure (or HUD-1), will also have some of this info.

 

Aside from the amount of interest you will need to know the: 

  • Outstanding mortgage principal as of 1/1/2019
  • Mortgage origination date
  • Mortgage acquisition date

@ckellerman01

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Level 2
March 20, 2020

Where within TurboTax would you enter this construction loan interest?  My financial institution sent me a 1098 but left out the mortgage principal amount.  Would I enter the total loan amount (even if such total amount has not been disbursed by the end of 2019) or just the amount disbursed in 2019?

Level 11
March 21, 2020

Yes, the construction interest should be calculated on the amount dispersed.  So the mortgage principal amount, as of the date requested, is the amount you would use for the mortgage principal amount.

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