Unmarried couples claiming mortgage interest and real estate tax deductions. Lot rent is not deductible.
You pretty much have a choice. One can claim it all or you can split it. It's usually best if only one claims it, allowing the other to use the standard deduction.
You have to meet the rules, which are:
- You are legally obligated to pay it
- You actually pay it. Paying from a joint account where you made sufficient deposits to cover the payments will usually meet this standard. However. paying from your own account would be a stronger audit defense.
The standard deduction was doubled starting in 2018; so there's a good chance you don't have even enough deductions to itemize. Essentially, you must have more than $12,400 ($12,550 for 2021) in total itemized deductions to see any benefit from itemizing. Mortgage interest and real estate tax are only deductible as itemized deductions.
