Vanessa A
Expert Alumni

Deductions & credits

Either of you can take the standard deduction or the itemized deduction, however, you cannot just decide who takes the deduction.  In order to take the deduction you must have ownership interest in the house AND make the payment.  You cannot take a deduction for something you did not pay.  So, if one of you are paying the mortgage or if you are paying 30% and they are paying 70%, then you would take 30% of the interest deduction and they would take 70%. 

 

If you have a joint account, it may be harder to differentiate who is paying which percent but the technical answer is still you can only deduct the portion you pay. 

 

Also, be aware that the standard deduction is $12,550, so if your mortgage interest and other itemized deductions are not greater than the standard deduction, the mortgage interest may not benefit either of you. 

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