I enter mortgage interest on my rental property but it continues to say mortgage interest not started and shows $0. Is that right?

[Spino]

If you entered the mortgage interest somewhere else, it might say this. Try entering the mortgage here and see if it is on your return twice. If it is, then delete one of the entries.

OR display or print your return and check Schedule E to see if it has the information you need listed.

[Sometimes entries made through the interview and entries made directly in the forms are not in exactly the same blanks, and this can result in this kind of statement in the interview.]

Also, if you "start" it, you may even discover your mortgage interest is already pre-entered if you put it in some other way.

[Carl]

Is this for a property you converted to a rental in 2020? If so, did you elect to have the program do the split for you, between SCH E for the period of time it was a rental, and SCH A for the period of time it was not a rental?