Just married at the end of the year and we both had separate primary residences for most of the year. How do we handle that when using married filing jointly?

[Scruffy Paws]

My husband and I got married at the end of 2019.  We both owned our own home which we lived in as our primary residences until we got married.  How do we handle the property tax and interest deductions on our homes for 2019 when we file using "married filing jointly"?

[DavidS127 · Accepted solution]

You can deduct the expenses for both houses on your married filing jointly return as if you had been married all year and owned two houses.

If you end up selling one of your homes in 2020 or beyond, you might find helpful the "Selling a home" section of the TurboTax article at this link.

[Scruffy Paws]

Thanks!  Just to confirm, do we simply add the expenses together under the section Personal > Deductions & Credits > Your Home?

[AnnetteB6]

Yes and no.  The expenses will be added together, but if you had mortgages, you will enter the information as it was reported to you on your Form 1098 showing the mortgage interest paid. 

These statements usually include property tax payments as well if it was paid through an escrow account.  If the property tax amounts are not reported on Form 1098, then you can simply add those together and report it as a single amount for property tax.  

The end result will be that everything will be added together on your Schedule A for itemized deductions.