Can two people claim property taxes on a home they both live in?

[xmasbaby0]

If both people are on the mortgage or deed to the home---yes.  But the amount each of you enters cannot exceed 100% of the amount paid.   Divide it up by how much you each paid.  

Are the two people filing married filing separately?   Or are you talking about two people who are not married to each other but who purchased a home together?

[johnnyr209]

Yes, they are both on the mortgage. Yes, filing separately. Not married.

[TomK2023]

Maybe. The person who actually pays the property tax may claim the deduction.  However, if you and another person both pay the property tax, then you may share the total amount, but you can not both claim the entire amount.  

[Opus 17]

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@johnnyr209 wrote:

Yes, they are both on the mortgage. Yes, filing separately. Not married.

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It's not the mortgage that counts for property taxes, its ownership.  Only an owner of the property can deduct the taxes, and then, they can only deduct what they actually pay.  (Must be recorded on the deed.  More specifically, the only person who can deduct property taxes is the person against whom the taxes are assessed and who actually pays them.)  

With that said, if two people co-own a property, then they can each deduct the portion of taxes they pay.  Combined, they can't deduct more than the total, of course.   

[Hal_Al]

Q. Can two unmarried people claim property taxes on a home they both live in?

A. Yes, but usually you don't want to.  

Unmarried couples claiming mortgage interest and property tax. 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 all, allowing the other to use the standard deduction.

You have to meet the rules, which are:

1. You are legally obligated to pay it
2. 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.