I bought a camper (WA state) can I claim the interest from the loan, and can I claim the sales tax from time of purchase? Where do I enter this information?

[SamiaI]

You can claim the interest paid on the RV. A camper or Recreational Vehicle (RV) meets the IRS definition of a second home if it contains sleeping, bathroom and kitchen facilities. Interest paid on a loan for the purchase of a recreational vehicle is therefore tax deductible as valid home interest on a second home ( As per IRS publication 936-http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p936.pdf).

To enter your RV Interest in TurboTax Online (for TurboTax Online sign-in, click Here and click on "Take me to my return") or Desktop, please follow these steps:

1. Once you are in your tax return, click on the “Federal Taxes” tab ("Personal" tab in TurboTax Home & Business)
2. Next click on “Deductions and credits”
3. Next click on "jump to full list" or “I’ll choose what I work on”
4. Scroll down the screen until to come to the section “Your Home”
5. Choose "show more", then Mortgage Interest and Refinancing and follow the onscreen instructions.

Or, log into your online account, begin working on your tax return, and then type the text string "mortgage interest" into the Find / Search box near the top.  When the "Jump To" link appears beneath, click it and the program should take you where you need to go in the software.

You can enter the sales tax you paid for the RV you purchased in 2017 by going to Federal>Deductions and Credits>Estimates and Other Taxes Paid> Sales Tax.  You will be asked if you paid sales tax on a major purchase, and you will be able to enter the sales tax you paid for your new vehicle. 

Sales tax is an itemized deduction.  If your state has a state income tax (WA doesn't levy state taxes), you have to choose between using the deduction for your state tax paid OR the sales tax deduction, whichever is higher. The TurboTax process will suggest one or the other as you prepare your return.

You could also claim the personal property taxes that you pay on your RV. However, you would only get to deduct any taxes that the state charged you based on the value of your mobile home. These taxes goes under the personal property tax section:

To enter your RV property taxes in TurboTax Online or Desktop, please follow these steps:

1. Once you are in your tax return, click on the “Federal Taxes” tab ("Personal" tab in TurboTax Home & Business)
2. Next click on “Deductions and credits”
3. Next click on "jump to full list" or “I’ll choose what I work on”
4. Scroll down the screen until to come to the section “Cars and Other Things You Own”
5. Choose "show more", then Personal Property Taxes and follow the onscreen instructions

You can read TurboTax faq here: Is interest on RV deductible

[DZ_CO]

Thanks for your help.  That's what I thought.

[DawnC]

Yes. You're allowed to deduct the interest on a loan secured by your main home (where you ordinarily live most of the time) and a second home.

A mobile home, RV, house trailer, or houseboat that has sleeping, cooking, and toilet facilities counts as a main or second home, and as long as it meets all the other requirements for deducting mortgage interest, you can claim the interest like an immovable home.

If you're itemizing, you get to choose between deducting your state and local income taxes or your state and local sales taxes. You can't claim both and you can't claim either one if you're taking the Standard Deduction.

If you go with the sales tax deduction, you can claim the sales taxes you paid on just about anything you bought, whether it was purchased online or locally, in-state or out-of-state, big or small.

Where do I enter sales taxes paid in 2024?