I had solar panels added to my house and pay a monthly fee. Can I claim this

[MollsBBU]

Yes. The program will walk you through the entry and will apply the deduction as appropriate. 

You may use the Topic Search function in the program to get to that entry. To do so:

1. Click on My Account in the blue bar at the top
2. Click on Tools
3. Click on Topic Search
4. Search for energy improvements and then click on Go
5. When asked "Did you make energy-saving improvements in 2016 or have a carryforward from 2015?" select Yes.
6. Then, after 3-4 interview screens, the program will show "Tell Us How Much You Paid for Energy-Saving Improvements" -please see attached screenshot for where to enter the information

Note: According to the instructions for Form 5695, "... costs are treated as being paid when the original installation of the item is completed" so you may deduct the full cost rather than any payments you have made so far.

If you need any additional steps, please comment back.