I pay half of my daughter's mortgage payment every month. Can I deduct this?

[SabrinaD2]

• No you can't normally deduct the mortgage (interest) payments you make on behalf of your daughter. The mortgage interest deduction is generally only available to the person who is legally obligated to pay the mortgage and who actually makes the payments
• However, if you co-signed the mortgage and are also legally responsible for the loan, you may be able to deduct the interest portion of the payments you make
  • To qualify, you must be legally obligated to pay the mortgage and actually make the payments
  • If you did cosign - click here for steps to enter mortgage (1098) interest payments in TurboTax.
• Additionally, paying half of your daughter's mortgage interest could be considered a gift. The IRS allows an annual gift tax exclusion of up to $18,000 per recipient for 2024. If your contributions exceed this amount, you may need to file IRS Form 709 to report the gift, though no tax may be owed if it falls under the lifetime gift tax exemption

See TurboTax Article here for supporting information about mortgage payments and gifts here.