Questions about exterior doors and insulation for energy credit

[razor5]

I did various home improvements in my house some of which I believe is applicable for energy credits: 

1. I replaced 3 doors. a) front exterior door energy star certified, b) garage side door (exterior) energy star certified c) kitchen to garage door fire rated not sure about energy certification. I have receipts of these door purchases. I am planning to claim the material cost of these doors. Can all three be claimed or they need to be exterior in which case will the door from kitchen to garage considered exterior? 

2. I added some insulation in exterior walls of house which had no insulation before. I also added insulation in all the walls of my garage and spray foam insulation in garage ceiling. Can I claim the material cost of these? I do not have receipt of the material cost separately. I paid to a general contractor directly for a bigger project but he has given me an approximate cost of these materials to use for tax filing.

[AnnetteB6 · Accepted solution]

The IRS states that the credit may be claimed for energy-efficient exterior doors.  You stated that only two of your doors are energy-efficient, therefore, you should claim the credit for those two doors.  Personally, I would not consider a door between the kitchen and garage to be an exterior door because there is an additional door between that one and the outdoors (the garage door).

You may use the contractor's information about the cost of the insulation to claim the credit since it was part of a larger project.  Be sure to keep the documentation with your return in case the IRS were to question the amount you claimed.

[sonzoil]

For tax year 2022, I installed, and I spent $1500 (cost of insulation) on attic insulation. When I inputted that number, and after the final calculation, the window said that I would NOT receive any tax credit based on the information I inputted.  This had nothing to do with new construction, but fixing inadequate insulation when the house was built years ago. I checked the box "no the energy improvements where not related to construction of our main home".  Is this credit income based?  Does the federal tax credit show anywhere else other than "Home Energy Credit" in the summary page? According to IRS website I am allowed to take the credit for attic insulation costs, form 5695, line 19A for 2022.

[AmyC]

1. No, the credit is not income based. This credit must be on your main home.

2. Form 5695 shows energy credit. It carries to sch 3, line 5. This carries to 1040 line 20.

3. Yes, for energy efficiency, there is a credit available. For 2022, there is $500 lifetime cap, see FAQ Energy. For 2023, the lifetime cap is removed and the annual limit raised to $1200.

My guess would be you have reached the lifetime limit already with line 18.

@sonzoil

[sonzoil]

I have never applied for or received an energy credit.  Was told if my tax liability is zero this year, then the credit would carry over to next year, etc.  If that was the case, where would that be shown?

[MayaD]

It will show on form 5695.

Instructions for Form 5695

To preview your return before filing: How do I preview my TurboTax Online return before filing?

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