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Tax Year Prior to 2020: Mortgage Interest not Showing on Schedule A

I'm fairly certain there is a bug in the Mac Desktop Version of Premier which does not appropriately represent mortgage interest paid in Schedule A.  I'm very well versed with the tax code and I know that the interest I have paid is deductible to the full extent, but in schedule A it shows a zero and then recommends we take a standard deduction.  For my situation, the standard deduction is not optimal.  It is, if mortgage interest is off the table as is currently being calculated, but that is incorrect. Can this be addressed immediately?  I tried to edit manually in form view and I was blocked from doing so.  If there is a work around that is great, otherwise a fix would be nice.

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58 Replies
KrisD15
Employee Tax Expert

Tax Year Prior to 2020: Mortgage Interest not Showing on Schedule A

Please go to Forms Mode and look at your Home Mortgage Interest Worksheet to see how the numbers were reported. 

Please pay particular attention to Section F line 8 "Acquisition Debt". This number should be the total debt of the loan attributed to build, purchase, and/or improve your home, not just the amount from the cash taken out. 

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ohamnvik
New Member

Tax Year Prior to 2020: Mortgage Interest not Showing on Schedule A

I have the same issue (also on a mac using the desktop version). All looked fine until it did a review at the end, where an error came up which I tried to fix but whatever I did lead to the mortgage deduction not being counted for some reason, so it defaults to the standard deduction. I checked the worksheet and the amounts all seem correct. 

Tax Year Prior to 2020: Mortgage Interest not Showing on Schedule A

There is a bug in Windows desktop version of Turbo Tax premier, with California as state filing,  confirmed by Turbo Tax expert today. Condition is mortgage interest paid ( numbers input from 1098 statements) are input and shown in summary that compares 2018 vs 2019.  However mortgage interest not included in Schedule A deductions. Workaround is to manually  input mortgage interest amounts in forms section for schedule A using override.  You highlight the entry box in forms and right click to bring up override. I had to down load a patch from Turbo Tax to get over ride to work. NOTE, with this workaround you cannot file returns electronically, you have to print out return and mail. 

jw144
New Member

Tax Year Prior to 2020: Mortgage Interest not Showing on Schedule A

I am having the same issue (also Mac desktop version).  Did you find a solution?  Thank you!

Tax Year Prior to 2020: Mortgage Interest not Showing on Schedule A

@KrisD15 I'm still having this issue.  I can manually correct, but that blocks me from filing electronically.  I've checked and double checked at every point.  The numbers are all correct in as far as the mortgage forms go.  But in Schedule A it then shows as a 0 for the mortgage deduction.   As I stated in my first message, I know with 100% confidence that all of my mortgage interest is deductible.  Thus the present behavior of the app is clearly incorrect and thus I would conclude that it is a bug causing it not to calculate properly.   That said, do you have a time frame for fixing it?  This is pretty basic as far as the tax code goes so it's a bit surprising to me that it shipped with this bug.  Further it's a fairly significant error that is presently blocking me from e-filing.  A week has gone by how much longer until I can expect a fix?  This is now the second consecutive year I have had to wait on TurboTax to resolve bugs so I could e-file.  That's a little disappointing...

Tax Year Prior to 2020: Mortgage Interest not Showing on Schedule A

Same issue here.  I'm a CPA and I teach accounting, so I obviously know what I'm doing.  Mortgage interest is being reported correctly on Schedule A until going through the error check when finishing the federal return, and then it forces the change to report it as zero and reverts to the standard deduction.  Extremely frustrating.

VictorW9
Expert Alumni

Tax Year Prior to 2020: Mortgage Interest not Showing on Schedule A

Is your itemized deduction more than standard deduction? Don't forget the SALT limitation. State and local taxes are capped at $10,000. So, if the capped amount is not allowing you to itemize because you will be below the standard deduction, then the system reverts to standard.

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Tax Year Prior to 2020: Mortgage Interest not Showing on Schedule A

I am having the same issue with desktop Mac version. Mortgage interest payments do not show up on Schedule A. This IS NOT a SALT issue, as my mortgage interest, plus $10,000 state and local tax limit, plus donations far exceed the standard deduction. Turbo Tax has a serious problem that it needs to address, and quickly. This is so basic that I should not have to work hours to try workarounds to fix the flaw.

VictoriaD75
Employee Tax Expert

Tax Year Prior to 2020: Mortgage Interest not Showing on Schedule A

There is a workaround for this. 

 

For desktop versions:

  • In Forms view, locate and click on Tax & Int Wks on the left from the forms list
  • On the form, scroll to Mortgage Interest Limited Smart Worksheet
  • Click on NO to the right of the question, Does your mortgage interest need to be limited
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Tax Year Prior to 2020: Mortgage Interest not Showing on Schedule A

Okay thank you for this as that fixed the bug. I agree with the other responses that this is a huge bug and I cannot believe this has not been addressed.

KrisD15
Employee Tax Expert

Tax Year Prior to 2020: Mortgage Interest not Showing on Schedule A

There is no bug.

The 1098 does not report your daily average home acquisition debt. 

Perhaps the Lender will need to report that on the 1098 sometime in the near future. 

For now, you enter the 1098. If the program asks if the debt was over the limit, it is up to you to answer and make the adjustment if necessary. 

 

Do not alter the 1098. Enter the 1098(s) as reported. Box 2 should not be blank. Box 2 is the balance of the loan on 01-01-2019 OR the balance on the day the loan was taken out in 2019. Answer the interview questions carefully.

If you get an error concerning the balance, please follow these directions:

ONLINE USERS:

Please go back to the Home Mortgage Interest section:

Click Federal on the left side-bar

Click Deductions & Credits along the top

Scroll down to “Mortgage Interest and Refinancing (Form 1098)” Click Edit/Add

Scroll down the “Here’s your 1098 info” screen and click Done.

Next screen asks “Do any of these situations apply to you?” Select “Yes, one or all of these situations apply to me.” and Continue.

On the following screen, you will see the “Original amount”.

Enter the amount you can claim as a Home Mortgage Interest deduction in the “Adjusted amount” box. The Adjusted amount cannot be larger than the original amount or you will receive an error when trying to file. Instructions on who needs to adjust interest and how to calculate are available by clicking the blue “Help me figure this out” link.

DESKTOP USERS:

Go into Forms (top right)
Enter the amount on Tax & Int Wks
Mortgage Interest Limited Smart Worksheet section
Line A2

OR

Step by Step

Federal

Deductions & Credits

Mortgage Interest, Refinancing and Insurance Click Update

Click Done

Click Yes, one or both of these situations apply to me. And Continue

Enter the Adjusted amount and Continue

 

 

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Tax Year Prior to 2020: Mortgage Interest not Showing on Schedule A

There is a bug.

 

Total outstanding mortgage principal was manually adjusted to below limitations, yet the program persisted with ignoring mortgage interest and forcing a standard deduction.  It seems to be an issue when there are multiple debt sources.  My work around was to recommence the return and aggregate all debt into one entry.

 

Regardless, TurboTax is a program that is marketed towards an average Joe who can do his/her own return.  It shouldn't require a CPA like myself who actually understands what is being entered and in this case, mortgage interest limitations, to complete the return without issue.  Pssst.

Tax Year Prior to 2020: Mortgage Interest not Showing on Schedule A

Great easy fix.  However, bad error to have shipped.

Tax Year Prior to 2020: Mortgage Interest not Showing on Schedule A

I spent hours trying to figure this out. Had the same problem with desktop versions. I have six 1098s to enter and it showed 0 and suggested using standard deduction when the itemized was almost 10k more. 

 

What a terrible bug to have. Should be fixed immediately.. Think about how many people will not catch this and lose out.

 

Thanks guys for figuring out a work around. Saved me thousands on my return. 

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