Should I enter what we actually paid in 2016 for our real estate taxes?

[Jennifer-G]

Or should I pro-rate the taxes I paid from 7/1/16 through 12/31/16 (we closed on our house on 7/1/16), regardless of when the payments were made?

In other words, do you enter the tax based on a cash basis or a pro-rated basis? 

Additional Info:

We don't use escrow for our real estate taxes. The tax period for our home is 7/1/16 to 6/30/17. The county divided our annual real estate taxes into 2 installments. We paid the first installment on 12/5/16 and the second installment on 1/30/17.

[DS30 · Accepted solution]

Yes, include what you actually paid in property taxes in 2016 on your 2016 tax return.