When you buy a home, you will realize that everything is expensive. Buying a home means that you face a lot of outgoing payments that you have never faced before, and when you combine these with things such as taxes, it can become overwhelming.
So, you might find yourself looking for ways to potentially cut down your outgoing costs.
Thankfully, there are schemes which can be used to cut down your outgoing costs. One of these is the home mortgage interest deduction (HMID) which is a tax reduction available to those who pay interest on their mortgage.
But, just like with all schemes, there are some issues with this where you find that your mortgage interest isn’t actually reducing your taxes.
In this guide, we’ll be taking a look at what mortgage interest is, how it affects your taxes, and why you might find that your interest is not reducing your taxes. So, to find out more about all of this, keep on reading.
What Is Mortgage Interest?
First things first, let’s take a look at what mortgage interest is. If you are paying for your own home via a mortgage, then you will be paying mortgage interest.
All lenders charge mortgage interest upon their mortgages, as this is the way that they make money through them.
Before you accept a mortgage offer, you will be given the details surrounding the percentage of interest that you will be charged upon this mortgage, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise.
The interest that you pay on your mortgage will be simply added to your monthly mortgage payment, and it will be charged every month for as long as you continue to have a mortgage with that lender.
Most lenders offer fixed-rate mortgages, where the initial interest stays the same for a set amount of time, usually around 2 years.
After this time passes, you will then be charged interest based off of the variable interest rate at this time. This is why most people will switch mortgage providers throughout the time that they are paying off their home.
Mortgage interest can be a little frustrating, because it means that you will be paying significantly more for your home than what you offered the seller.
This is why most people swap lenders, or pay extra on their mortgage to cut the length of it down. While it is frustrating, mortgage interest is a necessary evil if you do not have the funds to pay for your house outright.
After all, a lender isn’t going to give you the money for your home without receiving something in return. This is why they charge interest.
Is It Worth Claiming Mortgage Interest On Taxes?
As we have said, while mortgage interest is often very high, you do have one thing to look forward to when tax season comes around.
This is, claiming back mortgage interest on your taxes. Thanks to the home mortgage interest deduction, you are able to claim back any interest that you pay on a loan secured by either your primary or secondary residence.
So, when you are paying your taxes, you can actually claim back money on your taxes for the interest that you have paid throughout the year.
In order to claim this tax deduction, you will need to have a variety of paper documents to verify the amount of interest you have paid throughout the year.
So, it is important that you keep good records if you want to claim your interest back. As long as you have these records, you will need to meet the following criteria to qualify for this deduction:
- The mortgage is a secure debt on your own home.
- You filled out an IRS 1040 form and itemized your deductions.
If you meet the criteria, and have the necessary documentation, then it is totally worth claiming mortgage interest on your taxes.
This claim will be deducted from your overall taxes, which will save you money. Filling out the forms for the deduction can be a little tedious, but it is definitely worth it when you get to pay less on your taxes.
Why Does My Mortgage Interest Not Reduce My Taxes?
As you can see, there is a very clear benefit of applying for a home mortgage interest deduction (HMID) on your taxes.
There are lots of different types of deductions that you can apply for when it comes to your taxes, and you can often combine these to reduce the amount of money that you pay in tax.
After all, quite a lot of the interest and taxes that you are paying throughout the year will go to the same place as your final taxes. So, it is unfair for you to pay twice.
But, when you are applying for HMID on your taxes, you might find that the refund that you should receive has not increased in line with your deduction.
This is a common problem, and something that causes a lot of frustration for people. If this occurs to you, then there is one primary cause for this, and that is that your standard tax deduction is higher than your itemized tax deduction (where your mortgage interest will be reflected).
Although it might not seem like it, when you apply for tax deductions, you will automatically be given the deduction that works best in your favor.
So, if your standard tax deduction is higher than your itemized tax deduction, then this is what will be deducted and refunded.
This can seem like you are missing out, simply because you are not being refunded on the mortgage interest you have paid. But, you are actually getting the better deal, and will save more money overall.
Summary
In short, you can apply for a home mortgage interest deduction on your taxes. But, this will not reduce your taxes if your standard deduction is higher than your HMID.
When you apply for a tax deduction, you will be granted the deal that saves you the most money. Even if this means that you do not receive a tax deduction on your mortgage interest.
