Can I get a tax break if I sold a home for $265 and after payoffs of debts and paid cash purchase of a new home leaving me with a balance of a little less that 10 K?

Question

Is it worth itemizing on my tax return for any tax breaks being left with only $10 K that I used for travel expenses, building a shed, painting decks in our new home and living on while seeking new employment in a new area?

xmasbaby0 · Answer

Thu purchase of a new home is irrelevant.

SALE OF HOUSE

If your gain was more than $250,000 filing Single, or more than $500,000 filing Married Filing Jointly the sale must be reported on your tax return. Whether you re-invested the gain in to another house is irrelevant. If you have a Form 1099-S go to Federal>Wages and Income>Less Common Income>Sale of Home (gain or loss)

If you owned and lived in the home as your primary residence for at least 2 of the last 5 years on the date of the sale, you do not have to report the home sale if the gain is less than $250K filing Single, or less than $500K filing Married Filing Jointly (and you both owned and lived in the home for at least 2 years).

If you are using online TT, you need Premium software to report the 1099-S

TO ENTER THE SALE OF YOUR PRIMARY HOME

Start with Federal
Click on Wages and Income
Select Choose what I work on
Scroll down to Less Common Income
On Sale of Home (gain or loss),
Click the start or update button

NOTE: If you have ever used the home as rental property or claimed a home office, you have more information to enter

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/homeowner-tax-credits-deductions/selling-home-affect-taxes/L3I66YR0u_US_en_US?uid=m6cuq5qg

Selling expenses:

Commissions

Appraisal fees

Legal fees

Advertising fees

Home inspections reports

Title insurance

Transfer tax or fees

Geological surveys

Loan origination points paid on behalf of buyer

NOT selling expenses

Mortgage or HELOC payoffs

Rent back costs

Payoffs to creditors

Property tax

HOA fees

For the home that you purchased

There is not a first time home buyers credit on a Federal return. That ended in 2010. If your state has such as credit, you will be able to enter it when you prepare your state return.

Buying a home is not a guarantee of a big refund. Your deductions for homeownership combined with your other deductions (if any) must exceed your standard deduction to change your tax due or refund. If you purchased your home late in the year, you do not even have a full year of home ownership deductions.

Your closing costs on your new home are not deductible except for prepaid interest, prepaid property tax or loan origination fees. There are no deductions for appraisal, inspections, title searches, settlement fees. etc.

Your down payment is not deductible.

Your homeowners insurance for fire, hazard, flood, etc. is not deductible for your own home.

Home improvements, repairs, maintenance, etc. for your own home are not deductible. (With possible exceptions for certain energy credits) (BUT——do make sure you keep careful written records/invoices, etc. of any improvements you make to the home for someday when you sell it.)

Homeowners Association (HOA) fees for your own home are not deductible.

Go to Federal> Deductions and Credits> Your Home to enter mortgage interest, property taxes, and mortgage insurance that you paid in 2024 You should have a 1098 from your mortgage lender that shows this information. Lenders send these in January/early February or you may be able to import the 1098 from the lender’s website.

Your itemized deductions have to be more than your standard deduction before you will see a change in your tax owed or tax refund. The deductions you enter do not necessarily count “dollar for dollar;” many of them are subject to meeting tough thresholds—medical expenses, for example, must meet a threshold that is pretty hard to reach. The software program uses all the IRS rules that apply to the expenses you enter, and it tells you if you have enough to use your itemized deductions or if using the standard deduction is more advantageous for you. Under the new tax laws, some deductions have been capped—there is a $10,000 limit to the itemized deductions for state, local, property and sales taxes.

2024 STANDARD DEDUCTION AMOUNTS

SINGLE $14,600 (65 or older/legally blind + $1950)

MARRIED FILING SEPARATELY $14,600 (65 or older/legally blind + $1550)

MARRIED FILING JOINTLY $29,200 (65 or older/legally blind + $1550)

HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD $21,900 (65 or older/legally blind + $1950)