Discharge of Qualified Principal Residence Indebtedness
The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 extended the exclusion from gross income for the discharge of qualified principal residence indebtedness by an additional 3 years. The exclusion now applies to debt discharged after 2006 and before 2013.
First-Time Homebuyer Credit
First-Time Homebuyer Credit Extended to April 30, 2010; Some Current Homeowners Now Also Qualify:
WASHINGTON — A new law that went into effect Nov. 6 extends the first-time homebuyer credit five months and expands the eligibility requirements for purchasers.
The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 extends the deadline for qualifying home purchases from Nov. 30, 2009, to April 30, 2010. Additionally, if a buyer enters into a binding contract by April 30, 2010, the buyer has until June 30, 2010, to settle on the purchase.
The maximum credit amount remains at $8,000 for a first-time homebuyer –– that is, a buyer who has not owned a primary residence during the three years up to the date of purchase.
But the new law also provides a “long-time resident” credit of up to $6,500 to others who do not qualify as “first-time homebuyers.” To qualify this way, a buyer must have owned and used the same home as a principal or primary residence for at least five consecutive years of the eight-year period ending on the date of purchase of a new home as a primary residence.
For all qualifying purchases in 2010, taxpayers have the option of claiming the credit on either their 2009 or 2010 tax returns.
A new version of Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyer Credit, will be available around late December, 2009. A taxpayer who purchases a home after Nov. 6 must use this new version of the form to claim the credit. Likewise, taxpayers claiming the credit on their 2009 returns, no matter when the house was purchased, must also use the new version of Form 5405. Taxpayers who claim the credit on their 2009 tax return will not be able to file electronically but instead will need to file a paper return.
A taxpayer who purchased a home on or before Nov. 6 and chooses to claim the credit on an original or amended 2008 return may continue to use the 2008 Form 5405.
Income Limits Rise
The new law raises the income limits for people who purchase homes after Nov. 6. The full credit will be available to taxpayers with modified adjusted gross incomes (MAGI) up to $125,000, or $225,000 for joint filers. Those with MAGI between $125,000 and $145,000, or $225,000 and $245,000 for joint filers, are eligible for a reduced credit. Those with higher incomes do not qualify.
For homes purchased prior to Nov. 7, 2009, existing MAGI limits remain in place. The full credit is available to taxpayers with MAGI up to $75,000, or $150,000 for joint filers. Those with MAGI between $75,000 and $95,000, or $150,000 and $170,000 for joint filers, are eligible for a reduced credit. Those with higher incomes do not qualify.
New Requirements
Several new restrictions on purchases that occur after Nov. 6 go into effect with the new law:
- Dependents are not eligible to claim the credit.
- No credit is available if the purchase price of a home is more than $800,000.
- A purchaser must be at least 18 years of age on the date of purchase.
For Members of the Military
Members of the Armed Forces and certain federal employees serving outside the U.S. have an extra year to buy a principal residence in the U.S. and still qualify for the credit. An eligible taxpayer must buy or enter into a binding contract to buy a home by April 30, 2011, and settle on the purchase by June 30, 2011.
Sale of Main Home
Gain from the sale or exchange of the main home is no longer excludable from income if allocable to periods of nonqualified use.
Generally, nonqualified use means any period after 2008 where neither you nor your spouse (or your former spouse) used the property as a main home (with certain exceptions).
A period of nonqualified use does not include:
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Any portion of the 5-year period ending on the date of the sale or exchange that is after the last date you (or your spouse) use the property as a main home;
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Any period (not to exceed an aggregate period of 10 years) during which you or your spouse is serving on qualified official extended duty:
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As a member of the uniformed services,
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As a member of the Foreign Service of the United States, or
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As an employee of the intelligence community; and
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Any other period of temporary absence (not to exceed an aggregate period of 2 years) due to change of employment, health conditions, or such other unforeseen circumstances as may be specified by the IRS.
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To figure the portion of the gain that is allocated to the period of nonqualified use, multiply the gain by the following fraction:
total nonqualified use during period of ownership after 2008
total period of ownership