Tuesday, December 29, 2015

cmllp.com

The countdown has begun until the end of 2015, but there are a couple of things going on with regard to your mortgage. The most important of these for Indiana residents if you purchased a home or refinanced a home in 2015 is to call your county auditor's office and check to be sure that any new property tax exemptions that need to be filed by December 31st are recorded. If you refinanced, the homestead will still be in place, but there is also a mortgage exemption that has to be recorded if you changed lenders.
The second thing you want to be looking for (actually at some point in January) is the 1099 form for the interest paid on your mortgage loan. When you get it put it in your tax prep file so you can be sure to take advantage of the tax deduction.
Similarly, if you paid points on a purchase or refinance or any pre-paid interest, you will want to dig out your closing statement. These items are tax deductible as well. There may be some other fees that you are allowed to deduct but I will defer to any accountants in the crowd for that advice.
The third item you will want to keep an eye open for is your escrow account reconciliation. Typically most lenders reconcile escrow accounts towards the end of the year. This will tell you when your home owner's insurance, mortgage insurance, and property taxes are paid out. In the case of mortgage insurance you will need the total paid out, because in 2015 a portion of your mortgage insurance may be tax deductible as well as the interest you paid on your loan.
And here you thought you were done with the paper work required for buying a house. True, there is more to do towards the end of the year, but it will pay for itself in tax savings.