如果你今年想卖掉你的房子, then it may be time to take a closer look at the exclusion rules and cost basis of your home to reduce your taxable gain on the sale of a home.
The IRS home sale exclusion rule allows an exclusion of gain up to $250,每名纳税人000美元或500美元,已婚夫妇共同申请. This exclusion can be used over and over during your lifetime (but not more frequently than every 24 months), 只要满足一定的所有权和使用测试.
During the 5-year period ending on the date of the sale, you must have:
- Owned the house for at least two years – Ownership Test
- Lived in the house as your main home for at least two years – Use Test
- During the 2-year period ending on the date of the sale, you did not exclude gain from the sale of another home.
所有权和使用期不必同时进行. Two years may consist of a full 24 months or 730 days within a 5-year period. Short absences, such as for a summer vacation, count in the period of use. 较长的假期，如1年的公休，则不适用.
If you own more than one home, you can exclude the gain 只有 on your primary home. The IRS uses several factors to determine which home is a principal residence: the place of employment, 家庭成员主要住所的位置, 帐单上的邮寄地址, 对应, 纳税申报表, 驾照, 车辆登记, 选民登记, 您使用的银行的位置, and location of recreational clubs and religious organizations you belong to.
如前所述, the exclusion can be used repeatedly every time you reestablish your primary residence.
Only taxable gain on the sale of your home needs to be reported on your taxes. Further, you cannot deduct the loss on the sale of your main home.
改进增加了成本基础
Additionally, consider all improvements made to the home over the years when selling your home. Improvements will increase the cost basis of the home, thereby reducing the capital gain.
Additions and other improvements that have a useful life of more than one year can also be added to the cost basis of your home.
Examples of improvements include the following: building an addition; finishing a basement; putting in a new fence or swimming pool; paving the driveway; landscaping; or installing new wiring, 新的管道, 中央空调, 地板, 绝缘, 或者安全系统.
Jack and Mary Kelly purchased their primary residence in 2012 for $200,000. 他们铺好了未铺好的车道, 增加了一个游泳池, and made several other home improvements adding up to a total of $75,000. 房屋调整后的成本基础现在是275 000美元. 2021年，这栋房子将以55万美元的价格出售. It costs them $40,000 in commissions, advertising, and legal fees to sell the house.
These selling expenses are subtracted from the sales price to determine the amount realized. 本例中实现的金额为51万美元. That amount is then reduced by the adjusted basis (cost plus improvements) to determine the gain. 在这种情况下，收益是23.5万美元. 在考虑排除之后, there is no taxable gain on the sale of this primary residence and, 因此, no reporting of the sale on their 2021 personal tax return.
住宅节能物业信贷
This tax credit helps individual taxpayers pay for qualified residential alternative energy equipment, 比如太阳能热水器, 太阳能发电设备, 风力涡轮机, 还有太阳能屋顶瓦片, and solar roofing shingles that serve as solar electric collectors, while also performing the function of traditional roofing. In the case of property placed in service after December 31, 2019, 及在一月一日之前, 2023, 信贷是26%. 12月31日以后投入使用的财产, 2022, 及在一月一日之前, 2024, 信贷是22%. There is no cap on the amount of credit available, except for fuel cell property.
一般, you may include labor costs when figuring the credit, and you can carry forward any unused portions of this credit. Qualifying equipment must have been installed on or in connection with your home located in the United States; fuel cell property qualifies 只有 when installed on or in connection with your main home located in the United States.
并非所有节能改进都符合要求, so be sure you have the manufacturer’s tax credit certification statement, which can usually be found on the manufacturer’s website or with the product packaging.
排除规则的部分使用
即使您不符合所有权和使用测试, you may be allowed to exclude a portion of the gain realized on the sale of your home if you sold your home because of health reasons, 更换工作地点, 或者某些不可预见的情况. 不可预见的情况包括, 例如, 离婚或法定分居, natural or man-made disasters resulting in a casualty to your home, 或者是不自觉地改造你的房子.
保留记录
Good recordkeeping is essential for determining the adjusted cost basis of your home. Ordinarily, you must keep records for three years after the filing due date. However, you should keep documents proving your home’s cost basis for as long as you own your house.
你应保存的记录包括:
- Proof of the home’s purchase price and purchase expenses
- 所有改进的收据和其他记录, 添加, and other items that affect the home’s adjusted cost basis
- Any worksheets or forms you filed to postpone the gain from the sale of a previous home before May 7, 1997
