Updated INFO on FIRST-TIME Homebuyer Credit

2008 Housing Stimulus Legislation
First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Fact Sheet

Who is Eligible

1. The $7,500 tax credit is available for first time home buyers only.
2. The law defines a first time home buyer as a buyer who has not owned a home during the past three years.
3. All US citizens who file taxes are eligible to participate in the program.

Types of Homes that Qualify for the Tax Credit

1. All homes, whether single family, town homes or condominiums will qualify.
2. However, there are several conditions:
a. The home must be used as a principal residence, and
b. The buyer has not owned a home in the prior three years.
3. The Tax Credit includes newly constructed home.

Income Limits

1. Home buyers who file as single or head of household taxpayers can claim the full $7,500 credit if their adjusted gross income (AGI) is less that $75,000 annually.
2. For married couples filing a joint return, the income limit doubles to $150,000 annually.
3. Single or head of household taxpayers who earn between $75,000 and $95,000 are eligible to receive a partial first time home buyer tax credit.
4. Married couples filing jointly who earn between $150,000 and $170,000 annually are eligible to receive a partial first time home buyer tax credit.
5. The credit is not available for single taxpayers whose AGI is greater that $95,000 and Married couples filing jointly with an AGI that exceeds $170,000 annually.

Effective Dates for the Tax Credit

1. First time home buyers would receive a $7,500 tax credit for the purchase of any home on or after April 9, 2008 and before July 1, 2009.
2. To qualify, you must actually close on the sale of the home during this period.

Tax Credit is Refundable

1. A refundable credit means that if you pay less than $7,500 in federal income tax, then the government will write you a check for the difference.
a. For example, if you owe $5,000 in federal income tax, you would pay nothing to the IRS and the will send you the difference of $2,500.
b. If you are due to receive a $1,000 tax refund then your refund will total $8,500. ($1,000 plus the $7,500 tax credit)
2. If you purchased the home in 2008, the tax credit is taken on your 2008 tax return. If you buy in 2009, you have the option of taking the credit on your 2008 or 2009 tax return.

Payback Provisions

1. The tax credit is an interest free loan that must be repaid over 15 years.
2. The minimum repayment amount must be 15 equal annual installments. For example, if the credit amount is $7,500, then the home buyer must repay a minimum of $500 each year for 15 years.
3. A home buyer must begin repaying the credit two tax years after claiming the credit. For example, if the credit is claimed on the 2008 tax return, repayment of $500 (or less, if the credit amount is less than $7,500) per year begins with the 2010 return.
4. If the home owner sells the home for a profit and there is a remaining credit, then the home owner is required to repay the remaining credit during the tax year of the home sale. The amount of the repayment will depend upon the amount of profit from the home sale:
a. If the profit on the sale is more than the remaining credit, then the home owner must repay the entire remaining credit.
b. If the profit on the sale is less than the remaining credit, then the home owner must repay an amount equal to the profit on the home sale. The remaining credit payback will be forgiven.
5. If the home owner sells the home but did not make any profit on the home sale, then the remaining credit payback would be forgiven.

Further information regarding the tax credit may be found at

www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com or www.irs.gov

This information is provided for general awareness only, and is not intended for the purpose of providing legal, accounting, tax advice or consulting of any kind. Please consult with your tax professional for complete details.

Capital Gains on the sale of your home

Many people are familiar with IRS rules concerning capital gains on real estate but if not here is a brief refresher:

When you sell your primary residence, you are not taxed on any profits if;

• You have have actually lived in the home for two out of the last five years.


• Your gain on the sale does not exceed $250,000 as a single taxpayer or $500,000 as a married couple filing jointly.

Gains above these limits are taxed at the current rate of 15% for higher income tax payers and 5% for lower income tax payers.
In 2008 the rate will continue for higher income taxpayers; while the 5% lower income rate will drop to 0% for the 2008 tax year only. Then on January 1, 2009, the long term capital gains tax will once again be 15% and 5% through 2010.
Homeowners can use this tax free provision every two years. As set forth in the American Job Creation Act of 2004, properties converted from a 1031 exchange property into a primary residence must be held and used as a primary residence for at least five years to qualify for the tax exemption.

To determine what, if any "gain" you have you need to consult a tax specialist or go to the IRS website for publications on the subject.

First Time Homebuyer Tax Credits

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 authorizes a $7,500 tax credit for qualified first-time home buyers purchasing homes on or after April 9, 2008 and before July 1, 2009.

Basic features:

photo is of 3521 Crystal View Court, Coconut Grove...$645,000.

• The tax credit is available for first-time home buyers only.


• The maximum credit amount is $7,500.


• The credit is available for homes purchased on or after April 9, 2008 and beforeJuly 1, 2009.


• Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit.

FAQ's

1.Who is eligible to claim the $7,500 tax credit?First time home buyers purchasing any kind of home—new or resale—are eligible for the tax credit. To qualify for the tax credit, a home purchase must occur on or after April 9, 2008 and before July 1, 2009. For the purposes of the tax credit, the purchase date is the date when closing occurs.



2. What is the definition of a first-time home buyer?The law defines "first-time home buyer" as a buyer who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase. For married taxpayers, the law tests homeownership history of both the home buyer and his/her spouse. For example, if you have not owned a home in the past three years but your spouse has owned a principal residence, neither you nor your spouse qualifies for the first-time home buyer tax credit.



3. What types of homes will qualify for the tax credit?Any home purchased by an eligible first-time home buyer will qualify for the credit, provided that the home will be used as a principal residence and the buyer has not owned a home in the previous three years. This includes single-family detached homes, attached homes like townhouses, and condominiums.



4. Instead of buying a new home from a home builder, I have hired a contractor to construct a home on a lot that I already own. Do I still qualify for the tax credit?Yes. For the purposes of the home buyer tax credit, a principal residence that is constructed by the home owner is treated by the tax code as having been "purchased" on the date the owner first occupies the house. In this situation, the date of first occupancy must be on or after April 9, 2008 and before July 1, 2009.In contrast, for newly-constructed homes bought from a home builder, eligibility for the tax credit is determined by the settlement date.



5. What is "modified adjusted gross income"?Modified adjusted gross income or MAGI is defined by the IRS. To find it, a taxpayer must first determine "adjusted gross income" or AGI. AGI is total income for a year minus certain deductions (known as "adjustments" or "above-the-line deductions"), but before itemized deductions from Schedule A or personal exemptions are subtracted. On Forms 1040 and 1040A, AGI is the last number on page 1 and first number on page 2 of the form. For Form 1040-EZ, AGI appears on line 4 (as of 2007). Note that AGI includes all forms of income including wages, salaries, interest income, dividends and capital gains.To determine modified adjusted gross income (MAGI), add to AGI certain amounts such as foreign income, foreign-housing deductions, student-loan deductions, IRA-contribution deductions and deductions for higher-education costs.



6. If my modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is above the limit, do I qualify for any tax credit?Possibly. It depends on your income. Partial credits of less than $7,500 are available for some taxpayers whose MAGI exceeds the phaseout limits. The credit becomes totally unavailable for individual taxpayers with a modified adjusted gross income of more than $95,000 and for married taxpayers filing joint returns with an AGI of more than $170,000.



7. Can you give me an example of how the partial tax credit is determined?Just as an example, assume that a married couple has a modified adjusted gross income of $160,000. The applicable phaseout to qualify for the tax credit is $150,000, and the couple is $10,000 over this amount. Dividing $10,000 by $20,000 yields 0.5. When you subtract 0.5 from 1.0, the result is 0.5. To determine the amount of the partial first-time home buyer tax credit that is available to this couple, multiply $7,500 by 0.5. The result is $3,750.Here’s another example: assume that an individual home buyer has a modified adjusted gross income of $88,000. The buyer’s income exceeds $75,000 by $13,000. Dividing $13,000 by $20,000 yields 0.65. When you subtract 0.65 from 1.0, the result is 0.35. Multiplying $7,500 by 0.35 shows that the buyer is eligible for a partial tax credit of $2,625. Please remember that these examples are intended to provide a general idea of how the tax credit might be applied in different circumstances. You should always consult your tax advisor for information relating to your specific circumstances.



8. Does the credit amount differ based on tax filing status?No. The credit is in general equal to $7,500 for a qualified home purchase, whether the home buyer files taxes as a single or married taxpayer. However, if a household files their taxes as "married filing separately" (in effect, filing two returns), then the credit of $7,500 is claimed as a $3,750 credit on each of the two returns.



9. Are there any circumstances for which buyers whose incomes are at or below the $75,000 limit for singles or the $150,000 limit for married taxpayers might not be able to claim the full $7,500 tax credit?In general, the tax credit is equal to 10% of the qualified home purchase price, but the credit amount is capped or limited at $7,500. For most first-time home buyers, this means the credit will equal $7,500. For home buyers purchasing a home priced less than $75,000, the credit will equal 10% of the purchase price.



10. I heard that the tax credit is refundable. What does that mean?The fact that the credit is refundable means that the home buyer credit can be claimed even if the taxpayer has little or no federal income tax liability to offset. Typically this involves the government sending the taxpayer a check for a portion or even all of the amount of the refundable tax credit.For example, if a qualified home buyer expected, notwithstanding the tax credit, federal income tax liability of $5,000 and had tax withholding of $4,000 for the year, then without the tax credit the taxpayer would owe the IRS $1,000 on April 15th. Suppose now that taxpayer qualified for the $7,500 home buyer tax credit. As a result, the taxpayer would receive a check for $6,500 ($7,500 minus the $1,000 owed).



11. What is the difference between a tax credit and a tax deduction?A tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in what the taxpayer owes. That means that a taxpayer who owes $7,500 in income taxes and who receives a $7,500 tax credit would owe nothing to the IRS.A tax deduction is subtracted from the amount of income that is taxed. Using the same example, assume the taxpayer is in the 15 percent tax bracket and owes $7,500 in income taxes. If the taxpayer receives a $7,500 deduction, the taxpayer’s tax liability would be reduced by $1,125 (15 percent of $7,500), or lowered from $7,500 to $6,375.



12. Can I claim the tax credit if I finance the purchase of my home under a mortgage revenue bond (MRB) program?No. The tax credit cannot be combined with the MRB home buyer program.



13. I live in the District of Columbia. Can I claim both the DC first-time home buyer credit and this new credit?No. You can claim only one.



14. I am not a U.S. citizen. Can I claim the tax credit?Maybe. Anyone who is not a nonresident alien (as defined by the IRS), who has not owned a principal residence in the previous three years and who meets the income limits test may claim the tax credit for a qualified home purchase. The IRS provides a definition of "nonresident alien" in IRS Publication 519.



15. Does the credit have to be paid back to the government? If so, what are the payback provisions?Yes, the tax credit must be repaid. Home buyers will be required to repay the credit to the government, without interest, over 15 years or when they sell the house, if there is sufficient capital gain from the sale. For example, a home buyer claiming a $7,500 credit would repay the credit at $500 per year. The home owner does not have to begin making repayments on the credit until two years after the credit is claimed. So if the tax credit is claimed on the 2008 tax return, a $500 payment is not due until the 2010 tax return is filed. If the home owner sold the home, then the remaining credit amount would be due from the profit on the home sale. If there was insufficient profit, then the remaining credit payback would be forgiven.



16. Why must the money be repaid?Congress’s intent was to provide as large a financial resource as possible for home buyers in the year that they purchase a home. In addition to helping first-time home buyers, this will maximize the stimulus for the housing market and the economy, will help stabilize home prices, and will increase home sales. The repayment requirement reduces the effect on the Federal Treasury and assumes that home buyers will benefit from stabilized and, eventually, increasing future housing prices.



17. Because the money must be repaid, isn’t the first-time home buyer program really a zero-interest loan rather than a traditional tax credit?Yes. Because the tax credit must be repaid, it operates like a zero-interest loan. Assuming an interest rate of 7%, that means the home owner saves up to $4,200 in interest payments over the 15-year repayment period. Compared to $7,500 financed through a 30-year mortgage with a 7% interest rate, the home buyer tax credit saves home buyers over $8,100 in interest payments. The program is called a tax credit because it operates through the tax code and is administered by the IRS. Also like a tax credit, it provides a reduction in tax liability in the year it is claimed.



18. If I’m qualified for the tax credit and buy a home in 2009, can I apply the tax credit against my 2008 tax return?Yes. The law allows taxpayers to choose ("elect") to treat qualified home purchases in 2009 as if the purchase occurred on December 31, 2008. This means that the 2008 income limit (MAGI) applies and the election accelerates when the credit can be claimed (tax filing for 2008 returns instead of for 2009 returns). A benefit of this election is that a home buyer in 2009 will know their 2008 MAGI with certainty, thereby helping the buyer know whether the income limit will reduce their credit amount.



19. For a home purchase in 2009, can I choose whether to treat the purchase as occurring in 2008 or 2009, depending on in which year my credit amount is the largest?Yes. If the applicable income phaseout would reduce your home buyer tax credit amount in 2009 and a larger credit would be available using the 2008 MAGI amounts, then you can choose the year that yields the largest credit amount. 's





SOURCE OF DATE = COLDWELL BANKER MORTGAGE COMPANY