Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty Bob Cowan

SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES - When it comes to rental properties, landlords have it relatively easier as opposed to tenants. Why so? Other than the passive income rolling into their accounts, they also get tons of opportunities to get tax reductions and breaks on their income.

However, this concept isn’t very famous for tenants. With already enough chores and responsibilities on their plates, tenants, too, at times require tax breaks. So, how does one go about it without causing any trouble in the meanwhile? This brief guide elaborates all the legal and safe ways renters can get tax breaks on their rents to give their bank accounts some breathing space.

Understanding tax breaks for tenants

With renting a house, landlords often achieve tax breaks quickly; but it is not the case with the tenants. Often people believe that they cannot attain any tax break on rent payments that go out monthly. But here’s the good news. Tenants do get some wiggle space as well.

For people who remember to pay off their property taxes in time and correctly, as stated in the rules of the lease agreement, there are certain deductibles applied on the federal tax as well. Other instances that include theft, fire, or accidents can also offer a few deductions here and there.

Learn more about tax deductions by looking at the rules set out by the state, as they sometimes vary from one state to the other.

How to get tax deductions?

Land some renter’s credit or tax breaks legitimately using these methods:

1. Home office reductions

Individuals conducting their business from home they have rented can likely get deductions for any expenses they face because of working from home. These are reduced from state taxes and federal taxes as well. However, hold on! The scheme for home office tax reduction is a tad bit complicated. There are certain elements to take into consideration. When opting for the home office tax reductions system, it is required to measure and check the exact square footage of the area.

Now, once done, it is possible to reduce the rent money shown by a part of the house. Moreover, other utility payments such as gas, water, heating, power, etc., can also be included.

2. Subletting reductions

Subletting is when one renter/tenant decides to rent off a particular part of their house, whether the attic, basement, or another room. However, more than often, it is crucial to get permission from the landlord for subletting, and it must be stated in the lease agreement.

This is a great way to get some passive income flowing when living in a hand-to-mouth situation. Renters often decide to go ahead with subletting for short or long-term durations to cover their expenses. However, there is one catch. When subletting the apartment or house, it will be mandatory to report any and all of the earnings through the rental income. This will be reported on the tax returns. But the fun part is that it comes with liabilities of rental expenses too! In case of sharing an apartment with three other people to whom the property is sublet, all the common areas the four people use, minus the bedrooms, can be used for tax break purposes. Apply for tax reduction for housing expenses, including rent, utility bills, renter’s insurance, and more!

3. State offered reductions

A home equity loan is a better choice when:

Many states offer renter’s credit and reductions to their residents. In some regions, all that needs to be done is tap pay the rent correctly to benefit from tax credit right on the income tax return. Although this sounds like a perfect deal, there are not many regions offering this. But don’t be dejected. If not this one, then there’s room for others. Some states have other tax break options available for tenants. For each of these states offered reductions, there are some limitations stats have to be considered. For example, one restriction is that one cannot go over a certain income threshold according to the filing status.

There are some other restrictions as well. For instance, there can be some restrictions depending upon the size of the household and the time spent in the house. Check with the local associations for tenants or get in touch with a tax professional to figure out all the details.

4. Renter’s credit reduction type

What is renters’ credit, and how to benefit from it? To put it simply, renters’ credit is a benefit offered by certain regions and states to their residents. This renter’s tax credit is a sum of money or any general amount that the state officials have decided to the part of the rent that the homeowner or landlord gets to gather so that property taxes are paid.

As mentioned earlier, this is not a facility offered by all states. New Jersey, for instance, gives its resident renters the ability to ask for a credit depending on the part of their rent which is used to pay certain taxes related to the property by the landlord. However, there are certain restrictions to keep in mind here as well. While that was the case for tenants in New Jersey, those living in Maryland have it differently. The renters of Maryland-based properties have the chance to avail of around $750 maximum in the form of tax credits. This is, of course, dependent upon their tax filing status and their income.

5. Other refunds and reductions

The last option to avail tax breaks on the rent is through reductions. However, it is important to keep in mind this type of rental tax break is also applicable in some states. To ensure opting for the right option, check with the local authorities.

In Minnesota, tenants who are single renters have the options to file for a renter’s refund. This, of course, comes with some limitations. These individuals must have an income of around $53,540 and dependents in the house with $75,440. Once the state checks that all the said requirements have been met, the refund is issued to the major taxpayer of the home.

Similarly, there is some wiggle space for individuals living in Indiana as well. The people who do not reside in non-profit-owned or government-bases houses can benefit from a tax reduction of up to $3,000, which applies to the rent. This will be deducted from their state income taxes.

While tax breaks and deductions for homeowners are famously known, there are very few options that renters can benefit from. This brief guide outlines all the successful and legitimate ways of deductions on the tax paid on rent. However, do keep in mind that many of these are offered by the state, and the limitations and options available may differ from one state to the next.

 

Gupta Group

Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty

Author:	Noah Manuel - Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty

Rent	Taxes
Home buying	San Clemente