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The First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit : Use It By December 1, 2009 Or Lose It

By
Real Estate Agent with Realty ONE Group Calif BRE # 00581357

The First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Expires December 1 2009The government's First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit expires December 1, 2009. 

If you expect to use the program in conjunction with a home purchase, therefore, you may want to consider yourself officially "on the clock". 

Assuming a 60-day window between contract and closing, there are now 77 days left to find a home and go under contract for it.

The First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit refunds up to $8,000 at Tax Time for qualified home buyers.  A few of the program's qualification criteria include:

  • Home buyer must not have owned a primary residence in the past 36 months
  • The home may not be purchased from a family member
  • The household adjusted gross income must be below $95,000 for single tax filers and $170,000 for joint tax filers

The tax credit itself is limited to $8,000 or 10% of the purchase price, whichever is less. 

Remember, though: The refund is a true tax credit -- not a deduction.  This means that a taxpayer owing $8,000 to the IRS and claiming the $8,000 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit would owe the IRS nothing on April 15, 2010.

The complete list of qualifying criteria is posted on the IRS website.

Harrison K. Long
HomeSmart, Evergreen Realty - Irvine, CA
REALTOR , GRI, Broker associate, Attorney

Bob ... Love your graphic at this blog article, and thanks for your good content also.

I believe that the IRS form to download and use is 5405 on the Obama "First Time Homebuyer Credit" and that buyer has option of claiming the credit on 2008 return or 2009 return.  This is a fully refundable credit.  Form 5405 is to be filed with form 1040X Amended US Individual Tax Return for 2008.  Taxpayer will see credit ends up on line 15 of form 1040X, which reads "refundable credit only" and references form 5405. 

Even if taxpayer did not pay in $8,000 in taxes, he or she can get the amount of his tax credit back according to this law as a refund if all the other requirements are met. 

After getting this figured out better, I intend to write another blog article on the subject. Thanks again.

Jul 22, 2009 11:59 AM
Bob Phillips
Realty ONE Group - Coto de Caza, CA
CDPE, SFR, South Orange Co., CA

Thanks for reading, Harrison - I'll look forward to your blog.

Jul 22, 2009 02:01 PM