Mortgage Insurance Premium

[rlennon]

My client refinanced his personal residence mortgage in 2019.  As part of the refi loan costs, he was required to purchase Mortgage Insurance.  The one-time premium was $5,066.00.  This did not appear on his 1098, only in the closing papers.  Can I declare this on Schedule A?  And if so, can I declare the entire amount, or do I have to spread it out over the length of the loan?

[TaxGuyBill · Accepted solution]

Publication 936:

Special rules for prepaid mortgage insurance.

 

Generally, if you paid premiums for qualified mortgage insurance that are properly allocable to periods after the close of the tax year, such premiums are treated as paid in the period to which they are allocated. You must allocate the premiums over the shorter of the stated term of the mortgage or 84 months, beginning with the month the insurance was obtained. No deduction is allowed for the unamortized balance if the mortgage is satisfied before its term. This paragraph does not apply to qualified mortgage insurance provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Rural Housing Service.

Example.

Ryan purchased a home in May of 2019 and financed the home with a 15-year mortgage. Ryan also prepaid all of the $9,240 in private mortgage insurance required at the time of closing in May. Since the $9,240 in private mortgage insurance is allocable to periods after 2019, Ryan must allocate the $9,240 over the shorter of the life of the mortgage or 84 months. Ryan's adjusted gross income (AGI) for 2019 is $76,000. Ryan can deduct $880 ($9,240 ÷ 84 x 8 months) for qualified mortgage insurance premiums in 2019. For 2020, Ryan can deduct $1,320 ($9,240 ÷ 84 x 12 months) if his AGI is $100,000 or less.

In this example, the mortgage insurance premiums are allocated over 84 months, which is shorter than the life of the mortgage of 15 years (180 months).