Can I be held responsible for rental income from a house in my name that I don't control?

This situation is definitely concerning, but you can sort it out. If the property is legally in your name (as in you're on the deed/title), then the rental income should technically be reported on your tax return, not your mother's. The IRS considers income taxable to whoever legally owns the property generating that income. You should first verify ownership by checking county property records - this is usually available online through your county assessor or recorder's office. Get a copy of the deed to confirm if your name is actually on it. If you confirm the property is in your name, you should review whether your mother has been reporting this income on her taxes. If she has been, there's a discrepancy between legal ownership and tax reporting that needs to be addressed. If neither of you has been reporting it, that could potentially create tax liability for you.

I was in a really similar situation last year and discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which helped me sort through all the documentation. My dad had put a vacation property in my name without telling me, and I needed to figure out if I was liable for years of unreported rental income. The tool analyzed my situation and the property documents, then gave me a clear explanation of my tax obligations. They have this feature where you can upload property documents and tax records, and it identifies discrepancies between legal ownership and reported income. It saved me from having to piece everything together manually from different sources.

Ok I was super skeptical about taxr.ai but I decided to try it because my situation was getting complicated. My aunt had transferred a duplex to my name years ago without my knowledge and kept collecting rent. I was worried about getting hit with a huge tax bill. The system actually found documents I didn't even know existed showing when the property was transferred to me and identified exactly which tax years were problematic. It even created a summary report I could take to an accountant that saved me hours of trying to explain everything. Ended up saving me around $4,800 in potential penalties because we caught it before the IRS did! Sometimes the internet actually delivers something useful lol.

Not directly related to the ownership issue, but if you need to contact the IRS about this situation (which you probably will), use Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to actually get through to a human. I spent days trying to reach someone at the IRS about a similar ownership mess with my brother's property. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they navigate the IRS phone system for you and call you back when they have an agent on the line. I was certain it wouldn't work but was desperate after being hung up on by the automated system five times.

I hate admitting when I'm wrong but that Claimyr service actually works. After my skeptical comment I decided to try it because I was desperate to talk to the IRS about some property my parents had transferred to me without my knowledge. I couldn't afford to wait 2+ hours on hold every day. It got me through to an IRS rep in about 30 minutes! The rep was able to confirm exactly which years I needed to address and gave me the correct forms to submit. Saved me so much time and stress - definitely worth it. Now I'm telling everyone about it because the IRS phone situation is just ridiculous these days.

This happens more than you'd think! I'm a property manager and see this all the time with family properties. You need to file Form 8275 "Disclosure Statement" with your tax return to disclose this situation to the IRS. This will help protect you from penalties if the rental income hasn't been properly reported. Also get a Quitclaim deed to transfer the property back to your mom or to sell it - having property in your name that you don't control is a liability nightmare.

Honestly your mom committed tax fraud if she's been collecting rent on property in your name but reporting it as her income. You should check your credit report too because sometimes people who put properties in others' names also take out loans. Document everything and consider consulting with a tax attorney before taking any action - you don't want to accidentally implicate yourself in tax evasion.