Should both our names be on deed and mortgage for us to split interest deduction when I got 1098 and made payments from my account?

I need some tax help! My boyfriend and I bought a house together last year and both our names are on the deed and mortgage, but I'm the one who got the 1098 form in the mail and all the mortgage payments are coming out of my personal checking account. He transfers his half of the payment to me each month, but I'm the one actually paying the mortgage company. When we're filing our taxes this year, can we each claim half of the mortgage interest deduction on our separate returns? Or since the 1098 has my name on it and the payments come from my account, am I the only one who can claim the deduction? We're not married so we can't file jointly, but we both want to benefit from the tax advantages of homeownership since we're both on the hook for the mortgage. We're talking about a pretty significant amount ($14,800 in interest for the year) so splitting it would really help both our tax situations. I've heard different things from friends - some say we can split it, others say only the person who received the 1098 can claim it. What's the right answer here?

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18 comments

Honorah King

•8M

Great question about mortgage interest deduction! Since both you and your boyfriend are legal owners of the home (both names on deed and mortgage), you both have the right to deduct the mortgage interest - even though the 1098 was issued in your name only. The IRS recognizes that co-owners can split qualified deductions based on their financial interest in the property. The key here is that your boyfriend is actually paying his share. Since he's transferring his half of the payment to you and you're then making the full payment, that's perfectly legitimate for tax purposes. You would each claim your proportionate share of the interest (sounds like 50/50 in your case) on your separate tax returns. Just make sure you keep good records of those transfers from him to your account as evidence that he's actually paying his portion. You might also want to include a note with your tax returns explaining that you're each claiming half of the interest shown on the 1098 that was issued in your name alone.

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Honorah King

•8M

For a joint account situation, that works perfectly fine! As long as you both contribute to the joint account and the mortgage is paid from there, the IRS would consider that as both of you paying your share. Just keep records showing you both contribute equally to that account. If your contributions aren't equal but you want to split the deduction 50/50, you'd need to document why that split is fair (perhaps one person pays more household expenses while the other focuses on the mortgage). The key is having documentation that shows the economic reality of your housing arrangement.

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Mary Bates

•8M

I was in this exact situation last year and found the perfect solution through https://taxr.ai - it literally saved me hours of stress! After uploading my 1098 and some basic info about my co-ownership situation, it gave me specific guidance on how to properly split our mortgage interest deduction. The system confirmed we could each claim our proportionate share and even provided specific wording to include with our returns explaining why we were each claiming a portion of the interest despite the 1098 being in just my name. It also generated documentation showing our cost-sharing arrangement that satisfied potential IRS questions. What I really appreciated was how it analyzed my specific payment arrangement (I also had my partner transferring money to me) and confirmed it qualified as a legitimate cost-sharing arrangement for tax purposes.

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Mary Bates

•8M

They use a combination of AI and tax specialists who review complex situations. I initially had the same concern, but their explanations referenced specific IRS rules and tax court cases that backed up their advice. It's definitely not just guessing. The IRS doesn't automatically reject deductions when the 1098 is in one name but claimed by co-owners. They actually expect this in co-ownership situations. The key is providing proper documentation showing the economic reality of who's paying what. The system helped me create exactly that kind of documentation.

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Ayla Kumar

•8M

Just wanted to provide an update - I ended up trying taxr.ai after my skeptical comment and I'm genuinely impressed! The system immediately identified the correct IRS regulations that apply to co-owned property interest deductions and provided clear guidance. It walked me through creating a simple but thorough "mortgage interest sharing agreement" documenting our payment arrangement and ownership percentages. I was able to print this document and attach it to both our returns. They also provided specific instructions for how we should each report the deduction on our Schedule A forms. Filing went smoothly - we both claimed our portions of the interest and both returns were accepted without issues. It took about 15 minutes to get everything sorted out properly. Just wanted to share since this thread helped me!

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Lorenzo McCormick

•8M

If you're still having trouble sorting this out, I'd suggest calling the IRS directly to get a definitive answer. I tried for TWO DAYS last tax season to get through about a similar mortgage question and kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally used https://claimyr.com and got connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. I was super skeptical at first but it actually worked. The agent I spoke with confirmed that co-owners can split mortgage interest deductions proportionate to what they each pay, regardless of whose name is on the 1098. The agent also said to keep documentation showing the payment arrangement (bank transfers, etc.) and suggested attaching a brief explanation to both tax returns. This service saved me days of frustration and gave me confidence that my deduction wouldn't trigger an audit.

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Lorenzo McCormick

•8M

It's actually using a completely legitimate method that's available to businesses. They use a business verification line that has shorter wait times, then transfer you once they have an agent. It's all above board and the IRS is aware of the service. The service doesn't do anything illegal or improper - they're just using established channels more efficiently. It's similar to how some tax professionals have dedicated IRS contact numbers. And to be clear, you're not paying to talk to the IRS (which would be problematic) - you're paying for the connection service.

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Kai Santiago

•8M

I need to admit I was completely wrong in my skeptical reply. After waiting on hold for 3+ hours with the IRS yesterday and getting disconnected TWICE, I reluctantly tried Claimyr. Within 17 minutes I was talking to an actual IRS representative who answered my mortgage interest question clearly. The agent confirmed exactly what others have said here - my partner and I can split the mortgage interest deduction based on our economic contribution regardless of whose name is on the 1098. She suggested we each attach a brief statement to our returns explaining the situation. Having an actual IRS employee confirm this gave me total peace of mind about our filing approach. I've spent hours in previous years trying to get through to the IRS, so paying for this service was absolutely worth it for the time saved and stress reduction.

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Lim Wong

•8M

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - make sure you're actually itemizing your deductions before worrying about this! With the standard deduction being $13,850 for single filers (for 2023 tax year), you'd need the mortgage interest plus other itemized deductions (state taxes, charitable giving, etc.) to exceed that amount for this to even matter. If both you and your boyfriend have limited other deductions, it might make sense for one of you to claim ALL the mortgage interest to push that person over the standard deduction threshold, while the other person just takes the standard deduction. Run the numbers both ways!

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Lim Wong

•8M

Exactly! Tax optimization is about looking at your complete situation, not just following generic rules. If one partner has significant charitable contributions or state/local taxes while the other doesn't, concentrating the mortgage interest with that person can create much bigger combined savings. Just make sure to document your agreement in writing. A simple signed statement explaining that one partner is claiming 100% of the deduction despite shared ownership, with both signatures, should be sufficient documentation. Keep copies with both tax records.

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