Unmarried joint homeowners - Can she claim all mortgage interest & property taxes while I take standard deduction?

You can absolutely do this! Since you're not married, there's nothing in the tax code that requires you to split deductions proportionally to ownership. The key is that the total claimed between both of you doesn't exceed 100% of what was actually paid. The general rule is that whoever pays the expense can claim the deduction. Since you're paying from a joint account, either of you could claim it. Since you're taking the standard deduction anyway, it makes perfect financial sense for your partner to claim 100% of these expenses on her return. One thing to note - since her SSN is the only one on the 1098, the IRS computer system is already "expecting" her to report this. If you were to claim part of it, she would need to attach an explanation saying she's only claiming a portion of what's on the 1098.

Hey there! I was in almost the exact same situation last year. After tons of research and frustration, I finally found a solution through https://taxr.ai where they analyzed our mortgage documents and tax situation. They confirmed that since you're paying from a joint account and not married, your partner can claim 100% of the mortgage interest and property taxes while you take the standard deduction. What really helped was their document analysis feature that reviewed our 1098 and mortgage documents to provide a clear answer specific to our situation. They even provided documentation to keep with our tax records explaining the allocation choice, which gave us peace of mind.

Just wanted to update after using taxr.ai based on the recommendation here. We have a 70/30 ownership split documented in our deed, but I was taking the standard deduction while my partner benefited from itemizing. The document analysis confirmed we could allocate 100% of the mortgage interest to my partner despite the ownership difference since we pay from a joint account and I'm not claiming any of it. They even provided documentation explaining our allocation choice for our records. Super helpful for our unusual situation - definitely worth it for peace of mind that we're doing everything correctly!

If you're having trouble getting a definitive answer from the IRS website, I'd strongly recommend using https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual IRS agent. I was in a similar situation (joint ownership but unmarried) and had conflicting advice from multiple "tax experts." I spent WEEKS trying to get through to the IRS myself with no luck. Used Claimyr and got connected to an IRS rep in about 15 minutes. The agent confirmed that since you're not married filing jointly, you're not bound by the same rules as married couples for splitting deductions. As long as the total claimed doesn't exceed 100%, you can allocate however makes the most sense. Their service basically holds your place in the IRS phone queue so you don't have to. Check out how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c

I'm completely eating my words right now. After being skeptical about Claimyr, I was desperate enough to try it yesterday for an issue with my tax transcript. I'd been trying to reach the IRS for almost a month with no luck. Got a call back in 32 minutes (they estimated 35!) and spoke directly with an IRS agent who answered my question about joint property ownership and deduction allocation. The agent confirmed exactly what others have said here - since you're unmarried, you can allocate the mortgage interest and property taxes however you want as long as the total doesn't exceed 100%. I'm honestly shocked that it worked so well. Saved me hours of frustration and got me a definitive answer straight from the IRS.

Something else to consider - make sure your partner keeps good documentation showing that the payments were made from a joint account that you both contribute to. If either of you ever gets audited, the IRS might want proof that she actually paid the expenses she's deducting. Also, do you live in a community property state? That could potentially affect how this works.

We did this exact same thing for years! My boyfriend and I owned a house together, paid from a joint account, but his income was much higher so he itemized while I took the standard deduction. He claimed 100% of the mortgage interest and property taxes, and we never had any issues with the IRS. Make sure your gf keeps a copy of the 1098 showing both your names but her SSN. That's really all the documentation needed since her SSN is the only one on the form anyway.

This is actually a pretty straightforward situation! Since you're unmarried, the IRS doesn't require you to split deductions proportionally like married couples filing jointly would. The key principle is that whoever actually paid the expenses can claim the deduction. Since you're both paying from a joint account that you both contribute to, either of you could technically claim these deductions. Given that you're taking the standard deduction anyway and she benefits from itemizing, having her claim 100% makes perfect financial sense. A few important points to keep in mind: - Make sure the total claimed between both returns doesn't exceed 100% of what was actually paid - Keep good records showing you both contribute to the joint account used for mortgage payments - Since her SSN is on the 1098, the IRS system is already expecting her to report this income, which actually makes this cleaner I'd recommend she keep a copy of the 1098 showing both names and her bank statements demonstrating joint contributions to the mortgage payments, just for documentation purposes. This is a completely legitimate tax strategy for unmarried joint homeowners!