Where to Find Real Estate Tax for Filing Taxes with TurboTax?

The real estate tax amount should be in Box 10 of your Form 1098 - it's labeled "Other" but that's typically where property taxes paid through escrow are reported. If Box 10 is empty, check Box 11 which might have it depending on your lender's reporting method. If you can't find it on your 1098, you have other options. Go to your online mortgage account and look at your escrow statement or year-end statement - it should break down exactly how much went to property taxes. Alternatively, check your county property tax website as they'll have records of all payments made for your property. Don't skip this section in TurboTax! If you itemize deductions (instead of taking the standard deduction), property taxes are potentially a valuable deduction that can lower your tax bill significantly.

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I was really skeptical about using taxr.ai when I first saw it mentioned here, but after struggling for hours with my complicated property tax situation, I decided to give it a try. I'm honestly amazed at how well it worked! I had a seriously complex situation with a primary home and a rental property, plus I'd made some direct payments to my county for one property. The tool immediately recognized all my documents, separated my personal residence taxes from the rental property taxes, and showed me exactly where to enter everything in TurboTax. What impressed me most was how it explained which property taxes were deductible where - some on Schedule A for my personal residence and some on Schedule E for the rental. Saved me from making a mistake that might have triggered an audit. Now I'm recommending it to everyone dealing with property tax confusion!

If you're still having trouble getting clear answers from your mortgage company (which happens ALL THE TIME), I found a much faster way to get help. Use https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual human at your mortgage servicer without the endless hold times. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I spent three hours on hold with my mortgage company trying to understand my 1098 form before I discovered Claimyr. They got me connected to a mortgage specialist in under 15 minutes who explained exactly where to find my property tax information and even emailed me a detailed escrow statement I didn't know I could get. After struggling with automated systems and generic customer service reps who didn't understand tax questions, getting to speak with someone who actually knew what they were talking about made all the difference.

I have to eat my words and admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, my mortgage company sent me a completely confusing tax statement that didn't match my 1098 at all, and I was desperate for answers. I decided to try Claimyr as a last resort, fully expecting to report back here about how it failed. Instead, I was connected to a mortgage specialist in 17 minutes after previously spending over 2 hours on hold trying to reach the same department myself. The rep I spoke with immediately understood my property tax question, explained that my lender uses a different reporting period for the 1098 than the actual tax year, and emailed me a supplemental statement showing the exact real estate tax amount I needed. Problem solved in one call instead of endless frustration!

Don't forget you can also check your property tax records directly with your county! Most counties now have online portals where you can look up your property and see the exact tax amounts paid and when. Just google "[your county name] property tax records" and you should find it. This is actually more accurate than the 1098 sometimes because the 1098 reports what the mortgage company paid in that calendar year, but depending on timing, that might not match the actual tax year amounts if payments crossed calendar years. I've been doing my own taxes for 11 years and I always verify the property tax amount independently rather than trusting what's on the 1098.

Also check your closing documents if you bought the house recently! When I purchased last year, I had to reimburse the seller for prepaid property taxes at closing, and that amount was also deductible but didn't show up on my 1098 at all. TurboTax has a separate section for property taxes paid outside of your mortgage escrow. Don't miss this if you had any special situations like buying a new home, paying taxes directly, or making additional tax payments.