Reverse Mortgage Tax-Related Q&A – Ask ARLO™

Deductibility depends on so much more than we could begin to know, and therefore, not only are we forbidden by licensing law from giving tax advice, but you wouldn't want to get it from us anyway!  The tax laws are complex and encompass so many more details that include your income, other deductions, how much interest you paid, whether you're better off with the alternative minimum tax or taking a standard deduction, and who knows what else a mortgage banker may not consider that your tax professional will.  But since you just paid the loan interest when you paid it off, now is definitely the time to talk to them about it to find out what you can deduct!

Hello Rene,

Interest is typically deductible when paid, and on a reverse mortgage, that is when the loan is paid off.  Having said that, everyone's circumstances are different, and we are not accountants or licensed to give tax advice, so I can't comment on how that interest might be treated on her returns.  She should speak to a qualified tax advisor about the interest she paid on the loan, because although she accrued interest over the years, she only paid it when she paid off the loan. I don't know her tax situation, but now is definitely the time to ask her tax professional how paying the interest might affect her situation, since she just paid it last year!

We are not Carrington, nor are we affiliated with them in any way.  In fact, off the top of my head, I don't even have a contact name that I could give you to suggest you call.

A quick check online did turn up the following information, though:

The Reverse Mortgage Servicing Department can be reached by mail at PO Box 40724, Lansing, MI 48901-7924, by email at BC@reversedepartment.com, or by fax at (866) 616-2160.  Their website is: https://www.carringtonmortgage.com/contact-us​

I hate to assume anything, so I will just remind you that if you have not already done so, you may need to send them documentation showing that you have authorization to receive information about the loan, since you are not a borrower on it. I would think you supplied that to them when you paid off the loan, but if not, you may need to send them your documentation now.  I wish you the best.

Hello Dianne,

I'm sorry, but we are not licensed to provide tax advice, and our licensing laws prohibit us from doing so.  Quite honestly, you wouldn't want tax advice from mortgage bankers any more than you would want medical advice from your computer technician.  Tax consequences are something you should discuss with your tax advisor, a CPA who specializes in taxes, or a tax attorney.  We would be more than happy to help you with any questions about your reverse mortgage.  However, when it comes to the tax implications of withdrawing funds from your 401(k), especially as they relate to your specific situation, you really need to speak with a qualified tax professional.

Hello,

I cannot give legal advice, but I can tell you your attorney has this wrong.  The borrower of a reverse mortgage owns the property until one of three things happens:

• The property is sold
• Title is deeded to the lender in lieu of foreclosure
• The lender, or HUD if the loan was assigned, takes ownership through foreclosure

Until one of those occurs, the reverse mortgage company does not own the home.  It belongs to the borrower, or to the borrower's estate.  So the real questions are practical ones.  Do you want to keep the house?  Is there equity in it that you would benefit from by selling?  If you are the heir and you want to keep the home or sell it and take what is left, you can do that.  Your father's estate still owns the property.  What is needed is a legal transfer of ownership to you, which may mean probate depending on whether the home was held in a trust.  That part is a question for an attorney.

Either the estate or you, once ownership transfers, would be responsible for the property taxes and maintenance until the home sells.  You did not sign anything as an heir that obligates you personally to take on the home or its costs, and you are not personally liable for the taxes or upkeep unless you choose to keep or sell the property.  Talk to an attorney before you let anything lapse, particularly the insurance.  Here is why I say that. 

We had an heir call us who stopped paying the homeowner's insurance because he believed the lender owned the home.  A child was injured on the property, and the parents sued the estate, since the home was still titled in the deceased borrower's name.  He was caught completely off guard by the idea that liability could run through the estate even though he was not personally on the hook.  Ever since, I tell people to get an attorney's read before dropping coverage.  Taxes attach to the property, not to a person.  If you let the lender or HUD take the home, the unpaid taxes become part of the HUD claim, and there should be no additional exposure to you or the estate.  If you intend to keep the home or sell it, paying the taxes usually works in your favor because it protects any equity there.

Do not assume the bank owns the property, because it does not.  Find an attorney who actually understands reverse mortgages rather than one who is guessing at them.  Then call a local Senior Real Estate Specialist and find out what the home is worth today.  If there is equity in it, selling is likely to put far more in your pocket than walking away.  That conversation with an agent costs you nothing, and it may be worth a great deal.

Hello Lin,

I honestly cannot say for sure what is happening, but I recommend sending your servicer a copy of the returned check immediately via certified mail, along with a letter requesting a complete explanation. I wouldn’t allow this issue to go unresolved and would escalate it to the highest level of management necessary until you receive a satisfactory answer.

Hello Gloria,

I am not aware of any discount or premium associated with a reverse mortgage.  In fact, I really don’t believe the type of financing on your property will lower or raise your home's taxes or insurance.  The type of financing on the home is not one of the factors used to determine tax assessments or insurance risks.

Hello Greg,

I am sorry, but I am not sure what you are asking me.  Are you asking me about the interest a borrower earns?  Because if you are talking about the credit line growth rate, the borrower is not earning interest.  That is an increase in funds made available to the borrower, and if they ever use the funds, the borrower will owe the borrowed amount and will begin accruing interest on those funds as an outstanding obligation. 

The borrower does not accrue interest on unused portions of the outstanding line.  Funds remaining available to the borrower but not yet borrowed do not accrue interest owed.  If you are referring to the interest the borrower pays on the loan, the borrower receives a monthly statement indicating the amount of interest accrued each period. 

Borrowers have the opportunity with a reverse mortgage to pay any amount at any time but are not required to repay the loan as long as they live in the property as their primary residence and do not experience any other events that would require the lender to call the loan due and payable (i.e. fail to live in the home as their primary residence, file to pay the taxes or homeowner's insurance when due, etc.). 

I am not an accountant and cannot give you tax advice, but I do not believe you can deduct interest that accrues until you pay it.  In other words, if you allow the interest to accrue but make no interest payments, I do not believe you have anything to report to the IRS, as you did not make any interest payments, but you would need to confirm that information with your tax accountant or tax attorney. 

Hello Uyent,

You absolutely can do a reverse mortgage and keep it in the family.  How you set it up to secure yourselves and keep funds available (and how much) is entirely up to you.  Since it will not be a government-insured loan (FHA), the rules are whatever you make them.  You can leave the existing loan in place and put a second loan behind it, or you can pay off his existing loan with your funds and make the family reverse mortgage the loan in the first-lien position. 

Whether you can assume his loan with the existing lender, or whether they would call the loan due and payable if someone tried to assume it (which I suspect might be the case).  Since this is not a question about a reverse mortgage so much as a legal question about what you can and cannot do with familial financing and what steps should be taken to protect the rights of all family members who are supplying funds, I would suggest that you contact an attorney and ask them to set up the legal foundation for the loan and payback provisions. 

The attorney would be the one to advise you because any provisions, especially with changing title, could have possible property and income tax implications, and while the loan is probably a great idea if this works for all family members, you should know everything before you make any moves. 

Hello Alfonso,

The new servicer should still have copies of all your loan documents and be able to provide you with complete copies of your legal documents.  If your loan is the HUD HECM reverse mortgage, the documents are standard and may change based on when the loan was closed and HUD’s guidelines at the time, but the new lender may not change the terms after the loan has already closed. 

If you remember the title company or escrow company that handled the closing and it was not too long ago, they may still have a copy of your loan documents, but they are only required to maintain their records for 3 – 5 years, depending on what state laws stipulate.  I would try the servicer first; there should not be a problem sending you a copy.

This is one area I really dislike when people mischaracterize it as "reverse mortgage liability".  The reverse mortgage is a non-recourse loan, and you will not owe anything to the lender if you choose to walk away from the house at the end of the term. 

The IRS may not be as forgiving, though.  I always counsel heirs and borrowers to contact their tax advisor and not to tell them they will not have any tax consequences, because I cannot possibly know that.  I am not an accountant, nor do I know their tax situation. 

I heard from one heir that they had no liability even with the 1099-A because the borrower had no assets or taxable income, but I cannot say for sure that when heirs settle the estate, if there are assets and income otherwise, that there will be no taxes owed; I don't know that. 

It's not the family's liability, so if the borrower has no assets, I assume that is why the heir I spoke with was not concerned about any taxes payable, but I do not know. 

A Form 1099-A is required whenever someone abandons property against which the borrower withdrew loan funds and did not repay them (https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1099ac). 

Not being a tax professional, I do not know what steps borrowers and heirs must take to mitigate any taxes the IRS would charge in this instance, if any.  I would suggest that you contact your tax professional to obtain this information.

Hello William,

I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about the loan and what it will or will not do but when it comes to taxes or legal advice, not only do we not claim “expert” status but are required to answer by licensing law that we cannot provide tax or legal advice.  For these questions I must refer you to your financial/tax specialist.  

Hello Michelle,

Unfortunately, yes.  The IRS or any other creditors for that matter can place valid liens against you on any property on which you are an owner.  By filing a Quit Claim Deed after the date of the lien, I do not believe your lien is invalidated.  If that were the case, all property owners could simply eliminate all liens by Grant Deeding or Quit Claiming a property to another party and then selling the property before the creditor could refile the lien in any instance.

However, if the property was never really yours and always was your father’s, I would suggest that you contact an attorney to see if the property can be released from the lien.  I am not an attorney and cannot give you legal advice, but I think it is worth your time to talk to a legal expert in these matters to determine if the property can be released since it was not your property.  I don’t know what grounds those borrowers used to have the liens removed so it may be completely different and may not have any bearing as to your circumstances whatsoever, but I have seen the IRS release liens previously so it’s worth a try before you just make dad pay them.

Hi Linda,

I’m sorry I cannot give you legal or accounting advice, we are not attorneys or accountants and our licensing forbids us to act as such.  This would be a question for a qualified tax professional.  I will tell you though that you are looking at the interest incorrectly.  The interest accrues on a reverse mortgage and is not paid until the loan is repaid so the loan did not accrue 19% interest in one year. 

 The interest on the loan became due and payable when the loan was repaid but that interest was accruing for the entire life of the loan.  I honestly can’t tell you what the accounting rules would be for interest paid that accrued over the life of the loan when you repaid the balance on a house that was given to you recently.  I have no idea if this would be a deduction, or possibly an offset to the gift amount that you must claim based on the gift of the house or what.  All great things to discuss with your accountant.

Hi Chris,

I’m sorry, I can’t answer this because I am not licensed to give tax advice and my license specifically forbids that I give tax or legal advice.  However, I do not believe an accountant could even give you an accurate answer based solely on this information. 

I think you would need to be able to tell him or her how much you paid for the home, any improvements you made to the home and interest paid, etc. not just the balance on the mortgage and I am not even sure what other information they will need.  That’s why it is always best to seek out the assistance of a qualified accountant or tax attorney for this type of question. 

Hello Shane,

The property is still owned by your ex-husband.  He doesn’t have to “buy it” from anyone.  He owes whatever balance he owes on the current loan and the equity is already his.  If he wants to allow his daughter to pay that loan off with a new loan so that there is no longer a reverse mortgage on the property, then he is free to do so and they do not have to pay any more than is owed, but that would be up to him.  I have no way of knowing what that balance is currently. 

If the home appraised at $485,000 in 2011, it would depend on whether he took the full amount available to him under the reverse mortgage program, if he has a line of credit he has not fully accessed or has been receiving payments but I would highly doubt his balance is up anywhere near $500,000 at this point under any scenario starting at those numbers. 

What she would have to pay to own the home would be whatever price he wants to sell it to her.  To retire the reverse mortgage is whatever the outstanding balance is, and that amount will show on his current statement.  Those two amounts do not have to be the same number.  About the taxes, I cannot really advise you here, but I would suggest that your daughter and ex-husband consult with a tax attorney. 

I would think that there may be a way to put the property in trust with dad still on title with your daughter at this point so that there is no change in title, thereby not creating a taxable event but I cannot tell you that for sure.  A competent tax professional would be able to tell you the best way to proceed to avoid a reassessment of the property at this time if that is possible.

Hi Kelley,

I wish I could help you with this question, but this is one you really need to discuss with your accountant or tax attorney.  We are not licensed to give tax or legal advice.  I think you are best to discuss with your tax professional at any rate because I think he/she can probably help you with a strategy to specifically avoid that issue.

Hi Donna,

I am sorry to hear about your friend.  I cannot give you a straight answer to your question because there are several things the lender can do first before they would start a foreclosure.  The state has a tax lien sale it can go through to collect delinquent taxes, but the lender would not let it go that far.  If she has money still available in her line of credit, the lender can advance funds from the line of credit to pay taxes. 

In that instance, she would not be facing an immediate action.  If there are no funds remaining on her credit line, the lender may still advance funds to pay the taxes but would then call the loan due and payable and the amount of the funds they advanced would be added to the amount she owed. 

If the lender called the Note due and payable, they would give the borrower typically a time period in which to pay off the loan.  This should be about 30 days, but they also need time to get an appraisal on the property and it has been taking servicers much longer.  If the borrower does not pay off the loan after the lender obtains their appraisal and has called the Note due and payable, the lender could then begin by filing a foreclosure.  An uncontested foreclosure typically takes about 180 – 200 days from the time it is filed. 

The borrower also must be concerned with being out of the home for more than 12 months.  If she has been out for 2 months’ time, she has plenty of time to re-enter the home to meet the occupancy requirement, but she must keep the timeframe always in mind that if she stays out of the house for more than 12 months, the absence is no longer considered temporary and with a permanent absence, the lender can also call the Note due and payable. 

This could affect her even if she has money left on the line and they pay her taxes from her line of credit.  If she is still out of the home in 6 months and her return to the home begins to look doubtful, she should discuss plans with her family for disposition of the home so that a sale or refinance can be arranged before the lender pushes the issue and they are not ready.

Hi Brenda,

I am afraid I can’t help you with this as this is a question for your CPA.  This is a tax issue and may have tax implications that you need to discuss with your tax professional.  This does not affect the reverse mortgage at all but may affect you from a tax or legal standpoint.  We are not licensed to give tax or legal advice and cannot do so by law so you really should contact a licensed professional who can help you with this question to determine the ramifications of doing it either way before you complete the form.

Hello Andy,

I’m not sure I understand the question, but your reverse mortgage is a loan just like any other.  If you are concerned about possible tax implications, you really should contact a tax professional.  I think you will find that if you could write it off without a reverse mortgage you still can but you really should find out about what expenses are and are not deductible directly from your tax professional.

Without knowing what your “agreement” is, I’m at a little bit of a disadvantage here, but I think I can fill in the blanks well enough.  If I am off base in my assumptions, you may want to follow up with another question.  If your agreement is for any amount that allows for a deferral of some or all of your annual taxes, HUD does not allow such an arrangement. 

If the agreement would be for lower taxes, as in the case of a senior discount, a historic home tax reduction (i.e., Mills Act in California), or other such program that allows you to have a lower tax rate but when you do pay them you are paid in full, that is perfectly fine.

If the program you are referring to allows you to defer all or a portion of the taxes, HUD will not allow participation in the program because if you default or pass and the lender has to take the property to repay the obligation, the taxes are liens that take priority over mortgages. In other words, any amounts that borrowers deferred would now become the lender's liability and be subject to a claim submitted to HUD. 

These amounts could become quite high in areas with higher taxes.  HUD requires that borrowers keep all property charges current to obtain a reverse mortgage. Furthermore, the idea is that if a borrower is unable to pay taxes and insurance and live comfortably, even with their reverse mortgage, it is possible that the reverse mortgage is not the right loan and that borrowers should consider other alternatives.

If you are contemplating a reverse mortgage and the tax deferral is still needed or the property does not make sense for you because you still aren’t living in the home comfortably with all obligations, HUD feels that you should consider other options before you start to use your equity only to find out later that you still need to make a move but then don’t have the equity and options you once had. 

Hello Lee,

The reverse mortgage does not issue you a 1099 for interest income because it does not pay you any interest income.  There is nothing to report to the IRS or anyone else.  If you are referring to the growth in the credit line, that is not interest you earn.  The growth in the credit line is the additional borrowing power you gain over time by not using all the funds available to you right away.  It’s more like a person who has an increase in a line of credit or the credit limit on a credit card, it allows you access to more money, but you didn’t earn anything, and if you use the funds later, they are borrowed funds, and you would begin accruing interest on them as soon as you do borrow them.

Think of the line in this manner.  All borrowers represent the same credit risk based on their age, property value, or HUD lending limit, whichever is less, and the current interest rates.  If borrower “A” borrows all funds and begins accruing interest on the funds, and borrower B does not touch the line of credit for 10 years, borrower B does not accrue interest on money that was not borrowed.  To make risk equal for both borrowers, even when one borrows the money right away and one does not, HUD allows the credit line to grow by an amount equal to the interest not accruing on the outstanding balance.  Therefore, borrower A and borrower B represent the same risk because borrower A is accruing interest and borrower B has the same access to the same amount of money in the form of an increased credit line. 

Borrower B can borrow the funds later if he/she chooses, and the line of credit available will include the original line amount and all the interest he/she did not accrue in the form of credit line growth.  But since it is not “interest earned” and the borrower or the borrower’s estate will have to pay it back if they do borrow the funds (plus any interest that accrues on this amount), there is no 1099 due to the borrower and therefore none sent to the borrower, as there was no income paid to the borrower, interest or otherwise.

Hi Barry,

This is a question I really have to defer to your licensed tax specialist.  The reason I can’t give you a straight answer is because the interest you pay on a reverse mortgage is just like the interest on any other loan which is also subject to “conditions” within the tax code.  For example, your income could affect deductibility, when you actually pay the interest would come into play, the limits for deducting interest based on loan amounts and all other tax laws.

I can’t give tax advice and I don’t know your circumstances well enough to begin to try.  The reverse mortgage is a loan just like any other loan that accrues interest but most people don’t actually pay the interest until the end of the term so you do need to speak with your tax specialist to determine how the tax laws and your situation would affect your deductions.

Good Afternoon,

HUD requires that all taxes are paid current, not deferred, to obtain a reverse mortgage.  You must also continue to pay them and not defer them after you obtain a reverse mortgage or it is considered a default on the loan.

Hello Austin,

Your taxes and insurance probably won't change unless your current level of insurance is lower than required for the new loan. Otherwise, you still own the home and would still be responsible for paying the taxes and insurance.  You could look into a set aside where funds are set aside from the loan to pay these costs for you, but then the money comes from your loan proceeds so even though the lender physically makes the payment, they are doing so with your money. You don't accrue interest on the funds set aside until they actually use them to pay one of the payment and that's when they become borrowed funds.

Hello Michelle,

If you have a reverse mortgage, just as with any other loan, you still own the property and so you are responsible to pay your taxes and insurance and maintain the home in a reasonable manner.  The security agreement and legal documents are much the same in this regard as with any other type of home loan since you are not selling the house to anyone, you are only using your home as collateral for a loan.  If you decide to sell the home at any time, there is no prepayment penalty and you keep the equity in the home as well so it is to your benefit to keep the house maintained as well as the fact that it is more habitable.

Hi Beth,

No problem with the reverse mortgage at all. As for any possible tax implications, you really need to speak with a qualified tax attorney or cpa for the answer the that question.

Hello Diana,

A reverse mortgage is not income and therefore is not reported as such, the money you receive is money you are borrowing against your home.  Borrowed funds do not change your “income status”.  Many programs do have qualifications that depend on limited assets though so you need to make sure that you check with a trusted advisor to review all the requirements of your individual program to make sure that you do not inadvertently exceed all the program allowances.  For example, if your program only allows you to have a certain balance in the bank, then you could still have a reverse mortgage, but you would not want to borrow money and put it in an account that would cause your bank balances to exceed your allowance.  You would want to be careful to borrow only as needed and what you would spend before your monthly statement was prepared.  The key is to be sure you are aware of all the restrictions before you proceed.

Hi Tom,

By law and licensing rules, I cannot give you tax or legal advice.  However I can just remind you that it will probably also depend on what the $22,000 was used for.  You need to take your closing paperwork into your tax professional so that they can see what the $22,000 went toward.  He or she can tell you how much, if any, of it is tax deductible.  For instance, if you got a 0 fee loan at the time and the entire $22,000 went to paying off a portion of your old loan, I don’t think you will be able to deduct any principal reduction amounts you paid.  But only a review of your closing documents will tell your tax professional for sure what the money was used for and what can be deducted.

Hi Warren,

You need to speak to your tax attorney or cpa for tax advice. We are not licenced to give tax advice and are specifically prohibited by our license to give tax or legal advice.

When you do speak with your tax professional, be sure you use the correct verbiage though.   You said "income from a reverse mortgage..." when in fact, the proceeds are borrowed funds, not income. Just like any other loan, you are borrowing money against your home.  No one is paying you an income so they need to know you are entering into a loan transaction with a reverse mortgage. 

Hi Bob,

Your agreement to obtain the reverse mortgage is to keep the taxes and the insurance current.  If there is an issue on this requirement, you really need to speak with your servicer to determine what they can work with you and that will depend on your needs and the circumstances.

Hi Esther,

This question is not  related to the reverse mortgage but rather to the title of your home.  I know you do not want to pay for the services of an attorney, but let me just suggest that you consider looking into free legal aid or paralegal or someone just to protect your interests.  If you have a reverse mortgage, adding mom will not affect your loan.  However, if you do not file the paperwork correctly when you record your Deed, you could create a taxable event which could cost you a lot of money through the years if it causes the assessor to reassess your home when they should not.  An attorney or title professional may be able to be sure that you are not charged more in taxes year after year simply because of the transfer.

Hi Robert,

HUD does not allow borrowers to enter into a tax deferral situation if they have a reverse mortgage.  Because taxes are a lien that is senior to the mortgage, one of the agreements you have to make in order to receive a reverse mortgage is to always pay your taxes as they are due which precludes the use of a deferral.

If you are looking at a new reverse mortgage, HUD does allow you to get a LESA, a Life Expectancy Set Aside, that will set funds aside from the loan and then pay the taxes and insurance on the home for you as they become due.  There is no fee to set a LESA up and the funds are not considered borrowed until they actually send them to pay your charges so you do not accrue interest on that amount until they are used to pay your taxes or your interest.  If the funds are never used to pay your charges before you sell the home or move out for whatever reason, then they were never borrowed and do not have to be repaid so the LESA has worked well for many borrowers.

Hi Lowell,

There are proprietary or private programs that do not require mortgage insurance available by they do not work for all borrowers and they are more strict than the HUD programs (that do require the Mortgage Insurance Premiums).  I cannot give you income tax advice and you should check with your tax preparer, but I think you will be happy with the answer now regarding deductibility.

Hi Carol,

Money sent to you on the tenure option are loan draws from your line of credit, not income.  Therefore it is not money that you report to the IRS as income.  However, as always, we recommend you speak to your own CPA or tax preparer on all tax related matters.  I think you will be pleased.

Hi Abby,

Interesting question.  Firstly, one of the terms of the reverse mortgage is that the borrower is to maintain all taxes and not enter into a deferral program.  The servicer maintains a tax service contract on all homes and should have seen that the taxes were not being paid and addressed this situation prior to this time (and may have done so with notices to the borrower). 

If the heirs intend to keep the home, then the taxes would be part of the expenses they would have to consider.  After all, the borrower owns the home and if the ownership passes to an heir, the home would belong to that heir complete with all equity and payable expenses.  If they chose not to keep the property and made no effort to pay off the reverse mortgage loan, then the lender/HUD would have to foreclose on the existing loan and would incur the expense to liquidate the property.  The loan is a non-recourse loan and the lender can look only to the property for loan repayment. 

This is one of the reasons why it is so important that borrowers understand that delinquent taxes can cause them to lose their homes.  Borrowers are responsible for payment of their taxes and insurance even after the reverse mortgage and failure to do so could result in the lender calling the loan due and payable. 

Hi Patrick,

This is tough to answer without more information but if the payments the town allows are standard installments at which there are no fees or penalties and you are considered as agreed at all times, then the payments should be allowed.  If the county or town allow you to make payments but you are technically outside of the allowed methods and timeframes, then it is not allowed.  The only escrow arrangement with a reverse mortgage has to be set up before the loan is closed and that is a set aside to pay the taxes and insurance.  If you have the funds in your reverse mortgage available, possibly you can take out enough to pay one installment of the taxes and then begin to pay them for the next year in your payments which would always put you a little ahead, but always on time as well if those payments are not the as agreed payments?

Hello,

As much as I would love to tell you my understanding and interpretation of this subject, there is no doubt that would constitute tax advice and I simply cannot do so due to the fact that I am not licensed to give tax or legal advice.  However, I can very wholeheartedly suggest that you contact a tax attorney or your CPA and pose this question to him/her.  

Hi Linda,

I'm sorry, this would be information you would need to request from your accountant or trusted tax attorney.  There may be provisions and "what if's" involved and we are not licensed to give tax or legal advice.

Hi Ron,

A reverse mortgage is a loan just like any other loan.  If you pay real estate taxes, your loan does not affect your ability to claim the real estate taxes that you pay.  Interest is also deductible but there is one caveat, it is deductible when you pay it.  So if you choose not to make any payments on the loan, I would bet that your accountant will tell you that you cannot claim interest that you did not pay yet.  However, I am not licensed to give accounting advice so you really need to contact a CPA or tax professional for that consult.

We are not qualified to give tax advice but I can say that you are perfectly allowed to rent a room and that would not be any problem with the reverse mortgage loan. I would suggest you ask your tax professional what type of deductions you might be able to claim under your circumstances. 

Hello Tom,

You need to seek the advice of a tax professional. We are a mortgage lender and do not have the legal right to give personal tax advice. You may also get more specifics by contacting your servicing company and their phone number will be on your monthly statement. 

Hello Cal,

I'm sorry but this is one of a couple areas in which I can't help.  I am not licensed to give tax or legal advice and would never want to steer someone in the wrong direction.  For tax information, I would strongly suggest that you speak to your financial advisor or CPA.

Hi Ron,

It doesn't take over your existing loan but like any refinance, it pays the current mortgage in full so that the only loan remaining on the property is the reverse mortgage.  You need to speak with a qualified tax specialist as I cannot give you tax advice, but my understanding is that interest is deductible when it is paid, not accrued.  If that is the case, you still have interest that accrues but you cannot use it as a write-off until you actually pay it.

For most borrowers, this would be when they sold the home or paid off the mortgage through other means.  Some borrowers choose to make a payment of some sort on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis as a tax planning and equity retention method.  While an interim payment is not required on a reverse mortgage, you can pay whatever you like up to and including payment in full on a reverse mortgage at any time and there is never a prepayment penalty.  Borrowers are responsible to pay the taxes and insurance and maintain the home and some borrowers choose to enjoy living in the home, with just those expenses for the rest of their lives.  Some borrowers choose to make payments regularly to keep the loan balance from rising.  Some simply look at their tax situation near the end of each year with their accountant and make a lump payment only those years when they and their tax advisor feel it is advisable.  At any rate, this is something you really need to discuss with your tax professional before you obtain your reverse mortgage to make sure that it is the best solution for your situation.

Because the balance of the mortgage grows, borrowers are required to maintain the property, keep the insurance active and to pay all property taxes as they become due.  Many states do have provisions for tax deferral under certain circumstances but HECM borrowers agree to keep all taxes current when they sign their loan documents.  

There are many taxing authorities that do allow for tax deferral programs – however, there is typically a catch. In most states, if a person enters into a tax deferral arrangement with their taxing authority, then that tax deferral automatically takes a first lien position on the property. The problem with this, as it relates to a reverse mortgage, is that it violates the terms of the mortgage to have any lien on the property that supersedes or takes the place of the first-lien position held by the reverse mortgage lender.

As a result, most tax deferral programs do not qualify under the loan terms for reverse mortgages. There are two states I know of where it is acceptable for a reverse mortgage borrower to enter a tax deferral program: Oregon and Massachusetts. The reason these two states are acceptable is that they do not take a first lien on the property under their tax deferral agreements.

However, while tax deferrals are not allowed for most states, we always encourage people to look into local tax exemptions – which may help to significantly reduce your property tax obligations. I hope that this information has been helpful. Please let me know if you have any additional questions that I can assist you with.

Property taxes, absolutely. You can continue to deduct them since you still pay them just as you do with any other mortgage. Mortgage interest is a different situation. You really need to speak with a qualified accounting professional, as we cannot give tax advice. Most professionals agree that interest can be deducted when paid, not when accrued.

What this means is that if you make any payments on your loan during the year, any interest you pay is deductible at the time you make that payment. However, since reverse mortgage loans are designed so that borrowers do not have to make payments, most borrowers do not, and, under this scenario, would have no interest to deduct since none was paid.

Some borrowers who have the means to make payments but need additional write-offs meet with their accountants each November or December to determine how much they need to pay to greatly improve their tax situation. Another example of how a reverse mortgage is truly a financial tool. Learn more about reverse mortgages and tax deductions.