Anybody who's been sitting on the sidelines hesitant to jump into real estate until conditions settle down should know these dates: April 9, 2008, through June 30, 2009.
They mark the eligibility time span to qualify for the home purchase tax credit created by the massive housing bill approved by Congress. If you have not owned a house during the past three years - or are considering buying your first home - and can go to closing before the end of next June, you may be eligible for up to a $7,500 credit against your federal taxes for 2008 or 2009 ($3,750 if you file taxes as a single person).
The new credit is expected to benefit hundreds of thousands of buyers, although Congress set no limit on how many people can qualify. Because the specifics of the credit changed during the past month as the Senate and House negotiated a final compromise, here's a quick overview of the credit in its final form.
FOR THE RECORD
CORRECTION: In a recent column about a home-purchase tax credit created by the new housing bill, I said that if you have not owned a house during the past three years and can go to closing before the end of next June, you might be eligible for up to a $7,500 credit against your federal taxes for 2008 or 2009, or $3,750 if you file taxes as a single person. I should have said $3,750 each if you are married filing singly.
The basic idea To jump-start housing sales and clear out local unsold real estate inventories, Congress is offering tax credits to pull in new purchasers. Buy any house - new, old, any location or condition, any price range within the designated time period - and the Internal Revenue Service will cut up to $7,500 off your tax bill for either this year or next. For example, if you're an eligible buyer of a home this year and you owe the IRS $4,000 on your total 2008 income tax bill, your $7,500 tax credit could wipe out everything you owe plus get you a $3,500 refund. The new home purchase tax credit is what the government calls "refundable": If your tax bill is less than the credit amount, you get the difference back from the Treasury.
Eligibility rules Do you own a home now? If so, you're not eligible for the credit. Did you sell your home more three years ago and now rent? You are eligible. The same is true if you've never owned a home before. Close on a house before next June 30, and you can claim a credit of up to 10 percent of the purchase price of the property up to a maximum of $7,500.
If your adjusted gross income exceeds $150,000 ($75,000 for singles), the credit maximum begins to phase down in increments. You cannot claim the credit if you are a nonresident alien, financed the property using a state or local housing agency tax-exempt bond mortgage or do not plan to use the house as your principal residence.
