Are Personal Loans Tax Deductible? Everything You Need to Know
With tax season rapidly approaching, there are questions about how personal loans factor into the process. Are personal loans tax deductible?
Feb. 16 2023, Published 11:24 a.m. ET
Tax season is approaching quickly and many filers have questions. One popular query involves personal loans and whether they're tax deductible. It's important to know what you can and can't claim on your taxes. You want to get back as much money as you can, but you also don't want to make a mistake and risk getting audited.
So how do personal loans factor into the tax filing process? We've done some digging to answer all of your questions. Keep reading to find out if personal loans are tax deductible.
Are personal loans tax deductible?
A person deducing their property taxes on their return. The property tax form is included in the image.
While personal loans don't meet the qualifications for tax deductions, there are still uncertainties around the idea of personal loan interest. Personal loan interest isn't usually tax deductible. When thinking about the scope of tax payments and how to navigate them successfully, there needs to be a greater understanding of what's deductible.
Personal loans aren't able to be deducted unless they're business expenses, taxable investments, or viewed as higher education expenses. Because personal loans are repaid through individual funds, the interest paid on them isn't tax deductible. Student loan interest is an exception to this ruling as well as second mortgages and investment interest expenses. Mortgage interest is also tax deductible.
What kind of personal expenses are tax deductible?
A student loan form and informational brochure are pictured above.
When taking a closer look at tax deductions and personal tax deductions, many financial contributions fall under the ever-growing banner of what these deductions may include. While personal loan tax deductions may concentrate on specific financial dealings, the guidelines for personal tax expenses are far more generous.
Charitable donations, state or local taxes, medical expenses or health savings, student loan interest, other higher education payments, 401K, and IRA contributions are all categorized as aspects of personal loans that are deemed acceptable claims for deductible personal expenses. Often, taxpayers are informed upon when their payments if they can be claimed on their taxes, and there's an explicit understanding that they are welcome to make these claims themselves when calculating their totals.
How to include mortgage interest and other deductions on your taxes.
A family is seen in the background of a new home with the "SOLD" sign in focus.
It's possible to deduct mortgage interest from your taxes and only takes a few steps. When looking to deduct personal loans from taxes, homeowners can deduct interest on mortgages on homes ranging up to $750,000. If you follow the standard deduction route when deducting mortgage interest, further proof of deductions won't be necessary. A flat amount will be deducted from taxes, and if a taxpayer chooses itemized deductions, they can select multiple deductions.
When breaking down deductions by filing for itemized deductions, you can go more in-depth with what you're filing. Itemized deductions include donations to charity, medical payments, interest on mortgage rates, interest on student loan payments, and other expenses. Deductions of mortgage interest are filed using Form 1098, while singular itemized deductions are submitted using Schedule A Form 1040.