State and Local Real Estate Taxes

Enter on line 5b the state and local taxes you paid on real estate you own that wasn't used for business, but only if the taxes are assessed uniformly at a like rate on all real property throughout the community, and the proceeds are used for general community or governmental purposes. Pub. 530 explains the deductions homeowners can take.

Don't include the following amounts on line 5b.

Foreign taxes you paid on real estate.

Itemized charges for services to specific property or persons (for example, a $20 monthly charge per house for trash collection, a $5 charge for every 1,000 gallons of water consumed, or a flat charge for mowing a lawn that had grown higher than permitted under a local ordinance).

Charges for improvements that tend to increase the value of your property (for example, an assessment to build a new sidewalk). The cost of a property improvement is added to the basis of the property. However, a charge is deductible if it is used only to maintain an existing public facility in service (for example, a charge to repair an existing sidewalk and any interest included in that charge).

If your mortgage payments include your real estate taxes, you can include only the amount the mortgage company actually paid to the taxing authority in 2025.

If you sold your home in 2025, any real estate tax charged to the buyer should be shown on your settlement statement and in box 6 of any Form 1099-S you received. This amount is considered a refund of real estate taxes. See Refunds and rebates , later. Any real estate taxes you paid at closing should be shown on your settlement statement.

You must look at your real estate tax bill to decide if any nondeductible itemized charges, such as those listed earlier, are included in the bill. If your taxing authority (or lender) doesn't furnish you a copy of your real estate tax bill, ask for it.

Prepayment of next year's property taxes.

Only taxes paid in 2025 and assessed prior to 2026 can be deducted for 2025. State or local law determines whether and when a property tax is assessed, which is generally when the taxpayer becomes liable for the property tax imposed.

Refunds and rebates.

If you received a refund or rebate in 2025 of real estate taxes you paid in 2025, reduce your deduction by the amount of the refund or rebate. If you received a refund or rebate in 2025 of real estate taxes you paid in an earlier year, don't reduce your deduction by this amount. Instead, you must include the refund or rebate in income onSchedule 1 (Form 1040), line 8z, if you deducted the real estate taxes in the earlier year and the deduction reduced your tax. See Recoveries in Pub. 525 for details on how to figure the amount to include in income.