Home Mortgage Interest

A home mortgage is any loan that is secured by your main home or second home, regardless of how the loan is labeled. It includes first and second mortgages, home equity loans, and refinanced mortgages.

A home can be a house, condominium, cooperative, mobile home, boat, or similar property. It must provide basic living accommodations including sleeping space, toilet, and cooking facilities.

A surviving spouse may deduct mortgage interest they pay after the decedent’s death. To deduct mortgage interest paid by a decedent, see Form 1041 and Form 706 and their instructions.

Check the box on line 8 if you had one or more home mortgages in 2025 with an outstanding balance and you didn't use all of your home mortgage proceeds from those loans to buy, build, or substantially improve your home. Interest paid on home mortgage proceeds used for other purposes isn’t deductible on lines 8a or 8b.

See Limits on home mortgage interest , later, for more information about what interest you can include on lines 8a and 8b.

If you used any home mortgage proceeds for a business or investment purpose, interest you paid that is allocable to those proceeds may still be deductible as a business or investment expense elsewhere on your return.

Limits on home mortgage interest.

Your deduction for home mortgage interest is subject to a number of limits. If one or more of the following limits applies, see Pub. 936 to figure your deduction.