Updated October 21, 2026. Quick answer: Publication 530 is the IRS guide to the tax side of owning a home, and the web edition is for 2025 returns. It covers real estate taxes, home mortgage interest, points, the mortgage interest credit, basis and record keeping. For loans taken out after December 15, 2017, it says interest is deductible on up to $750,000 of qualifying debt.
Quick reference
| Item | As the IRS publication states it |
|---|---|
| Overall limit on state and local tax deduction (What’s New) | $40,000 ($20,000 if married filing separately) |
| Mortgage interest limit, debt taken out after December 15, 2017 (Home Mortgage Interest) | $750,000 ($375,000 if married filing separately) |
| Mortgage interest limit, debt taken out on or before December 15, 2017 (Home Mortgage Interest) | $1 million ($500,000 if married filing separately) |
| Mortgage interest that should trigger a Form 1098 (Mortgage Interest Statement) | $600 or more |
| Cap when the certificate credit rate is higher than 20% (Mortgage Interest Credit) | $2,000 |
| Residential clean energy credit rate for 2022 through 2025 (Reminders) | 30% |
| Usual period of limitations for assessment of tax (Keeping Records) | 3 years |
What the publication covers
The introduction says “This publication provides tax information for homeowners.” It adds “This publication explains how you treat items such as settlement and closing costs, real estate taxes, sales taxes, home mortgage interest, and repairs.” The IRS page carries the cover line “For use in preparing 2025 Returns”.
Chapters and parts in plain words
- What You Can and Can’t Deduct, including the house payment and nondeductible payments.
- State and Local Real Estate Taxes, including taxes paid at settlement, escrow accounts, and special rules for cooperatives.
- Sales Taxes.
- Home Mortgage Interest: the limits, deductible mortgage interest, points, Form 1098, home acquisition debt and what counts as a qualified home.
- Mortgage Interest Credit: who qualifies, figuring the credit, limits, carryforward and refinancing.
- Basis: cost, gift and inheritance, adjusted basis and improvements.
- Keeping Records.
Tables and figures inside it
- Figure A, Are My Points Fully Deductible This Year.
- Table 3, Adjusted Basis.
- Table 4, Record of Home Improvements.
On this site, the home mortgage interest limit worksheet goes with the interest limits, Form 8396 goes with the credit, and Form 1098 box 1 shows the interest reported to you.
The figures that matter
On the house payment, the publication says “The only costs you can deduct are state and local real estate taxes actually paid to the taxing authority and interest that qualifies as home mortgage interest.”
On the state and local tax limit, the What’s New section says “The overall limit on the deduction for state and local income, sales, and property taxes has increased to $40,000 ($20,000 if married filing separately).” It continues “The overall limit is reduced if your modified adjusted gross income is more than $500,000 ($250,000 if married filing separately) but will not be reduced below $10,000 ($5,000 if married filing separately).”
On mortgage interest, the publication says “For qualifying debt taken out after December 15, 2017, you can only deduct home mortgage interest on up to $750,000 ($375,000 if you are married filing separately) of that debt.” For older debt it says “For qualifying debt taken out on or before December 15, 2017, you can only deduct home mortgage interest on up to $1 million ($500,000 if you are married filing separately) of that debt.”
On home equity loans, What’s New says “No matter when the indebtedness was incurred, for tax years beginning in 2018 through 2025, you cannot deduct the interest from a loan secured by your home to the extent the loan proceeds weren’t used to buy, build, or substantially improve your home.”
On the credit, the publication says “If the certificate credit rate is higher than 20%, the credit you are allowed can’t be more than $2,000.”
On energy credits, What’s New says “You can’t claim residential clean energy credits for expenditures made after December 31, 2025.”
Where it points elsewhere
On records, the publication says “Keep records that support an item of income, a deduction, or a credit appearing on a return until the period of limitations for the return runs out.” For interest above the limits it sends readers to Publication 936. On this site, Schedule A is where itemized deductions are reported, and Form 5695 covers the residential energy credits.
Where this comes from
The IRS page About Publication 530 opens with “This publication provides tax information for homeowners, including expenses you can deduct and records you should keep.” It links the PDF and eBook editions and the earlier revisions of the publication.
This page describes the web edition of Publication 530 (2025), Tax Information for Homeowners, as served on irs.gov on October 21, 2026. The IRS can revise a publication after we read it, and the IRS page controls. General information, not tax or legal advice.
Common mistakes
- Treating the whole house payment as deductible. The publication says “The only costs you can deduct are state and local real estate taxes actually paid to the taxing authority and interest that qualifies as home mortgage interest.”
- Deducting mortgage insurance premiums. The publication says “The itemized deduction for mortgage insurance premiums has expired.”
- Deducting interest on a home equity loan used for other purposes. The publication says you cannot deduct it “to the extent the loan proceeds weren’t used to buy, build, or substantially improve your home.”
- Throwing away home records when the return is filed. The publication says “You may need to keep records relating to the basis of property (discussed earlier) for longer than the period of limitations.”
Related: IRS publications by number, Schedule A, Home mortgage interest limit worksheet, Form 8396, mortgage interest credit, Form 1098 box 1, mortgage interest, Schedule A lines 5d and 5e, SALT limit, Form 5695, and Home sale taxes.
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Answer againSources
- IRS, Publication 530 (2025), Tax Information for Homeowners (irs.gov): https://www.irs.gov/publications/p530
- IRS, About Publication 530, Tax Information for Homeowners (irs.gov): https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-530
Read from the IRS pages linked above on October 21, 2026. General information, not tax or legal advice. The IRS publication and the instructions for your own form control, and your own facts decide the outcome.