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- Newsgroups: misc.taxes
- Path: sparky!uunet!spool.mu.edu!uwm.edu!linac!att!cbnews!ask
- From: ask@cbnews.cb.att.com (Arthur S. Kamlet)
- Subject: Re: What and When can I c
- Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio
- Distribution: usa
- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 16:26:42 GMT
- Message-ID: <1993Jan21.162642.6913@cbnews.cb.att.com>
- References: <233.141.uupcb@tfd.coplex.com> <1993Jan14.183810.17573@cbnews.cb.att.com> <430@dprmpt.UUCP>
- Lines: 53
-
- In article <430@dprmpt.UUCP> larry@dprmpt.UUCP (Larry) writes:
- >In article <1993Jan14.183810.17573@cbnews.cb.att.com> ask@cbnews.cb.att.com (Arthur S. Kamlet) writes:
- >>
- >>As long as you write and date and mail your check in 1992, you can
- >>deduct even if the mortgage company doesn't receive the payment
- >>until 1993.
- >
- >That's what I thought, too, BUT...
- >
- >I sent my mortgage company a check for both my January and February
- >house payments a week before the end of 1992 so I could claim the
- >extra month's interest in 1992. I specifically noted on the payment
- >stubs that the extra check was for the Feb. 1993 payment and NOT to be
- >applied to reduce principal or escrow.
- >
- >When I got my "1098 Substitute" statement 3 days ago, it said:
- >
- > TOTAL INTEREST APPLIED 1992 (NEXT DUE DATE 03/01/92) $ X,XXX.XX
- > LESS NET PREPAID INTEREST - CURRENT YEAR YYY.YY
- > 1992 NET INTEREST PAYMENTS REPORTED TO IRS ***** $ Z,ZZZ.ZZ
- >
- >$ xxx.xx represents the interest portion of the Feb. 1993 payment. I
- >called Customer Service and was told that "the IRS told them that only the
- >January payment's interest could be deducted in 1992" and said that
- >this was not the bank's rule but that the IRS made them do it this
- >way. What this means is that even though I paid the extra payment in
- >1992 and the bank received and posted it in 1992, I still cannot
- >deduct it until 1993. I'm confused !?!? This means I get the same
- >interest deduction this year whether I paid the extra interest or
- >not!
- >>
- >>I suspect more checks for deductible taxes and interest and medical
- >>payments and charities, etc, are dated December 31 than any other
- >>day of the year.
- >
- >Yeah, but if the bank is correct, then any prepaid interest is only
- >deductible if the bank reports it to the IRS as "Paid in 1992" and you
- >receive a Form 1098 to that effect.
- >
- >I will be checking with the IRS and my CPA on this and will post a
- >followup for those interested.
-
- Sure, check it out.
-
- But don't let the bank bully you into anything, either.
-
- I often report things to the IRS differently than they show up on
- 1099s and related forms. Of course, I also attach an explanation,
- and right on the form I say "see attached statement." So far (quite
- a few years) no one has bothered me about this. Even in years I was
- audited, no one questioned these statements.
- --
- Art Kamlet a_s_kamlet@att.com AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus
-