First Time Home Buyers – FHA Tax Credit

The latest from the FHA website shows that first time home buyers are those who are purchasing a “primary residence” for the first time. Are you trying to get an FHA loan and interested in this tax credit? FHA loans require you to live in the property you buy, so if you are approved for an FHA loan you meet the “primary residence” requirement for the tax credit.

But this tax break is not just for those who have never purchased a home before. If you have not owned a home in the three years prior to the purchase of your new primary residence, you also qualify if you buy your home between January 1st, 2009 and December 1st, 2009.

The 2009 Federal Tax credit requires borrowers to make no more than $75,000 per year for single borrowers and $150,000 for married couples filing a joint tax return. Married couples filing separately get more leeway with their incomes—you have a higher income limit in these cases. There’s just one catch; married couples who want the 2009 tax credit must BOTH be purchasing their first home. If either spouse has purchased a primary residence in the last three years, the couple cannot qualify for the $8,000 tax break.

It’s important to know that simply having purchased property does not automatically disqualify you from this tax credit. If you have purchased a summer home or any other building that is not considered a primary residence—the place where you live most of the year—you may still qualify for the $8,000 tax credit.