The investment interest expense deduction: Less beneficial
This article organizes the original guidance on the investment interest expense deduction: less beneficial than you might think into clear sections for easier reading and reference.
Overview
This opening section presents the main context from the original post.
Investment interest—interest on debt used to buy assets held for investment, such as margin debt used to buy securities—generally is deductible for both regular tax and alternative minimum tax purposes. But special rules apply that can make this itemized deduction less beneficial than you might think.
Limits on the deduction
This section keeps the original guidance focused on limits on the deduction.
First, you cannot deduct interest you incurred to produce tax-exempt income. For example, if you borrow money to invest in municipal bonds, which are exempt from federal income tax, you cannot deduct the interest.
Second, and perhaps more significant, your investment interest deduction is limited to your net investment income, which, for the purposes of this deduction, generally includes taxable interest, non-qualified dividends and net short-term capital gains, reduced by other investment expenses. In other words, long-term capital gains and qualified dividends are not included.
However, any disallowed interest is carried forward. You can then deduct the disallowed interest in a later year if you have excess net investment income.
Changing the tax treatment
This section keeps the original guidance focused on changing the tax treatment.
You may elect to treat net long-term capital gains or qualified dividends as investment income in order to deduct more of your investment interest. But if you do, that portion of the long-term capital gain or dividend will be taxed at ordinary-income rates.
If you’re wondering whether you can claim the investment interest expense deduction on your 2016 return, please contact us. We can run the numbers to calculate your potential deduction or to determine whether you could benefit from treating gains or dividends differently to maximize your deduction.
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FAQ
The questions below summarize the main points already covered in the article.
What is the main focus of The investment interest expense deduction: Less beneficial than you might think?
The article focuses on the investment interest expense deduction: less beneficial than you might think and organizes the original guidance into sections for easier review.
What topics does the article cover first?
The article begins with limits on the deduction and then continues through the remaining points in the original post.
Which additional areas are included?
Additional sections include changing the tax treatment.
Does the post include action items or reminders?
Yes. The original post includes listed items that have been kept in list format for easier scanning.
Was the original post wording changed?
The revision keeps the author wording and updates the structure so the post is easier to read online.