Rental income from a duplex is taxed as regular income. You pay according to your ordinary state and federal income tax rate. The Internal Revenue Service, however, doesn’t tax your gross rental income. They tax the profit that is left over after you subtract your expenses.

What can I write off on my duplex?

You can write off advertising fees, tenant screening fees, repairs that you make, insurance on the unit, and even snow and lawn services. The IRS also lets you depreciate the unit, which shelters even more of the income from taxes.

Can I deduct mortgage interest on a duplex?

About deductions Duplex owners who rent out one unit are allowed to take the same deductions as with single-family residences. “Hence, you are still allowed to deduct half of your mortgage interest, half of your property taxes, and half of your mortgage insurance premiums in an owner-occupied duplex,” Reischer says.

How do I avoid capital gains tax on a duplex?

Deferring Rental Duplex Taxes When you sell a rental duplex, or a rental unit in a duplex, you can put off paying your capital gains and recapture taxes by using the proceeds from the investment sale to buy another piece of investment property.

Can you depreciate a duplex you live in?

The IRS lets you depreciate your duplex building, as well. To depreciate it, have your CPA help you allocate the property’s value between the building and the land. Once you determine the value of the building alone, divide it by 27.5, which is what the IRS considers the building’s life to be.

How do you prove residency to avoid capital gains?

To qualify for the exclusion,

  1. You must have owned your home for at least 24 months out of the previous 5 years.
  2. It must have been your primary residence for at least 24 months out of the previous 5 years.
  3. You can’t have claimed another capital gains exclusion in the past 2 years.

How do you calculate capital gains on a duplex?

Residential Duplex Capital Gain Taxes To calculate your profit, total what you paid for the property with the cost of any major improvements and subtract that sum from your selling price after closing costs, commissions and transfer taxes.

Do you have to show capital gains on sale of duplex?

The part of the sale that is your residence would qualify for the up to $250,000 gain exclusion since you have lived in and owned that part for more than two years. Hence, you won’t have to recognize any capital gains on that part of the sale, as the $250,000 exclusion exceeds any gain.

How much can you exclude from capital gains when you sell your home?

Unmarried individuals can exclude up to $250,000 in profits from capital gains tax when they sell their primary personal residence, thanks to a home sales exclusion provided for by the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). Married taxpayers can exclude up to $500,000 in gains. 1 

What are the tax benefits of selling an owner occupied duplex?

When you sell an owner-occupied duplex, you can come out ahead of selling a rental-only duplex. Rental properties are subject to capital gains tax and depreciation recapture tax when they get sold. When you sell your house, though, you get to exclude up to $500,000 of the gain from capital gains tax and don’t have any depreciation to pay back.

When do you have to pay taxes on a duplex?

Your first $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 if you are married and file a joint return, is excluded from taxes if you lived in the duplex for at least two of the five years prior to the sale.