Timeshares and Tax: A Little Information

By David Wolf


Some people have a misconception that timeshare sales are not subjected to income tax. But in reality timeshares sales are subjected to income tax. It's treatment is still similar to other types of real estate properties. A timeshare property is considered a capital asset, so a sale that makes a profit out of it is also considered a capital gain. But you need to have ownership of the property for over a year before it can qualify for income tax. You may include the costs connected with buying timeshares, say for example closing costs upon purchase, yearly maintenance fees for every year you owned the timeshare and for special assessments if there any. For a timeshare from a reputable company In a luxury community consider buying a Marriott timeshare resale.

Then again like other real estate property, if you decide to sell your timeshare and incur a loss, called capital loss, this cannot be deducted from your income tax return. But situations might differ if you regularly rent the unit; any losses on a sale may be termed as allowable business losses and will then be deductible as allowable ordinary losses in tax returns. If the unit had been turned back to personal use prior to its sale, the IRS will not allow losses on the sale.

There are no other deductions allowed against timeshares. The exception is the property tax, only if it is billed separately. This is also deductible if the resort differentiates it as a different item on your maintenance fee bill. You may also be able to deduct the interest on a timeshare loan, but, only if the loan is taken as a mortgage and there should be no other deductible mortgages except your primary home mortgage. Unfortunately, only a few timeshare loans can qualify as mortgage loans as most of them are primarily identified as consumer loans. You should also remember that you can't deduct interest on several timeshare loans at the same time if you already have a primary home mortgage. If multiple timeshares happen to be at the same resort, they can be seen as just one timeshare and you might be able to deduct interests on them.

The timeshares can also be used for donating to a charity. However, there are some restrictions. If you choose to donate a deeded timeshare, you would be allowed a deductible value that's equivalent to the fair market value of the deeded timeshare at the time of the donation. If the fair market value exceeds five thousand dollars you will have to get a written appraisal that should meet IRS guidelines. Additional rules may apply for other types of timeshares like the non-deeded and right-to-use timeshares since they are considered to be tangible assets. The timeshare's fair market value should be reduced by an amount equivalent to the possible gains made by its owner if the property were sold instead. Before selling a timeshare, in addition to investigating the tax consequences, see if there are any type of selling restrictions, to find out more check with Marriott timeshare resale restrictions.

In cases of renting the timeshare, deductions on all expenses can be made including cost of deprecation, advertising, commissions on rentals and maintenance fees. Some special assessments like repairs and other unexpected expenses may also be deductible. Spending for travel and remodeling are not deductible.

You should also remember that rules for vacation homes would apply if you use it for personal use for at least 15 days every year. Timeshares should be used for at least 15 days for them to qualify.




About the Author:



blogger templates 3 columns | Blogger Templates