In these times of high stock prices and low bond yields, investors might be thinking about rental property. Such investments can pay off in the right situation. Before you make any decisions, though, you should be aware of the tax implications, especially the passive activity loss rules. Despite the language, those rules don’t apply to familiar investments that might seem passive, such as buying corporate stocks or government bonds. Rental property is deemed to be a passive activity, so the passive activity rules typically apply to individual investors acting as landlords. Investing in real estate may deliver untaxed income, but deducting losses can be challenging. (The rules are different for individuals who are real estate professionals, but specific qualifications must be met.)
Depreciating while appreciating
Investment property owners can take depreciation deductions, even if the property is gaining value. What’s more, this deduction requires no cash outlay. Example 1: Brett Parker buys investment property for $400,000 and collects $1,800 in monthly rent. Thus, his annual income is $21,600. His out-of-pocket expenses (interest, insurance, maintenance) total $12,000, so Brett collects $9,600 in positive cash flow this year, in this hypothetical example. Suppose that Brett can claim $16,000 of depreciation deductions as well. Now Brett reports $21,600 of income and $28,000 ($12,000 plus $16,000) of expenses from the property, for a net loss of $6,400. Brett has reported a loss, so no income tax will be due on his rental income. For Brett, this would be $9,600 of tax-free cash flow. If he also can deduct the $6,400 loss from his other income, the tax treatment would be even better.
Loss lessons
In one scenario, Brett has another rental property that generates $7,500 of net income. This passive activity income from Property B can be offset by the $6,400 loss from Property A, so Brett reports a taxable profit of only a net $1,100. However, many people won’t have passive activity income to offset, or their passive activity loss will be greater than that income. In those cases, deducting the loss from other income is possible, if certain conditions are met. For one, investors must play an active role in managing the property. That doesn’t mean you’ll have to screen tenants or fix toilets. You can hire a property manager but still play an active role, for this purpose, by making decisions involving the property’s operation or management. Another condition of deducting losses from a rental property relates to your adjusted gross income (AGI). A deduction as great as $25,000 per year is permitted, but the deduction phases out as your AGI climbs from $100,000 to $150,000. That phase-out range is the same for joint or single filers. Example 2: Joan, Janice, and Jennifer Smith are sisters; they each own rental property that shows a loss this year, after deducting depreciation. Joan’s AGI is $95,000, so she can deduct her rental property loss this year, up to the $25,000 maximum. Janice’s AGI is $155,000, so she can’t deduct any loss from her rental property. (However, because Janice reports a loss, she also won’t owe tax on the cash flow she receives.) Suppose that Jennifer’s AGI is $130,000. She is 60% ($30,000/$50,000) through the phase-out range, so she’ll lose 60% of her maximum loss deduction. Jennifer can deduct rental property losses up to $10,000 (40% of the $25,000 maximum) but won’t be able to deduct larger losses. Keep in mind that rental property losses you can’t deduct currently are not gone forever. Unused losses add up, year after year, to offset future passive activity income. If you have unused losses from prior years, you can use them when your future AGI permits. Moreover, when you sell the property, you can use all of your banked losses then to reduce the tax you’ll owe on the sale. Nevertheless, a tax deduction you can take immediately is more valuable than a deduction years in the future. If your AGI is between $100,000 and $150,000, actions such as taking capital gains or converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA can raise your AGI and reduce current deductions for rental property losses.