It's Tax Season! Here's some info you need if you own or plan to buy real estate 2020-2025

UNDERSTANDING THE CHANGES CAUSED BY THE NEW TAX BILL
(effective until 2025)

The new federal tax law took away some benefits of homeownership but gave real estate investors a gift they might not be aware of yet.

Owners of investment property — from mom and pop landlords to big-time real estate moguls — could get a federal tax deduction of up to 20 percent of their net rental income for tax years 2018 through 2025. Most people who own shares in real estate investment trusts can also deduct up to 20 percent of their ordinary REIT dividends.

For homeowners, the new tax law has reduced the mortgage interest and property tax deductions for some homeowners, but these new limits do not apply to interest and property taxes on income property. As  a result, the new tax law increases deductions allowed for investors.

More importantly, real estate investors get 

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a potentially large tax break they didn’t have before.
It comes under the section of HR1 titled “Deduction for qualified business income of pass-thru entities.” Congress “used the Facebook spelling” of “through,” quipped Paul Bleeg, a partner with accounting firm EisnerAmper.

Bleeg said the new deduction could increase investor demand for real estate, offsetting any potential drop in demand from homeowners.

The pass-through provision is insanely complex, but it essentially lets owners of pass-through entities deduct up to 20 percent of their business income on their personal tax return, subject to certain limits.
 

The first limit applies to everyone claiming the 20 percent pass-through deduction. It says your deduction generally cannot be more than 20 percent of your taxable income, excluding capital gains and the pass-through deduction itself. (Taxable income is your household income from all sources minus your deductions.)

If your taxable income is less than $157,500 (single) or $315,000 (married filing jointly), that is the only limit that applies. If your taxable income is above those amounts, then other limits apply, depending on the type of business.
 
 
This income limit would apply to real estate agents but would not apply to real estate investors because their principal asset is their property, not their skill, said Kenneth Weissenberg, chair of real estate services at EisnerAmper.
 
 
Luscombe said he believes Congress intended real estate investors who use Schedule E to qualify for the deduction, and a congressional committee report supports that idea.
 
 
OR THE ASSET METHOD 
List the property purchase as the purchase of an asset and then claim a deduction on the depreciation and expense of maintaining it. With this method, you are not deducting the entire purchase, but only the depreciation and maintenance expense.
 
SINGLE-ASSET ENTITIES 
Finally, the new law seems to indicate that when a private, single-asset entity sells its one asset (i.e., “substantially all the assets”), the capital gains from that sale would be excluded from the entity’s state taxable income.  This may inspire the creation of separate entities for each asset owned by an investor or group of investors. 
 
As with any exchange or other transaction, you should consult with your accountant or tax advisor to be sure that your transaction is structured in the best way to meet your investment objectives. 

Sources 
1. Upcounsel 
2. San Francisco Chronicle 
3. First Exchange (this links has info only related to Louisiana residents)

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