Artículo Itemized charges for services.. Itemized charges for services.

id="en_US_2025_publink1000173198"> Itemized charges for services. An itemized charge for services assessed against specific property or certain people isn’t a tax, even if the charge is paid to the taxing authority. For example, you can’t deduct the charge as a real estate tax if it is: A unit fee for the delivery of a service (such as a $5 fee charged for every 1,000 gallons of water you use), A periodic charge for a residential service (such as a $20 per month or $240 annual fee charged to each homeowner for trash collection), or A flat fee charged for a single service provided by your government (such as a $30 charge for mowing your lawn because it was allowed to grow higher than permitted under your local ordinance). . You must look at your real estate tax bill to determine if any nondeductible itemized charges, such as those listed above, are included in the bill. If your taxing authority (or mortgage lender) doesn’t furnish you a copy of your real estate tax bill, ask for it. . Exception. Service charges used to maintain or improve services (such as trash collection or police and fire protection) are deductible as real estate taxes if: The fees or charges are imposed at a like rate against all property in the taxing jurisdiction; The funds collected aren’t earmarked; instead, they are commingled with general revenue funds; and Funds used to maintain or improve services aren’t limited to or determined by the amount of these fees or charges collected. Transfer taxes (or stamp taxes). Transfer taxes and similar taxes and charges on the sale of a personal home aren’t deductible. If they are paid by the seller, they are expenses of the sale and reduce the amount realized on the sale. If paid by the buyer, they are included in the cost basis of the property. Rent increase due to higher real estate taxes. If your landlord increases your rent in the form of a tax surcharge because of increased real estate taxes, you can’t deduct the increase as taxes. Homeowners' association charges. These charges aren’t deductible because they are imposed by the homeowners' association, rather than the state or local government. Personal Property Taxes Personal property tax is deductible if it is a state or local tax that is: Charged on personal property; Based only on the value of the personal property; and Charged on a yearly basis, even if it is collected more or less than once a year. A tax that meets the above requirements can be considered charged on personal property even if it is for the exercise of a privilege. For example, a yearly tax based on value qualifies as a personal property tax even if it is called a registration fee and is for the privilege of registering motor vehicles or using them on the highways. If the tax is partly based on value and partly based on other criteria, it may qualify in part. Example. Your state charges a yearly motor vehicle registration tax of 1% of value plus 50 cents per hundredweight. You paid $32 based on the value ($1,500) and weight (3,400 lbs.) of your car. You can deduct $15 (1% × $1,500) as a personal property tax because it is based on the value. The remaining $17 ($0.50 × 34), based on the weight, isn’t deductible. Taxes and Fees You Can’t Deduct Many federal, state, and local government taxes aren’t deductible because they don’t fall within the categories discussed earlier. Other taxes and fees, such as federal income taxes, aren’t deductible because the tax law specifically prohibits a deduction for them. See Table 11-1 . Taxes and fees that are generally not deductible include the following items. Employment taxes. This includes social security, Medicare, and railroad retirement taxes withheld from your pay. However, one-half of self-employment tax you pay is deductible. In addition, the social security and other employment taxes you pay on the wages of a household worker may be included in medical expenses that you can deduct, or childcare expenses that allow you to claim the child and dependent care credit. For more information, see Pub. 502 and Pub. 503. Estate, inheritance, legacy, or succession taxes. You can deduct the estate tax attributable to income in respect of a decedent if you, as a beneficiary, must include that income in your gross income. In that case, deduct the estate tax on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 16. For more information, see Pub. 559.