I refinanced my home last year and paid points. Are they all deductible
this year?
Generally points paid to refinance your home are not deductible in their
entirety in the year paid. They are "amortized" or deducted over the life
of the loan. For more information, refer to Publication 936 , Home
Mortgage Interest Deduction, and Tax Topic 504, Home Mortgage
Points.
If I must deduct points over the life of my mortgage, and I have
a 30 year mortgage, does this mean that I divide the points paid by 30 and
enter that amount on Schedule A?
No, you don't divide the points by 30. If you choose to use the straight-line
method, you need to divide the points by the number of payments over the term
of the loan and deduct points for a year according to the number of payments
made in the year. If the loan ends prematurely, due to payoff or refinance
with a different lender, for example, then the remaining points are deducted
in that year. Points not included in Form 1098 (PDF) (usually
not included on a refinance) should be entered on line 12 of Form 1040, Schedule A (PDF), Itemized Deductions. For more information,
refer to Publication 936, Home Mortgage Interest Deduction; and Tax Topic 504, Home Mortgage Points.