Our home was seriously damaged by flooding last year. Are there special provisions for claiming a loss since our home is located in a declared disaster area?

Casualty losses not compensated for by insurance or otherwise are generally deductible only in the year the casualty occurred. However, if you have a deductible loss from a disaster in an area that is officially designated by the President of the United States as eligible for federal disaster assistance, you can choose to deduct that loss on your return for the year immediately preceding the loss year. In other words, you may treat the loss as having occurred in either the current year or the previous year, whichever provides the best tax results for you. If you have already filed your return for the preceding year, the loss may be claimed by filing an amended return, Form 1040X (PDF), Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. For more information on disaster area losses (including flood losses), refer to Tax Topic 515 , Disaster Area Losses (Including Flood Losses), or Publication 547, Casualties, Disasters and Thefts . Publication 584, Casualty, Disaster, and Theft Loss Workbook, can be used to help you catalog your property.

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.

I am in a disaster area and heard the IRS could help me. What can the IRS do?

If you have been affected by a Presidentially declared disaster, the IRS may help you by allowing additional time for filing returns and making payments, and in some circumstances, waiving penalties if the disaster has caused you to file or pay late. The IRS may also, provide copies or transcripts of previously filed returns, free of charge. You may be eligible to file for a casualty loss deduction on the prior year's tax return, or if you have already filed, by amended return (Form 1040X). For additional information on this subject, refer to Tax Topic 515, Casualty, Disaster, and Theft Losses, and Publication 547, Casualties, Disasters, and Theft.

Are excise taxes for a vehicle deductible?

It has to be a personal property tax, not an excise tax, in order to deduct it. Deductible personal property taxes are only those based on the value of personal property such as a boat or car. The tax must be charged to you on a yearly basis, even if it is collected more than once a year or less than once a year. To be deductible, the tax must be charged to you and must have been paid during your tax year. Taxes may be claimed only as an itemized deduction on Form 1040, Schedule A (PDF), Itemized Deductions.