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MCC
As of 9/27/22 the MCC in DC is suspended due to funds being exhausted. The below references regarding the program being available in DC are hopefully available again once the program is funded.
Maryland no longer offers MCCs (as of June 2020)
As of 4/10/23 Virginia is also suspending MCCs.
Meaning, MCCs are not currently available in DC, MD and VA and so the below is information that is helpful for people who have MCCs, but new MCCs cannot be currently acquired.
A Mortgage Credit Certificate is a first time home buyer benefit available in Virginia (it’s suspended in DC). You may be eligible if you have not owned real estate in the past three years. MCCs are available until April 23, 2023 after which the program will be suspended until funded again by Virginia Housing. To acquire an MCC in Virginia requires approval prior to April 23 (which likely means a purchase contract needs to be obtained in March)
While I am not a tax advisor, I will explain the benefits and costs of applying for an MCC.
MCCs are often combined with down payment assistance programs, but do not have to be. It is potentially possible to acquire an MCC no matter what loan program you are utilizing. Most applicants getting an MCC are utilizing DC Open Doors program in DC or VHDA in VA. An MCC will greatly increase the tax benefits of home ownership.
For home owners who live in their property as a principal residence, they will be able to save on their income taxes by deducting from their income the property taxes and interest they pay on their loan. So on a sample $400,000 loan on a DC home at a 5% interest rate, the home owner will pay over $20,000 in a given year in interest and perhaps $4000 in property taxes. So if that home owner makes $100,000 now they actually pay income taxes on $100,000-$20,000-$4,000=$76,000.
This is an enormous tax savings and if this person is in the 28% tax bracket they will save $24,000 * .28 =$6720 in income tax.
The MCC will provide an additional credit on top of the savings the home owner is already entitled to. You will earn this credit for the time period you live in the property. The credit is 20% of the interest you pay. So if you pay $20,000 in interest in a given year, you’ll get $20,000 * .2 = $4000 in additional tax savings. A credit is better than a deduction since it’s a reduction in your tax obligation, as opposed to a reduction in your taxable income. The remaining $16,000 in interest and $4,000 in taxes can still be deducted from your taxable income using the above formula. So it’s the $4000 from the MCC plus ($20,000 * .28 =$5,600) equals a total income tax savings of $9,600 for the MCC holder instead of just the $6720.
In VA the credit is 10% of your mortgage interest.
It’s for this reason that MCCs are very popular. Applying for them does require additional documentation and time and requires fees. In DC expect to pay additional fees of about $950-$1,950. In VA there is no cost to the MCC if financing through the VHDA loan program, or it’s $1,000 if you are getting a loan not through the program.
You will need to document that your household income doesn’t exceed the program income caps (In DC it’s $154,800 for 1-2 family members or $180,600 for 3+), and in VA here are the caps.
There are also loan amount and property type restrictions, in DC the loan amount cap is $647,200. You cannot get an MCC on a co-operative nor multi-unit property nor commercial property.
To calculate your MCC savings, if you are also already pre-approved, ask me to forward you an excel spreadsheet which is an easy calculator.
Applying with a co-signer is not possible if purchasing an MCC. Co-signers.
You can claim the MCC for as long as you have the mortgage from the purchase, and you continue to live in the property. If you refinance your mortgage, you lose the MCC.
Questions? Reach out to me at [email protected] or 240 479 7658
Ready to pre-qualify? Do so at https://ajaffe.firsthome.com/startapp
As of June 2020, MCCs are no longer available in MD.
From February 2021 to June 2022, MCCs were suspended in DC. They are once again available beginning 6/6/22. MCCs cannot be combined with DC’s DC4Me program for DC government employees.