WHEDA| What is a Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC)
2.00 What is a Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC)
A MCC permits a qualifying applicant purchasing a home to claim a tax credit that may reduce the applicant’s
federal income tax liability.
2.01 How does it work?
Assume an applicant has a $90,000 mortgage at 5% interest for a 30 year term. The interest on the loan for the
first 12-months would be $4,469.84. If the applicant has a MCC, the applicant could claim a tax credit of 25% of
the interest amount paid, or $1,117.46, in the first year. This credit would reduce the amount of federal income
tax they would otherwise owe (assuming the tax liability after certain other credits is at least $1,117.46) when
filing their federal tax return.
The applicant’s deduction for home mortgage interest on IRS Form 1040, Schedule A, would be $3,352.38
($4,469.84 of the home mortgage interest credit paid, minus the $1,117.46 credit amount).
The credit taken cannot be greater than the home buyer’s annual federal income tax liability after deductions,
personal exemptions and certain other credits. Under no circumstance can the annual mortgage tax credit taken
be greater than $2,000.00. In any case, the amount of the mortgage credit will reduce the homebuyer’s home
mortgage interest deduction.
The Tax Credit Worksheet
(Exhibit 1) is available to assist the lender in explaining the benefit of the tax credit to
the applicant.
2.02 Federal Income Tax Form
An applicant must file IRS Form 1040 when filing their taxes in order to claim the credit.
An applicant who files IRS Form 1040A or 1040EZ is not eligible to claim tax credit.
2.03 Tax Credit versus Tax Deduction
A mortgage interest deduction differs from a mortgage tax credit in a number of ways. For example, all
homebuyers, regardless of income may take a mortgage interest deduction, whereas tax credits are available
only to holders of a MCC. The dollar value of a mortgage interest deduction depends upon their tax bracket. If
they are in a 15 % tax bracket, they will save 15 cents in taxes for each dollar of mortgage interest paid. With a
MCC, an applicant will save $1 for each $1 of credit received. Using a MCC and itemizing the deductions on the
Form 1040, Schedule A, will reduce the mortgage interest deduction by an amount equal to the mortgage tax
credit claimed.
2.04 MCC Exclusions
An applicant cannot receive the tax benefit of a MCC in conjunction with the following:
• WHEDA FTHB Conventional (MI and No MI) Preferred Interest Rate