2/09/2024

Are you A Real Estate Professional defined by the IRS?
























Why would someone want the tax advantage to qualify as a real estate professional?

And how to keep track of 750 hours actively working a year to meet the second of two criteria (IRC Sec. 469(c)(7)(B):

Qualifying as a real estate professional (REP) under IRC Sec. 469(c)(7)(B) can offer several tax advantages for taxpayers who own and actively manage rental properties. Here are some of the key benefits:

1. Deducting rental losses against non-passive income: Typically, rental property losses are considered "passive" income and can only be used to offset passive gains (like other rental income) or up to $25,000 of non-passive income ($12,500 if married filing separately). However, if you qualify as a REP, your rental activities become "active" and you can deduct losses from them against any type of income, including your salary, wages, or self-employment income. This can significantly reduce your overall taxable income.

2. Avoiding the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT): The NIIT is a 3.8% tax on certain net investment income, including some rental income, for high-income taxpayers. But if you qualify as a REP, your rental income is exempt from the NIIT.

Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT): Explained with Examples

The Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) is a 3.8% tax levied on certain types of investment income earned by individuals, estates, and trusts above specific income thresholds. Here's a breakdown of the key points:

Who pays NIIT?

  • Individuals: Single filers with modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeding $200,000, married couples filing jointly with MAGI exceeding $250,000, and married couples filing separately with MAGI exceeding $125,000 are subject to NIIT.
  • Estates and Trusts: Estates and trusts with taxable income exceeding $25,000 also pay NIIT.

What income is subject to NIIT?

  • Net Investment Income: This includes interest, dividends, capital gains (net of losses), passive income from partnerships and S corporations, royalties, rental real estate income (unless you qualify as a real estate professional, see below), and income from non-qualified annuities.
  • Important exclusions: Gains from the sale of your primary residence, qualified retirement distributions, and some other types of income are not subject to NIIT.

How is NIIT calculated?

NIIT is applied at a rate of 3.8% to the lesser of:

  • Net investment income: The total amount of your investment income as mentioned above.
  • Excess MAGI: Is the amount your MAGI exceeds the income threshold for your filing status.

Examples:

Example 1: Sarah, a single taxpayer, has a MAGI of $220,000 and $40,000 in net investment income. Since her MAGI exceeds the threshold of $200,000 by $20,000, she will pay NIIT on $20,000, resulting in a tax of $760 (20,000 x 3.8%).

Example 2: John and Mary, a married couple filing jointly, have a MAGI of $280,000 and $60,000 in net investment income. Their MAGI exceeds the threshold of $250,000 by $30,000. However, the lesser amount for NIIT calculation is their net investment income of $60,000. Therefore, they will pay NIIT of $2,280 (60,000 x 3.8%).

Real Estate Professionals and NIIT:

If you qualify as a Real Estate Professional (REP) under specific IRS criteria, your rental income is not considered passive and is therefore exempt from NIIT. This can be a significant tax advantage for real estate investors who actively manage their properties.

 

3. Deducting qualified business expenses: As a REP, you can deduct all ordinary and necessary business expenses related to your rental properties, such as repairs, maintenance, advertising, property management fees, and travel expenses. This can further reduce your taxable income.

4. Using the home office deduction: If you use a portion of your home exclusively and regularly as your principal place of business for your real estate activities, you may be able to deduct a portion of your home office expenses.

Here are the two key criteria you must meet to qualify as a real estate professional under IRC Sec. 469(c)(7)(B):

  • Active participation: You must spend more than 750 hours during the tax year participating in real estate activities (either personally or through employees).
  • Material participation: Your real estate activities must make up more than 50% of your total personal services performed during the tax year (or at least 100 hours if that's more than 500 hours).

It's important to note that qualifying as a REP can also have some drawbacks. For example, you may be subject to self-employment tax on your rental income, and you won't be able to claim the standard deduction if you itemize your deductions. You need to have a pencil with your last year’s IRS return and add up all the differences before you embark on this plan. Measure if it helps and if you really spend 750+ hours or nineteen weeks of full-time work. Material participation in income-producing activities is defined as regular, continuous, and substantial. Income-producing actions, in which the taxpayer materially participates, are active income or loss. You are on the phone, meeting contractors at the site, checking on repairs, researching cost savings…

A “real estate professional” to meet this bar, a taxpayer must meet the following two criteria (IRC Sec. 469(c)(7)(B):

1.   More than one-half of the personal services performed in all trades or businesses by the taxpayer during such taxable year are performed in real property trades or businesses in which the taxpayer materially participates,

2.   Such taxpayer performs more than 750 hours of services during the tax year in real property trades or businesses in which the taxpayer participates.

You must also meet material participation requirements for each rental (or group; the activity). 

For couples married filing jointly, one spouse must achieve both no.1 and no. 2 on their own

Size of your rental portfolio matter? In Smith v. Commissioner, T.C. Summary Opinion 2014-112, the taxpayer was a 63-year old disabled veteran. He had no other job due to being disabled and made himself available 24/7 to take care of his one three-unit property. The Court agreed that he qualified as a real estate professional even though he only had one property.

Having a property management business or being a real estate agent may help you qualify for Real Estate Professional Status (REPS) but it isn't a requirement.

Just create a log of the hours spent managing the properties.

The two requirements to claim real estate professional status are
1) Spend 750 on real estate related activities
2) Spend more time on real estate than a W-2 or a business.

There is no requirement about being an employee and payroll compensation.

 

I am not a tax professional and this is not tax advice