IRS · Official form

Form 8396, Mortgage Interest Credit

Form 8396 figures the mortgage interest credit for homeowners who hold a qualified Mortgage Credit Certificate. Fill in the official IRS PDF below and download it.

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What is 8396?

Form 8396, Mortgage Interest Credit, is used by homeowners who were issued a qualified Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) by a state or local government under a qualified mortgage credit certificate program. The credit equals the certificate credit rate times the mortgage interest paid, subject to a cap when the rate is above a certain level, and it directly reduces the tax you owe.

The form also figures any unused credit to carry forward, generally usable for up to three later years. If you claim the credit, you must reduce your mortgage interest deduction on Schedule A by the credit amount. The MCC itself comes from the housing agency when you buy the home; Form 8396 is just the annual calculation.

Who files 8396?

Homeowners issued a qualified Mortgage Credit Certificate by a state or local housing agency
First-time or moderate-income buyers who bought through an MCC program and pay mortgage interest
Taxpayers carrying forward unused mortgage interest credit from a prior year
Filers claiming the credit who also itemize and need to coordinate it with Schedule A

How to fill out 8396

Enter the name of the agency that issued your Mortgage Credit Certificate, the certificate number, and its issue date.
Enter the mortgage interest you paid on the certified indebtedness and your certificate credit rate.
Figure the current year credit, applying the limit that comes with credit rates over the threshold in the instructions.
Add any carryforward from the prior three years and figure the amount allowed against this year’s tax.
Download the PDF, report the credit on Schedule 3 of your Form 1040, and keep the form with your records along with any carryforward computation.

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Page 1 23 fields

Name(s) shown on your tax return

Your social security number

The address of your main home to which the qualified mortgage certificate relates if it is different from the address shown on your tax

Name of issuer of Mortgage Credit Certificate

Mortgage Credit Certificate number

Issue date

1. Interest paid on the certified indebtedness amount. If someone else (other than your spouse if filing jointly) also held an interest in

2. Enter the certificate credit rate shown on your Mortgage Credit Certificate. Do not enter the interest rate on your home mortgage

3. If line 2 is 20% or less, multiply line 1 by line 2. If line 2 is more than 20%, or you refinanced your mortgage and received a reissued

4. Enter any 2022 credit carryforward from line 16 of your 2024 Form 8396.

5. Enter any 2023 credit carryforward from line 14 of your 2024 Form 8396.

6. Enter any 2024 credit carryforward from line 17 of your 2024 Form 8396.

7. Add lines 3 through 6.

8. Limitation based on tax liability. Enter the amount from line 3 of the Credit Limit Worksheet in the instructions.

9. Current-year mortgage interest credit. Enter the smaller of line 7 or line 8. Also include this amount on Schedule 3 (Form 1040), line

Part I I. Mortgage Interest Credit Carryforward to 2026 (Complete only if line 9 is less than line 7.). 10. Add lines 3 and 4.

11. Enter the amount from line 7.

12. Enter the larger of line 9 or line 10.

13. Subtract line 12 from line 11.

14. 2024 credit carryforward to 2026. Enter the smaller of line 6 or line 13.

15. Subtract line 14 from line 13.

16. 2023 credit carryforward to 2026. Enter the smaller of line 5 or line 15.

17. 2025 credit carryforward to 2026. Subtract line 9 from line 3. If zero or less, enter 0.

Page 2 3 fields

Page 2. Line 8—Credit Limit Worksheet. Keep for Your Records. 1. Enter the amount from Form 1040, 1040-S R, or 1040-N R, line 18.

* If you are directed to complete Form 8392 by Credit Limit Worksheet B in the instructions for Schedule 8812 (Form 1040), include the

3. Subtract line 2 from line 1. Enter this amount on Form 8396, line 8. If zero or less, enter 0 here and on Form 8396, lines 8 and 9, and

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Frequently asked questions

Is the mortgage interest credit the same as the mortgage interest deduction?

No. The deduction on Schedule A reduces taxable income. The credit on Form 8396 reduces tax dollar for dollar, but only for holders of a qualified MCC, and you must reduce your Schedule A interest deduction by the credit claimed.

What if my credit is more than my tax this year?

The credit is nonrefundable, but the unused portion can generally be carried forward to the next three tax years. Form 8396 tracks the carryforward each year.

Where do I get a Mortgage Credit Certificate?

From a state or local housing finance agency when you buy your home through its MCC program. The IRS does not issue certificates; Form 8396 only calculates the credit from a certificate you already hold.

Form 8396, Mortgage Interest Credit

What is 8396?

Who files 8396?

How to fill out 8396

Quick fill 8396 on this page

Frequently asked questions

Related forms

Form 1098, Mortgage Interest Statement

Schedule 3 (Form 1040), Additional Credits and Payments

Form 5405, Repayment of the First-Time Homebuyer Credit