This Form 1098 2026 guide explains the IRS Mortgage Interest Statement. Form 1098 reports mortgage interest and other listed information from the reporting lender. The statement does not by itself establish that all interest is deductible. Ownership, legal liability, use of the proceeds, loan characteristics and the choice to itemize can affect the deduction.
Reviewed October 31, 2026. This is an independent guide. The version and availability information below identifies the IRS documents used for this page.
What Form 1098 2026 does and who prepares it
A mortgage interest recipient reports the required information; the borrower checks whether the interest is deductible.
For the connected reporting route, see Form 1040 (Schedule A). Keep the role of that document separate from the task explained on this page.
| Official form | Form 1098 |
|---|---|
| IRS title | Mortgage Interest Statement (Info Copy Only) |
| Guide period | 2026 |
| Target version | Apr 2025 |
| Availability | Current IRS catalog PDF |
| Last checked | October 31, 2026 |
Get the Form 1098 2026 PDF and check its status
Use the IRS source to confirm the document before completing a real filing. The download link is a reference to the official file; it is not a statement that every copy inside the PDF may be printed and submitted. Follow any instructions about electronic filing, scannable copies, recipient copies or attachments.
Which version of Form 1098 2026 should you use?
The 2026 in the title identifies the tax year or calendar-year information addressed by this guide. For a 2026 income reporting document, the preparation or filing activity may occur in 2027. Do not change the income year simply because the calendar has changed. The exact filing or furnishing date comes from the instructions for this form and the filer circumstances.
Records to gather for Form 1098 2026
- Mortgage interest statement.
- Closing disclosure.
- Loan balance records.
- Records showing use of loan proceeds.
- Property tax and escrow details.
Keep a working reconciliation with these records. It should show the source of each reported item, any correction made before filing and the reason a different amount appears on a connected form. This is especially useful when a statement is corrected or a prior-year balance continues into the current calculation.
How to work through Form 1098 2026
- Identify the issuer and recipient. Check which person or entity prepares the information return and which person receives a statement. Use the correct copy and filing route for that role.
- Reconcile the underlying records. Compare the statement with the transaction, payroll, account or payment records. Resolve duplicate reporting and unexplained differences before carrying a total into a return.
- Read boxes and codes separately. Different boxes can describe different tax categories. A gross payment, a taxable amount, a withholding credit and an identifying code should not be combined as if they were one measure.
- Use the correct return treatment. An information return supplies facts. It does not independently establish every deduction, exclusion, credit or final tax result for the recipient.
- Address corrections at the source. Check the issuer correction process for an incorrect statement. If a related tax return has already been filed, review separately whether that return also needs a correction.
Form-specific IRS instructions and reporting details
The following points retain the operative wording of the IRS documents linked above. Read each point with its stated conditions and the applicable form version. References to another form or section describe a connected requirement; they do not mean that every reader must file every referenced document.
What’s New Continuous-use revisions. Use the April 2025 revision of Form 1098 and these instructions to file 2026 information with the IRS in early 2027. Also use them to furnish the information to the recipient. Continue to use these revisions for subsequent years until we issue a superseding revision. Do not use these revisions for prior years.
Use Form 1098, Mortgage Interest Statement, to report mortgage interest (including points, defined later) of $600 or more you received during the year in the course of your trade or business from an individual, including a sole proprietor. Report only interest on a mortgage, defined later. File a separate Form 1098 for each mortgage.
The $600 threshold applies separately to each mortgage, so you are not required to file Form 1098 for a mortgage on which you have received less than $600 in interest, even if an individual paid you over $600 in total on multiple mortgages. You may, at your option, file Form 1098 to report mortgage interest of less than $600, but if you do, you are subject to the rules in these instructions.
If an overpayment of interest on an adjustable rate mortgage or other mortgage was made in a prior year and you refund (or credit) that overpayment, you may have to file Form 1098 to report the refund (or credit) of the overpayment. See Reimbursement of Overpaid Interest, later.
Additional reporting conditions
Also use Form 1098 to report mortgage insurance premiums (MIP) of $600 or more you received during the calendar year in the course of your trade or business from an individual, including a sole proprietor, but only if section 163(h)(3)(E) applies. See the instructions for Box 5. Mortgage Insurance Premiums, later.
File this form if you are engaged in a trade or business and, in the course of such trade or business, you receive from an individual $600 or more of mortgage interest (or $600 or more of MIP, if section 163(h)(3)(E) applies for the reporting year) on any one mortgage during the calendar year. See the instructions for box 5, later, for MIP reporting requirements. You are not required to file this form if the interest is not received in the course of your trade or business.
For example, you hold the mortgage on your former personal residence. The buyer makes mortgage payments to you. You are not required to file Form 1098. For information about who must file to report points, see Who must report points, later.
You must file Form 1098 to report interest paid by a nonresident alien only if all or part of the security for the mortgage is real property located in the United States. Report the interest based on the following.
Calculations and supporting information
The payer of record is the individual carried on your books and records as the principal borrower. If your books and records do not indicate which borrower is the principal borrower, you must designate one. If you permit a subsequent purchaser of the property to assume the loan without releasing the first purchaser from personal liability, the subsequent purchaser is the payer of record. Such subsequent purchaser's name, address, and TIN must appear on Form 1098. Multiple borrowers.
Even though there may be more than one borrower on the mortgage, you are required to prepare Form 1098 only for the payer of record, and only if such payer of record is an individual, showing the total interest received on the mortgage. Even if an individual is a co-borrower, no Form 1098 is required unless the payer of record is also an individual.
Payments, later. For example, if the borrower's mother makes payments on the mortgage, the interest received from the mother is reportable on Form 1098 as received from the borrower. However, do not report mortgage interest received from any governmental unit (or any subsidiary agency). For example, do not report any interest received as housing assistance payments from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on mortgages insured under section 235 of the National Housing Act.
Exceptions and related reporting
Do not report in box 1 of Form 1098 any interest paid by a seller on a purchaser's/borrower's mortgage, such as on a “buy-down” mortgage. For example, if a real estate developer deposits an amount in escrow and tells you to draw on that escrow account to pay interest on the borrower's mortgage, do not report in box 1 the interest received from that escrow account. Also, do not report in box 1 any lump sum paid by a real estate developer to pay interest on a purchaser's/borrower's mortgage.
However, if you wish, you may use box 10 to report to the payer of record any interest paid by the seller. See Points next for information about reporting seller-paid points in box 6.
Report prepaid interest (other than points) only in the year in which it properly accrues. Example. Interest received on December 20, of the current year, that accrues by December 31, of the current year, but is not due until January 31, of the following year, is reportable on the current year Form 1098.
Further form details
Exception. Interest received during the current year that will properly accrue in full by January 15 of the following year may be considered received in the current year, at your option, and is reportable on Form 1098 for the current year. However, if any part of an interest payment accrues after January 15, then only the amount that properly accrues by December 31 of the current year is reportable on Form 1098 for the current year.
For example, if you receive a payment of interest that accrues for the period December 20 through January 20, you cannot report any of the interest that accrues after December 31 for the current year. You must report the interest that accrues after December 31 on Form 1098 for the following year.
If you are required to file Form 1098, you must provide a statement to the payer of record. For more information about the requirement to furnish a statement to the payer of record, see part M in Pub. 1099. Truncating payer's/borrower's TIN on payee statements. Pursuant to Regulations section 301.6109-4, all filers of this form may truncate a payee’s TIN (social security number (SSN), individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), adoption taxpayer identification number (ATIN), or employer identification number (EIN)) on payee statements. Truncation is not allowed on any documents the filer files with the IRS.
A recipient's/lender's TIN may not be truncated on any form. See part J in Pub. 1099.
Reading the lines and boxes
These selected labels come from the linked target PDF. They are a reading aid, not a replacement for the full line instructions or a completed calculation. Match the label and document version before transferring any amount.
| Line or box | Label in the source form | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mortgage interest received from payer(s)/borrower(s) | Check the applicable line instructions and keep the source workpaper with the return records. Transfer only the information that matches the field and reporting period. |
| 4 | Refund of overpaid | Reconcile the relevant payment or withholding record with the tax period and category requested here. A reported payment is not necessarily the final tax liability. |
| 6 | Points paid on purchase of principal residence | Reconcile the relevant payment or withholding record with the tax period and category requested here. A reported payment is not necessarily the final tax liability. |
| 8 | Address or description of property securing mortgage (see | Check the applicable line instructions and keep the source workpaper with the return records. Transfer only the information that matches the field and reporting period. |
| 9 | Number of properties securing the | Check the applicable line instructions and keep the source workpaper with the return records. Transfer only the information that matches the field and reporting period. |
Further selected fields
| Line or box | Label in the source form | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mortgage interest received from payer(s)/borrower(s)* | Check the applicable line instructions and keep the source workpaper with the return records. Transfer only the information that matches the field and reporting period. |
A practical example
A homeowner refinances a loan and receives statements from two lenders. The homeowner reconciles the interest and closing records, checks any reported points, and keeps property tax records separate from escrow deposits before preparing itemized deductions.
This example illustrates the order of the review. It does not assume an unverified deduction, exemption, treaty rate or final tax amount. The applicable form instructions and the actual records determine the result.
Common mistakes to avoid with Form 1098 2026
- Escrow payments and deductible property taxes are not necessarily the same amount.
- Do not deduct the same interest twice for jointly owned property.
- Review the applicable mortgage-debt and itemizing rules before using a statement total.
Questions about Form 1098 2026
Does receiving or downloading this form mean I must file it?
A mortgage interest recipient reports the required information; the borrower checks whether the interest is deductible. The form purpose and the applicable filing or furnishing conditions determine the action. Downloading a blank PDF does not itself create a filing obligation or establish eligibility for a tax benefit.
Is the revision date always the same as the tax year?
No. Some forms show a tax year, while continuing-use forms show a revision date and ask separately for the reporting period. Check the actual document and instructions. Do not relabel a payment or transaction solely because it was reported in a later calendar year.
What should I do if the underlying information is wrong?
Escrow payments and deductible property taxes are not necessarily the same amount. Keep the original record and the correction trail. The issuer correction process, an amended return and an updated certificate can be different procedures. Choose the process that matches the document and the actual error.
Which records should I keep with the completed form?
Retain the source documents, applicable worksheets, submitted version and filing or furnishing confirmations. For this form, the working file should include mortgage interest statement, closing disclosure, loan balance records. Keep continuing balances and prior-year support for as long as they remain relevant under the applicable recordkeeping rules.
Related forms and next steps
Use these guides when the connected issue applies to your records. Each page has its own purpose, reporting year and availability status.