Don’t rouse the IRS or pay more taxes than necessary-know the score on each home tax deduction and credit.
Sin #1: Deducting the wrong year for property taxes
You take a tax deduction for property taxes in the year you (or the holder of your escrow account) actually paid them. Some taxing authorities work a year behind-that is, you’re not billed for 2010 property taxes until 2011. But that’s irrelevant to the feds.