Tax Consequences When Selling a House I Inherited in Phoenix

Inheriting a home can come with tremendous responsibility and emotion. On the one hand, you are potentially inheriting property value, but at the same time, you are also mourning the loss of a loved one. Not only is there a property to consider but also legalities, taxes, and other burdens you might be stressing about as you also cope with losing someone you love. 

So you may tend to ask yourself at this point, “what are the tax consequences when selling a house I inherited in Phoenix AZ?” The tax laws have been designed to not add any more burden upon you upon inheriting the property. This implies that the financial consequences are less daunting than what you would expect, which is good news for you. 

Tax Consequences When Selling a House I Inherited in Phoenix, AZ

Calculation of Basis

To comprehend how you’ll be taxed for having inherited a home, you need to know how the basis is calculated. Basis, in this case, refers to the asset cost for the purpose of the calculation of capital gains along with other taxes. When a person dies, the value or basis of their property in Phoenix is increased to the market value at the time of their death. For instance, if a person purchased a home 20 years ago for $25,000 but was worth $100,000 at the time of their death, that property would be valued at the latter amount to calculate capital gains.

Taxation of Gains and Losses

Capital gains or losses refer to what you earn from selling property that you use for either personal or investment purposes. Such can be houses, furniture, and many more things. If you decide to sell an inherited home in Phoenix, that sale is regarded as capital gain or loss for income tax. In most cases, for you to qualify for lower rates of long-term capital gains, you are required to have held that property for at least a year. However long the duration you have been in ownership of an inherited home, any gain or loss will still be treated as long-term.

Reporting the Sale

Upon selling an inherited home, you have to report it for income tax purposes. It would help if you first calculated your capital gain or loss. This is done by subtracting the basis from the sale amount. You should then report that amount to the necessary authorities.

Having an inherited home can be stressful, given that you have new property to take care of and pay taxes for simultaneously. It would help if you went through the probate process in Phoenix as the first step to selling your home. The court will then authorize you to proceed as you wish. If any other individuals are involved in the inheritance, you should first agree with each other on that decision.

 You can then file a petition requesting the court to allow you to sell the property. It would help if you considered how much tax you are to pay. This will be paid against the capital gains or losses resulting from the sale of the house. 

If you want to sell but need help navigating the process, we have many resources that can help. We also buy local inherited AZ homes to know the ins and outs of selling an inherited home. We also offer help with legal fees for inherited properties and probate properties. 

We are local here in Phoenix, AZ, and know the market better than anyone else. If you are still asking yourself about the tax consequences when selling a house inherited in Phoenix, then we would be happy to discuss it in more detail. We know selling an inherited house can relieve you of quite a burden.