Iowa Admin. Code r. 701-302.82
* The date on which the individual is designated the beneficiary of a first-time homebuyer savings account, and
* The date of the qualified home purchase for which the eligible home costs are paid or reimbursed from the first-time homebuyer savings account.
* Ownership of the qualifying home which the funds from the account are used to purchase passes to the designated beneficiary within 60 days of the date the funds are withdrawn, and
* The designated beneficiary actually occupies the home as the designated beneficiary's primary residence within 90 days of the date the funds are withdrawn.
EXAMPLE 1: Taxpayer eligible for the deduction; no addition to income or penalty from nonqualifying withdrawal. A is an individual. In 2018, A creates a new interest-bearing savings account with a financial institution. In 2018, A submits a form to the department designating the account as a first-time homebuyer savings account and designating Z, an Iowa resident who has never owned a home, as the beneficiary of the account. In tax year 2018, A contributes $1,000 to the first-time homebuyer savings account. A contributes $1,000 per year to the first-time homebuyer savings account during tax years 2019, 2020, and 2021. Every year, A timely submits the required annual reports and all accompanying information. In 2021, after A contributed $1,000 to the first-time homebuyer savings account, Z made a qualified home purchase. A withdrew the entire balance of the first-time homebuyer savings account and applied the amount to eligible home costs. Within 90 days of withdrawing the funds, A submitted the required withdrawal report and the necessary supporting documentation to the department.
Result: A is allowed to deduct from net income the amount of the contributions generated from the first-time homebuyer account, since the yearly contributions are below the annual limits. A is allowed to deduct $1,000 each year from A's 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 net income. Additionally, A is allowed to deduct income from interest generated from the account each year. A does not have any addition to net income or any penalties associated with the withdrawal or usage of the funds.
EXAMPLE 2: Nonqualifying withdrawal of entire account due to voluntary withdrawal by A. Assume the same facts as Example 1. However, rather than making a qualified withdrawal, in 2021, A withdraws the entire balance of the first-time homebuyer savings account and pays for Z's college tuition.
Result: The withdrawal is a nonqualified withdrawal. Any withdrawal that is not for eligible home costs is a nonqualified withdrawal. A's nonqualified withdrawal has three results. First, the amount of the nonqualified withdrawal is added back to the account holder's net income for the tax year in which the nonqualified withdrawal occurred. In this example, A's 2021 net income would increase by the amount of the contributions that A previously deducted. (See Iowa Code section 422.7(41)"c" (1).) Second, A will be assessed a penalty equal to 10 percent of the total contributions that A previously deducted. (See Iowa Code section 422.7(41)"d.") Third, A will no longer be able to claim the first-time homebuyer deduction in any future tax years. (See Iowa Code section 422.7(41)"b"(2)(b).) A is barred from claiming the first-time homebuyer deduction in the future, even if A attempts to open a first-time homebuyer account for a different beneficiary in a different tax year.
EXAMPLE 3: Nonqualifying withdrawal of entire account by legal process. Assume the same facts as Example 1. However, rather than a qualifying withdrawal occurring, in 2021, a creditor levies the entire balance of the first-time homebuyer account in order to satisfy A's debt to the creditor.
Result: The levy is a nonqualified withdrawal. Any withdrawal, including a withdrawal that is caused by a legal process not initiated by A, that is not for a qualified home purchase is a nonqualified withdrawal. Example 3 has the same result as Example 2, except in Example 3, A does not incur a 10 percent penalty because the withdrawal was due to a levy. (See Iowa Code section 422.7(41)"d.")
EXAMPLE 4: Nonqualifying withdrawal of a partial balance of a first-time homebuyer savings account. A is an individual. In 2018, A creates a new interest-bearing savings account with a financial institution. In 2018, A submits a form with the department designating the account as a first-time homebuyer savings account and designating Z, an Iowa resident who has never owned a home, as the beneficiary of the account. In tax year 2018, A contributes $1,000 to the first-time homebuyer savings account. A contributes $1,000 per year to the first-time homebuyer savings account during tax years 2019, 2020, and 2021. Every year, A timely submits the required annual reports and all accompanying information. After making the $1,000 deposit for 2021, A has a total of $4,100 in the first-time homebuyer savings account. In 2022, A withdraws $1,000 from the account in order to pay for personal expenses.
Result: The $1,000 withdrawal is a nonqualifying withdrawal. A must file a withdrawal report with the department within 90 days of the withdrawal. A withdrawal report is required for both qualifying and nonqualifying withdrawals. The $1,000 withdrawal will result in the addition of $1,000 to A's 2022 net income. A will also be assessed a $100 penalty. The balance of the first-time homebuyer account is $3,100. Subject to the ten-year limitation and the other requirements of the deduction, A may use the remaining $3,100 for Z's eligible home costs prior to January 1, 2028. If A does so, A will not have the $3,000 added back to A's net income or face any penalties associated with the $3,000 eligible home costs. Regardless of what occurs with the remaining $3,100, A will be prohibited from claiming the first-time homebuyer deduction for any period after the date of the nonqualified withdrawal. This is true even if A attempts to repay the $1,000 withdrawal or if A attempts to open any other first-time homebuyer accounts.
EXAMPLE 5: No withdrawals made within ten years of opening the account. A is an individual. In March of 2018, A creates a new interest-bearing savings account with a financial institution. A completes all of the necessary paperwork and designates Z as the beneficiary of the account. In 2018, and in each subsequent year, A contributes $1,000 to the first-time homebuyer savings account. On December 31, 2027, A has made a total of $10,000 dollars in contributions to the account, has taken a deduction for each contribution, and has made no withdrawals from the account. On January 1, 2028, Z still has not purchased a qualifying home.
Result: As of January 1, 2028, the account is no longer a first-time homebuyer savings account, and the entire account balance is deemed to have been withdrawn in a nonqualifying withdrawal. A is required to report the entire $10,000 previously deducted for contributions to the account as income in tax year 2028 and pay a $1,000 penalty for the nonqualifying withdrawal. A can no longer open a new first-time homebuyer savings account or take any deductions for contributions made to another account under the program.
EXAMPLE 6: Divorce between taxpayers with a joint account. A and B are a married couple who file a joint Iowa income tax return. In 2018, A and B open a joint savings account and take the necessary steps to designate it as a joint first-time homebuyer savings account. In 2018, A and B contribute $2,000 to the account and deduct the full amount on their joint Iowa income tax return for 2018. They contribute the same amount, file joint returns, and deduct the full amount in tax years 2019, 2020, and 2021. In 2022, A and B divorce. The divorce decree divides the funds in the account evenly between A and B.
Result: In this situation, when the funds from the account are distributed between A and B, the entire withdrawal is deemed to be a nonqualifying withdrawal, and A and B are jointly and severally liable for the payment of the tax and penalty due on the entire amount that they previously deducted for contributions to the first-time homebuyer savings account.
Alternative result: A and B can avoid this result by taking some steps before the divorce decree is entered. Prior to the divorce decree, A and B can each open a new first-time homebuyer savings account individually. As long as the divorce decree orders that funds from the original joint first-time homebuyer savings account be transferred to A's and B's new individual accounts, the funds may be transferred without triggering a nonqualifying withdrawal, A and B will not be subject to taxes or penalties on their previous contributions to the account, and each will still be eligible to take deductions for contributions to their new accounts, subject to the applicable limitations. In this scenario, the transfer must occur as a direct result of a court order; if A or B transfers funds themselves, the transfer is deemed to be a nonqualifying withdrawal.
Even if the funds in A and B's original joint account are successfully transferred without triggering a nonqualifying withdrawal as described above, both A and B will still be jointly and severally liable for any tax or penalty due on any nonqualifying withdrawal that either makes later, up to the amount they deducted on their joint returns prior to the divorce.
EXAMPLE 7: Death of the account holder. A is an individual. In 2018, A creates a new interest-bearing savings account with a financial institution. In 2018, A submits a form to the department designating the account as a firsttime homebuyer savings account and designating Z, an Iowa resident who has never owned a home, as the beneficiary of the account. In tax year 2018, A contributes $1,000 to the first-time homebuyer savings account. A makes $1,000 contributions per year to the first-time homebuyer savings account during tax years 2019, 2020, and 2021. Every year, A timely submits the required annual reports and all accompanying information. In 2022, A dies without having withdrawn any funds from the account either for a qualifying home purchase for Z or for any other reason.
Result: All of the funds in the account are deemed immediately withdrawn at the time of A's death. Because this is a nonqualifying withdrawal, the $4,000 in contributions which A previously deducted must be included as income on A's final return. However, because the reason for the deemed withdrawal was A's death, the 10 percent penalty is not included on A's final return.
This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code section 422.7 and chapter 541B.
Iowa Admin. Code r. 701-302.82
ARC 3770C, IAB 4/25/18, effective 5/30/18; Editorial change: IAC Supplement 11/2/22; Editorial change: IAC Supplement 10/18/23