# Claiming Your Camper As Second Home



## kemccarthy

So last year when we paid our dreaded property taxes (in SC) I was in shock how much they were for my older model camper. It is viewed as a luxury item for tax purposes. Anyway, the lady behind the counter mentioned I could claim my camper as my second home and could then write off the taxes we paid. Anyone done this? Is this old news...







This is just our first year with a TT after owning a pop-up and not paying much in taxes... Any help to get back more $$$$$ is always a plus for me...







. Any advise?


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## thefulminator

I did last year. I have a friend that is a CPA who told me as long as it has a bedroom and a toilet it can be considered a second home in Washington State.


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## W5CI

I was told by my CPA that i could deduct the interest paid on the TT as a second home, but since i paid cash for it there isnt any interest.


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## GlenninTexas

Yep,
You can claim interest paid on the loan as a second home on federal taxes, don't know about state (since Texas doesn't have state taxes).

Regards, Glenn


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## Tom W.

GlenninTexas said:


> Yep,
> You can claim interest paid on the loan as a second home on federal taxes, don't know about state *(since Texas doesn't have state taxes).*
> 
> Regards, Glenn


Yeah, sure...go ahead rub it in


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## Joonbee

Its a write off in NJ, just the same as your home mortgage. Also you are only allowed to do this for 2 homes.


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## Oregon_Camper

Oregon doesn't have Sales Tax and I own my Outback.

Where are my deductions?

__
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## Joe/GA

Hmmm...maybe I need to move. In Georgia, we pay state income tax and I have to pay advelorum taxes on my camper and vehicles! It's over $800.00 for the stinkin advelorum taxes.


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## ftwildernessguy

The interest on your loan is tax deductible on your federal return as long as there are sleeping, eating and bathroom facilities, the same as mortgage interest. You can only, however, deduct one additional "second home" over your primary residence, so if you own a home, a condo and a trailer, both the condo and trailer will not qualify for the deduction, only one. State laws will vary from state to state and you should consult with your accountant for this.


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## Nathan

I don't need a CPA, I have Turbotax.









Yep, you can write up to two "homes" and if there's a toilet that flushes, it must be home sweet home.









GO FOR IT!!! It's the only "savings" your camper will ever produce!

I should add on edit that the savings on your sanity is free and NOT tax deductible


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## sunnybrook29

On a Federal income tax form , yes , you may deduct the interest . In states where you pay ad valorum tax on your RV , I would think you could deduct that also? I do on my home , why not on my "second" home?
Also , why not the tow vehicle or a least that portion used for towing my second home! We might need a tea party here!


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## thefulminator

I said he is my friend, not that I paid for his services.

At least here in Washington, when we use the standard deduction for sales tax on the federal form, there is another section to itemize sales tax for individual higher priced items. Last year I deducted the sales tax for the outback. This year I will deduct the sales tax on the new silverado.


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## jnk36jnk

It is my understanding, here in Oregon, that if the rig has a bathroom you can claim it as a second residence. We have done that with both the Outback and the BigHorn so it has been several years.


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## mmblantz

Joe/GA said:


> Hmmm...maybe I need to move. In Georgia, we pay state income tax and I have to pay advelorum taxes on my camper and vehicles! It's over $800.00 for the stinkin advelorum taxes.


Hey Joe, I live in the great state of GA and I claim it every year!! Check with your accountant. ---Mike


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## Joe/GA

mmblantz said:


> Hmmm...maybe I need to move. In Georgia, we pay state income tax and I have to pay advelorum taxes on my camper and vehicles! It's over $800.00 for the stinkin advelorum taxes.


Hey Joe, I live in the great state of GA and I claim it every year!! Check with your accountant. ---Mike
[/quote]
Hey Mike! Yup. I do claim the advelorum taxes, but you don't get it all back. I used to have a boat with a head, galley and bed, so I could claim the second home deduction. I'll be claiming the Outback as my second home this year!


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## huntr70

Slightly confusing thread-

You are blending 2 topics into one.

SALES TAX can be deducted the first year you buy your RV.

INTEREST on your RV loan can be deducted every year you have your loan.

Somehow, both items were coming mixed together in this thread.


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## kemccarthy

[quote name='huntr70' date='15 January 2010 - 07:38 AM' timestamp='1263559111' post='373306']
Slightly confusing thread-

You are blending 2 topics into one.

SALES TAX can be deducted the first year you buy your RV.

INTEREST on your RV loan can be deducted every year you have your loan.

Somehow, both items were coming mixed together in this thread.
[/quo

My original post was in reference to the property taxes we have to pay on top of the sales tax. In south carolina you pay an additional tax on all vehicles of any type you own (cars,boats,rv's) I think now I have learned that we can write off the property taxes, but now not sure about the sales tax or the interest paid on the loan for the OB.


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## Joe/GA

kemccarthy said:


> Slightly confusing thread-
> 
> You are blending 2 topics into one.
> 
> SALES TAX can be deducted the first year you buy your RV.
> 
> INTEREST on your RV loan can be deducted every year you have your loan.
> 
> Somehow, both items were coming mixed together in this thread.
> [/quo
> 
> My original post was in reference to the property taxes we have to pay on top of the sales tax. In south carolina you pay an additional tax on all vehicles of any type you own (cars,boats,rv's) I think now I have learned that we can write off the property taxes, but now not sure about the sales tax or the interest paid on the loan for the OB.


Yup. This is getting somewhat confusing and I'm partly to blame and I apologize. As kemccarthy said, his original post was about property taxes. As in SC, GA charges us a property tax every year when it is time for new tags. The tax is based on the current value of the vehicle or trailer and is called an Ad Velorum tax. Ad Velorum is a Latin word meaning "according to value." So, each year that you own a vehicle, the tax decreases. So, we've actually blended three things into this thread.

1. Sales tax 
2. Property tax
3. Deduction for interest paid on your camper loan
Without breaking out the tax laws, I know that the requirements for qualifying the deduction of interest paid for a boat or camper loan is that the boat or camper must have bathroom, sleeping and cooking facilities. I think there is some sort of use rule such as living X number of days in your camper, but I'm sure we would all qualify for the number of days. Gee. Did I make this more or less confusing?


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## kemccarthy

Not confusing for me.. I hadnt even thought about the actaul "Sales tax" when I first posted this thread... Was just talking about the EXTRA property taxes we also pay yearly... After more investigating I believe that I can write off the property tax, the original sales tax from the purchase and the interst on my loan... I think I will double check with an accountant for sure but thanks for all the info......

Now if we could just write off all the expenses that come from our TV, that would be sweet


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## thefulminator

Property taxes on an outback?


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## kemccarthy

thefulminator said:


> Property taxes on an outback?


Oh yeah! South carolina makes you pay property taxes on campers, boats, cars... It is rediculous.. My camper is an 03 and I paid almost $400.00 in property taxes plus the regular sales tax... Its crazy,







I know


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## thefulminator

So you get to pay for property tax and license tabs separately each year. They just combine it into one bill in Washington. You just have to know what parts are deductible and which are not from the itemized list on the bill. Registration fees which are not deductible are based on vehicle weight. There are taxes such as regional transit authority (mass transit) and local taxes that are based on value which are deductible.


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## GlenninTexas

OK let's simplify this.

1. Figure out how much money you have? 
2. Send it in.

Regards, Glenn


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## mmblantz

I bought my outback from an individual so sales tax was not an issue. I was not thinking about advelorum but I do turn those in on all of my vehicle to be deducted from my taxes. What I was refering to was the interest on the loan for the Outback. Absolutely deductable. ---Mike


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## thefulminator

Mike, here you get charged the sales tax when you buy from an individual at the time you register it and get the tabs. I'm not sure about trailers but with vehicles it doesn't matter if the prior tabs were brand new, you have to buy new ones and I think you have to replace the plates too. The government in this state has been known to get blood from a turnip.


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## ember

We claim it as a 2nd home here in VT, and if we had a different 2nd home, we could claim it has a business expense, (we use it on jobsites, and for going to trade shows).


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