2026-18219RuleSignificantWallet

IRS allows $10,000 car loan interest tax deduction now

Published Date: 9/8/2026

Rule

Summary

This document contains final regulations regarding the deduction for certain taxpayers for an amount up to $10,000 of qualified passenger vehicle loan interest. This document also contains final regulations regarding new information reporting requirements for certain persons who, in a trade or business, receive from any individual interest aggregating $600 or more for any calendar year on a specified passenger vehicle loan, including applicable penalties for failures to file information returns or furnish payee statements as required. These regulations affect taxpayers that may deduct qualified passenger vehicle loan interest, and also persons subject to these information reporting requirements.

Analyzed Economic Effects

5 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 3 costs, 0 mixed.

Up to $10,000 Car Loan Interest Deduction

If you paid interest on a qualifying car loan, you may deduct up to $10,000 of that interest for each taxable year that begins after December 31, 2024 and before January 1, 2029. The statute also allows this deduction for people who do not itemize deductions (see the amendment to section 63(b)(7)).

New $600 Reporting Rule For Lenders

If you run a business that receives interest from individuals on qualifying car loans, you must file an information return when you receive $600 or more in interest from any one individual in a calendar year. The return must include the individual's name and address, the amount of interest received, the outstanding principal at the start of the year, loan origination date, and the vehicle year/make/model and VIN; you must also furnish a payee statement with that information. Penalties under sections 6721 and 6722 can apply, and electronic filing may be required if you must file at least 10 returns in a year under section 6011(e).

Which Vehicles Qualify as 'APV'

A vehicle only counts for the car-loan interest deduction if it is an applicable passenger vehicle (APV). An APV must meet several rules: its original use must commence with you (the buyer), it must be treated as a motor vehicle under the Clean Air Act, it must have a GVWR under 14,000 pounds, and it cannot be a vehicle whose final assembly occurred outside the United States. Dealers’ demonstrator vehicles are treated specially so that a vehicle held primarily for sale by a dealer will generally have original use start with the first non-dealer purchaser.

Limits: Negative Equity, Allocation, and Refinancing

Interest is deductible only to the extent it is on indebtedness incurred for the purchase of the APV. Debt that represents negative equity from a trade‑in is not eligible. If only part of a loan is an SPVL, interest and principal must be allocated pro rata between the SPVL portion and the non‑SPVL portion. If you refinance an SPVL, the new loan counts as an SPVL only up to the outstanding balance of the refinanced SPVL as of the refinancing date; adding a new borrower in a refinancing generally means the SPVL status does not apply to the new obligor (it continues only for the original obligor).

What Counts As Deductible Interest and First‑Lien Rules

The rules clarify that deductible car‑loan interest includes prepaid interest (points), deferred or capitalized interest, origination or financing charges, prepayment penalties, late‑payment charges, and similar fees when those amounts are characterized as interest for Federal tax purposes and reported under the information‑reporting rules. The final rules also define 'secured by a first lien' to mean the first voluntary security interest recorded against the vehicle, disregarding involuntary liens, and they allow loans to qualify even if lien perfection is delayed or if a lien is later released in certain circumstances, so long as the loan was originally secured by a first lien.

Personalized for You

How does this regulation affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this federal register document means for your household, plus every other regulation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Key Dates

Published Date
Rule Effective
9/8/2026
11/9/2026

Department and Agencies

Department
Independent Agency
Agency
Treasury Department
Internal Revenue Service
Source: View HTML

Related Federal Register Documents

Previous / Next Documents

Back to Federal Register