On December 22, 2018, the State Council publicly released the "Interim Measures for Special Additional Deductions for Personal Income Tax" (hereinafter referred to as "Measures").
The "Measures" stipulate special additional deductions for personal income tax, which refer to 6 special additional deductions for children's education, continuing education, medical treatment for serious illnesses, interest on housing mortgages or housing rents, and support for the elderly provided for in the Individual Income Tax Law. This article will answer some questions about mortgage interest deduction.

Q:	What is the deduction subject, scope and standard of mortgage interest?
A:	If a taxpayer or his/her spouse alone or jointly uses a commercial bank or housing provident fund for personal housing mortgage to purchase a house in China for himself/herself or his/her spouse, the interest expense of the first mortgage shall be deducted in accordance with the standard quota of 1000 yuan per month in the year in which the mortgage interest actually occurs, and the deduction period shall not exceed 240 months. Taxpayers can only enjoy the mortgage interest deduction of the first mortgage once. Agreed by husband and wife, the deduction can be enjoyed by one party, and the deduction method cannot be changed within a tax year.
Q:	Can a taxpayer enjoy the deduction for mortgage and rental at the same time?
A:	No.
Q:	How to understand that taxpayers can only enjoy the mortgage interest deduction once?
A:	As long as the taxpayer has mortgage interest once, there will be a record of deduction of mortgage interest in the information system of special additional deduction of individual income tax. Regardless of the length of deduction time, or the ownership of the house, the taxpayer cannot enjoy the deduction of mortgage interest on other houses.
Q:	Who can enjoy the  deduction of mortgage  interest  under the  circumstance that parents and their child jointly purchase a house, and all parties are registered as the owner of the house and parties of the mortgage contract?
A:	If the parents and their child jointly  purchase a house,  the mortgage deduction cannot be enjoyed by both parents and their child, but by the principal lender. If the principal lender is the child, the deduction shall be enjoyed by the child; if the principal lender is one of the parents, the deduction shall be enjoyed by either parent.
Q:	If a taxpayer or his/her spouse did not enjoy the mortgage interest deduction for his/her first house mortgage, can he/her enjoy the mortgage interest deduction for his/her second house?
A:	Yes.