U.S. · Tax forms
Form 1098 boxes, from box 1.
Your lender’s mortgage interest statement, box by box.
Box 1 of Form 1098 is the mortgage interest your lender received from you during the year, not counting points. Points paid on buying your main home are in box 6, mortgage insurance premiums in box 5, and the loan balance in box 2. A lender must file a Form 1098 when it receives $600 or more of mortgage interest from you on one mortgage.
Look up a Form 1098 box
Result
Form 1098 boxes
| Box | What it holds | Notes from the instructions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mortgage interest received from payer(s)/borrower(s) | Interest, not including points, on a mortgage, home equity loan, or line of credit or credit card loan secured by real property. Includes prepayment penalties and late charges unless for a specific mortgage service. Excludes government subsidy payments, seller payments and most prepaid interest. |
| 2 | Outstanding mortgage principal | Principal as of January 1 of the year, or at origination or acquisition if that happened during the year |
| 3 | Mortgage origination date | The date the mortgage originated with the original lender, not the date it was acquired |
| 4 | Refund of overpaid interest | A refund or credit in this year of a prior year’s overpayment of interest |
| 5 | Mortgage insurance premiums | Premiums of $600 or more for qualified mortgage insurance, tested mortgage by mortgage |
| 6 | Points paid on purchase of principal residence | Points paid on the purchase of your principal residence |
| 7 | Address of property securing mortgage | Checked if the property address is the same as the borrower’s mailing address |
| 8 | Address or description of property securing mortgage | Used when the address differs, or a parcel number and jurisdiction if the property has no address |
| 9 | Number of mortgaged properties | Only if more than one property secures the mortgage |
| 10 | Other | Anything else the lender reports, such as real estate taxes or insurance paid from escrow |
| 11 | Mortgage acquisition date | Only if the lender acquired the mortgage during the year |
Who gets a 1098
The filer is anyone engaged in a trade or business who, in the course of it, receives $600 or more of mortgage interest from an individual on one mortgage in the calendar year. This applies even if the filer is not in the lending business, such as a developer that finances a home in its subdivision. A governmental unit receiving $600 or more must also file. The form is not required if the interest is not received in the course of a trade or business.
Box 1 versus what you can deduct
The amount in box 1 is what the lender received. Whether you can deduct it is a separate question. Publication 936 (2025) says you can deduct home mortgage interest on the first $750,000 ($375,000 if married filing separately) of indebtedness, with higher limits of $1 million ($500,000 if married filing separately) for debt incurred before December 16, 2017. You deduct it on Schedule A, so you must itemize. The mortgage interest deduction calculator compares itemizing with the standard deduction.
Box 5 needs a second check
Pub. 936 (2025) says the itemized deduction for mortgage insurance premiums has expired and can no longer be claimed for that year. The 1098 instructions still define box 5 and tie reporting to section 163(h)(3)(E) applying for the reporting year. Read the current-year Pub. 936 before relying on a box 5 amount.
Worked example
Keisha bought her home in March with a $520,000 mortgage originated that month. Her Form 1098 shows $11,420 in box 1, $520,000 in box 2, March in box 3 and $2,100 of points in box 6. Her debt is under $750,000, so the interest in box 1 is within the limit. The points in box 6 for buying her main home are reported separately from box 1. All of this is only a deduction if she itemizes on Schedule A.
More form decoders
Other pages in this set: 1099-MISC Boxes Decoder, 1099-SA Box 3 Codes, 1095-B vs 1095-C, 1099-C Box 6 Codes. The 1099-R box 7 lookup and W-2 box 12 lookup cover the same kind of question for those forms.
Sources
- Instructions for Form 1098: Who must file and box 1 through 11 instructions. Read November 2, 2026.
- Publication 936 (2025), Home Mortgage Interest Deduction: Debt limits, itemizing requirement, mortgage insurance premiums. Read November 2, 2026.
IRS Form 1098 instructions page last reviewed April 30, 2026. Pub. 936 is the tax year 2025 edition.
Frequently asked questions
What is box 1 on Form 1098?
The mortgage interest the lender received from you during the calendar year, not including points. It covers mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit secured by real property.
Where are points on Form 1098?
In box 6, for points paid on the purchase of your principal residence. Points are not included in box 1.
Why is my box 2 not my current balance?
Box 2 is the outstanding principal as of January 1 of the year, or the principal at origination or acquisition if that occurred during the year.
Do I need a 1098 to deduct mortgage interest?
The instructions describe the lender’s reporting duty, not your deduction. The deduction depends on your itemizing on Schedule A and the debt limits in Pub. 936.
What is the mortgage interest deduction limit?
Per Pub. 936 (2025), interest on the first $750,000 of indebtedness ($375,000 if married filing separately), or $1 million ($500,000 if married filing separately) for debt incurred before December 16, 2017.
Not tax advice
This page summarizes IRS instructions, mostly written for the people who prepare the form, and is not tax, legal or financial advice. The payer, a CPA or an enrolled agent can confirm what a box or code means for your return. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.