Co-Owners Eligible for Home Sale Exclusion

Most often, examples demonstrating exclusion of home sale gain are applied to single individuals or married couples. This gives the false impression that the $250,000 ($500,000 for married couples) exclusion applies to the home itself. Quite the contrary - the $250,000 exclusion is available to each individual who qualifies under Sec. 121 of the Internal Revenue Code. For example, if four friends jointly own a home and each meets the requirement of at least two years "aggregate" occupancy during the five years before the sale, each is eligible for up to a $250,000 exclusion.

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