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You've decided to purchase a home and take advantage of the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit. Here's what you have to do to get your benefit: Close on your home purchase between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010, or have a binding written contract in place by April 30, 2010 with a closing date no later than September 30, 2010 (original date was June 30, 2010). Decide whether to: apply the credit to your 2009 tax return, filed on or before April 15, 2010; file an amended 2009 return; or, apply the credit on your 2010 return, filed on or before April 15, 2011 Attach documentation of purchase to your return. Documentation of Purchase For more information on claiming the credit and on the documentation required for your 2009 or 2010 returns, see the IRS's First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Questions and Answers . When to Apply the Credit Buyers purchasing homes on or before December 31, 2009 may claim the credit on their 2009 tax returns. Buyers purchasing in 2010 will have the o

The US Senate voted unanimously to extend the tax credit closing date and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to September 30. According to the National Association of REALTORS, "After a close brush with the deadline, Congress has passed an extension of the Homebuyer Tax Credit closing deadline, the Homebuyer Assistance and Improvement Act (H.R. 5623)". The extension applies only to transactions that have ratified contracts in place as of April 30, 2010 that have not yet closed. The legislation is designed to create a seamless extension - the new closing deadline for eligible transactions is now September 30, 2010. This will allow transactions to move forward. The bill is retroactive and covers the lapse period from June 1, 2010 to the date of enactment of the extension.

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate approved a three-month extension to the tax credit closing deadline, which would give buyers until Sept. 30 to close. It is not completely final since it is attached to another bill that still has to be passed by the House. The extension would apply only to buyers who met the April 30 deadline to have signed purchase contracts. NAR estimates up to 180,000 buyers who were hoping to close by June 30 and get the tax credit are likely to miss the current deadline, so the extension is essential.