What is the Capital Gains Exclusion for the Sale of a House?

Single taxpayers can exclude up to $250,000 of capital gains on the sale of a home, and married taxpayers filing jointly can exclude $500,000.

Taxpayers are eligible for the exclusion if they have owned and used a home as their main home for a period aggregating at least two years out of the five years prior to its date of sale. The exclusion is allowed each time that you sell a primary residence but no more than once every two …

How long must I keep real estate documents for property no longer owned?

While the basic rule is to keep records for three years after you have filed your return, that period is lengthened if any information is questioned by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Then it becomes three years after the final resolution of the item(s) in question for records related to the item(s). To be on the safe side, some real estate records should be kept for six years, and some may need to be kept indefinitely.

For a more complete …