February 6, 2026 | by Anna Orendain
Categories: First Time Buyer, Homeownership
As we enter February and get closer to Valentine's Day, we wanted to take a minute to speak up against the majority and express our love for tax season. While we understand why tax season may cause stress and anxiety for most people, we think that Mortgage Credit Certificates (MCCs) make tax time feel a bit easier.
MCCs are a dollar-for-dollar federal income tax credit that is equal to a percentage of the interest a homeowner pays on their mortgage loan each year. Essentially, it refunds a portion of the mortgage interest that borrowers pay and also helps soften the blow of higher interest rates.
The best part is homeowners can use their MCC credit every year they occupy the home as their primary residence for the life of the mortgage loan, which means that every tax season will be an opportunity for savings (and a reason to celebrate)!
How does one know whether they qualify for our beloved MCC program? You must be a first-time home buyer (or have not owned a home within the past 3 years) to be eligible for the MCC program and you must use the program in combination with TSAHC’s down payment assistance programs. We make it easy to quickly check whether or not you qualify -- just take our quick, four-question eligibility quiz.
There are two other important MCC requirements:
We make it easy to understand how the Mortgage Credit Certificate works with a quick informational video that breaks down how the program works to save you money.
We even make it easy to see exactly how much you could save on your mortgage interest each year with our online Mortgage Credit Certificate Calculator.
Or, if you're a housing professional who's looking for tools to explain MCCs to clients (or, if you just prefer to do the math by hand), we recently came out with an MCC Worksheet to walk you through calculating your potential savings.
We'd also recommend you take a moment to listen to our On the House Podcast Episode 41: Mortgage Interest Hacks. In this episode, our very own Frank Duplechain sits down with John H.P. Hudson with H & M Mortgage Group to discuss four ways home buyers can lower their mortgage interest. (Spoiler alert: they mention that an MCC is a great way to save on your mortgage interest)!
Lastly, we wanted to remind you that our MCC FAQ database is a great way to get quick and simple answers to all of your questions about Mortgage Credit Certificates. If you're a home buyer and you have questions beyond what you can find in that database, we'd recommend reaching out to your TSAHC-approved lender for a more personalized answer.
On the House blog posts are meant to provide general information on various housing-related issues, research and programs. We are not liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the information provided by blog sources. Furthermore, this blog is not legal advice and should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a licensed professional attorney.
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