Interest expense paid by an individual, estate, or a trust on a loan that is allocable to property held for investment, may not be fully deductible in the current year. Form N-158 is used to figure the amount of investment interest expense deductible for the current year and the amount, if any, to carry forward to future years. For more information, get federal Publication 550, Investment Income and Expenses.

Who Must File

If you are an individual, estate, or a trust, and you claim a deduction for investment interest expense, you must complete and attach Form N-158 to your tax return, unless all of the following apply:

• Your investment interest expense is not more than your investment income from interest and ordinary dividends.
• You have no other deductible investment expenses.
• You have no disallowed investment interest expense from 2002.

Allocation of Interest Expense

If you paid or accrued interest on a loan and used the loan proceeds for more than one purpose, you may have to allocate the interest. This is necessary because different rules apply to investment interest, personal interest, trade or business interest, home mortgage interest, and passive activity interest. See federal Publication 535, Business Expenses.

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