Form 8609 Instructions Updated for Tax-Exempt Bond Projects
Summary
The IRS has issued updated instructions for Form 8609 (Low-Income Housing Credit) reflecting changes made by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for tax-exempt bond financed projects after 2025. The updates modify the thresholds for when no housing credit allocation is required when buildings are financed with tax-exempt bonds subject to volume cap under section 146. Specifically, a 50% aggregate basis threshold remains, while a new 25% threshold is added for bonds issued after 2025 meeting additional conditions (at least 5% of aggregate basis financed, building placed in service after 2025). For projects meeting these criteria, filers must leave Line 1a blank on Form 8609.
What changed
The IRS has updated guidance for Form 8609 instructions regarding tax-exempt bond financed low-income housing projects. The changes implement new thresholds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for when no housing credit allocation is required under section 146. Projects financed with tax-exempt bonds subject to volume cap no longer require allocation if either: (1) 50% or more of the aggregate basis of the building and land is financed with those bonds; or (2) 25% or more of the aggregate basis is financed with bonds issued after 2025 that provide at least 5% of aggregate basis financing, with the building placed in service in tax years beginning after 2025. The Line 1a instructions clarify that filers must leave this line blank when no allocation is required due to tax-exempt bond financing.
Affected parties include owners of qualified low-income buildings financed with tax-exempt bonds, housing credit agencies, and investors in low-income housing tax credit projects. These changes apply to buildings placed in service in tax years beginning after 2025. Developers and housing credit agencies should monitor for the formal revision of Form 8609 instructions and adjust compliance procedures accordingly for post-2025 projects.
What to do next
- Monitor for the next revision of Form 8609 instructions incorporating these updates
- Leave Line 1a blank on Form 8609 if building is financed by qualifying tax-exempt bonds requiring no allocation
- Ensure Form 8609 is obtained from appropriate housing credit agency with applicable items completed including assigned BIN
Archived snapshot
Apr 11, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act made changes for projects financed with tax-exempt bonds after 2025. Please note the following updates for page 2 of the instructions.
- The first paragraph of Tax-exempt bonds should read as follows.
Tax-exempt bonds. No housing credit allocation is required for any portion of the eligible basis of a qualified low-income building that is financed with tax-exempt bonds taken into account for purposes of the volume cap under section 146 if principal payments on the financing are applied within a reasonable period to redeem obligations the proceeds of which were used to provide the financing, or the financing is refunded as described in section 146(i)(6). In addition, no allocation is required when the tax-exempt bonds are described in the preceding sentence and either:
- 50% or more of the aggregate basis of the building and the land on which the building is located (defined in Land on which the building is located below) is financed with those tax-exempt bonds; or
25% or more of the aggregate basis of the building and the land on which the building is located (defined in Land on which the building is located below) is financed with those tax-exempt bonds, the bonds are issued after 2025, the bonds provide the financing for at least 5 % of the aggregate basis of such building, and the building is placed in service in tax years beginning after 2025.
However, the owner must still get a Form 8609 from the appropriate housing credit agency (with the applicable items completed, including an assigned BIN).- The last sentence in the second paragraph of Line 1a should read as follows.
If the building is financed by tax-exempt bonds described in Tax-exempt bonds , earlier, for which no allocation is required, you will leave line 1a blank.
The next revision of the instructions will include these updates.
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