My taxes are for the 2017-2018 fiscal year (July 1-June 30) with one payment due in 2017 and the second payment due in 2018. I “pre-paid” taxes that were billed to me in 2017, but were not due until 2018. If you were billed for property taxes in 2017, then you can pay them and write them off in 2017. Period. It doesn’t matter that the due date isn’t until 2018.

You are correct, I could not pre-pay my taxes that are for the 2018-2019 year, but I don’t think many people were trying to do that. I’m annoyed how the IRS statement came out because it scared a lot of people away from doing what I did (which works just fine). I spent many hours of my life the last week of December getting friends and family to pre-pay their property taxes that were billed in 2017.

My two mortgage companies both said their phones were ringing off the hook with people pre-paying their property taxes. I guarantee you that was not factored in when they estimated the tax bill would add just $1.5 Trillion to the deficit. I guarantee you it will be way more once all the accountants and lawyers figure out the new loop holes.