You may be wondering whether you can claim a credit for mortgage payments—or at least the interest paid on mortgages—on your income tax return. But the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) looks at your mortgage as a personal expense that does not normally qualify for credits.

However, if you run a business from home or if you are eligible to claim home employment expenses, you might be able to deduct the interest paid on your mortgage.

Here, we dig into the “how and why” of mortgage tax deductions.