NEW YORK (CNN) -- The first-time homebuyer tax credit has been extended to cover sales after November 6, 2009 and in contract by April 30, 2010.
There are income limits --- $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for couples. You must not have owned a home for three years and the tax credit is applicable only to primary residences.
| MMA | 0.49% |
| $10K MMA | 0.53% |
| 6 month CD | 0.46% |
| 1 yr CD | 0.71% |
| 5 yr CD | 1.38% |
You don't have to be a first-time homebuyer to get the tax credit. You can get a credit of up to $6,500 if you're buying a primary home and have owned and lived in a home for five of the last eight years.
If you are in the military and on active duty the April 30, 2010 deadline will be extended for one year.
According to the National Association of Realtors, about 2 million people qualified for this credit in 2009 and another 900,000 will qualify this year.
To claim the first-time homebuyer's tax credit:
Last year you could file for the tax credit electronically but some received their refund before their claim was legitimized causing problems for the IRS. As October, the IRS has identified 160 potential schemes involving individuals who have claimed this credit erroneously.
It's unlikely that this tax credit will be extended again.
Experts say this program helped to boost the sagging housing market as people rushed to take advantage of the credit. 47% of home purchases last year were by first-time buyers with a median age of 30.
Talkback: Are you filing for the first-time homebuyer tax credit? (See comments) 
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 3.80% | 3.80% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 3.09% | 3.11% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 2.65% | 2.69% | |
| 30 yr refi | 3.77% | 3.86% | |
| 15 yr refi | 3.09% | 3.21% |
Today's featured rates:
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 12,454.83 | -74.92 | -0.60% |
| Nasdaq | 2,837.53 | -1.85 | -0.07% |
| S&P 500 | 1,317.82 | -2.86 | -0.22% |
| Treasuries | 1.74 | -0.01 | -0.80% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp... | 7.15 | 0.01 | 0.14% |
| Sprint Nextel Corp | 2.62 | 0.09 | 3.56% |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 16.33 | -0.06 | -0.37% |
| Chesapeake Energy Co... | 15.81 | 0.23 | 1.48% |
| Ford Motor Co | 10.60 | 0.01 | 0.09% |
|
The Senate hearing will focus JPMorgan's recent $2 billion trading loss, which Dimon announced earlier this month. More |
The offer for mail handlers is part of the Postal Service's plan to cut 150,000 jobs by 2015. More |
In the whirlwind of its IPO fallout, there has been a sort of glee in watching the company stumble. What's driving the Facebook-schadenfreude and what can the social network do about it? More |
One in six children in the United States is obese. These small businesses have found creative -- and lucrative -- ways to fight the childhood obesity epidemic. More |
In Harper County, Kansas, oil companies are offering farmers up to $1,250 an acre for the mineral rights that allow them to drill for oil on their property. More |
.
