| Publication 946 |
2008 Tax Year |
4.
Figuring Depreciation Under MACRS
The Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) is used to recover the basis of most business and investment property
placed in service after
1986. MACRS consists of two depreciation systems, the General Depreciation System (GDS) and the Alternative Depreciation System
(ADS). Generally,
these systems provide different methods and recovery periods to use in figuring depreciation deductions.
To be sure you can use MACRS to figure depreciation for your property, see Which Method Can You Use To Depreciate Your Property
in
chapter 1.
This chapter explains how to determine which MACRS depreciation system applies to your property. It also discusses other information
you need to
know before you can figure depreciation under MACRS. This information includes the property's recovery class, placed-in-service
date, and basis, as
well as the applicable recovery period, convention, and depreciation method. It explains how to use this information to figure
your depreciation
deduction and how to use a general asset account to depreciate a group of properties. Finally, it explains when and how to
recapture MACRS
depreciation.
Useful Items - You may want to see:
Publication
-
225
Farmer's Tax Guide
-
463
Travel, Entertainment, Gift, and Car
Expenses
-
544
Sales and Other Dispositions of Assets
-
551
Basis of Assets
-
587
Business Use of Your Home (Including Use by Daycare Providers)
Form (and Instructions)
-
2106
Employee Business Expenses
-
2106-EZ
Unreimbursed Employee Business Expenses
-
4562
Depreciation and Amortization
See chapter 6 for information about getting publications and forms.
Which Depreciation System (GDS or ADS) Applies?
Terms you may need to know (see Glossary):
| Listed property |
| Nonresidential real property |
| Placed in service |
| Property class |
| Recovery period |
| Residential rental property |
| Tangible property |
| Tax exempt |
Your use of either the General Depreciation System (GDS) or the Alternative Depreciation System (ADS) to depreciate property
under MACRS determines
what depreciation method and recovery period you use. You generally must use GDS unless you are specifically required by law
to use ADS or you elect
to use ADS.
If you placed your property in service in 2007, complete Part III of Form 4562 to report depreciation using MACRS. Complete
section B of Part III
to report depreciation using GDS, and complete section C of Part III to report depreciation using ADS. If you placed your
property in service before
2007 and are required to file Form 4562, report depreciation using either GDS or ADS on line 17 in Part III.
Required use of ADS.
You must use ADS for the following property.
-
Listed property used 50% or less in a qualified business use. See chapter 5 for information on listed property.
-
Any tangible property used predominantly outside the United States during the year.
-
Any tax-exempt use property.
-
Any tax-exempt bond-financed property.
-
All property used predominantly in a farming business and placed in service in any tax year during which an election not to
apply the
uniform capitalization rules to certain farming costs is in effect.
-
Any property imported from a foreign country for which an Executive Order is in effect because the country maintains trade
restrictions or
engages in other discriminatory acts.
If you are required to use ADS to depreciate your property, you cannot claim any special depreciation allowance (discussed
in chapter 3) for the
property.
Electing ADS.
Although your property may qualify for GDS, you can elect to use ADS. The election generally must cover all property
in the same property class
that you placed in service during the year. However, the election for residential rental property and nonresidential real
property can be made on a
property-by-property basis. Once you make this election, you can never revoke it.
You make the election by completing line 20 in Part III of Form 4562.
Which Property Class Applies Under GDS?
Terms you may need to know (see Glossary):
| Class life |
| Nonresidential real property |
| Placed in service |
| Property class |
| Recovery period |
| Residential rental property |
| Section 1245 property |
| Section 1250 property |
|
The following is a list of the nine property classifications under GDS and examples of the types of property included in each
class. These property
classes are also listed under column (a) in section B, Part III, of Form 4562. For detailed information on property classes,
see Appendix B, Table of
Class Lives and Recovery Periods, in this publication.
-
3-year property.
-
Tractor units for over-the-road use.
-
Any race horse over 2 years old when placed in service.
-
Any other horse (other than a race horse) over 12 years old when placed in service.
-
Qualified rent-to-own property (defined later).
-
5-year property.
-
Automobiles, taxis, buses, and trucks.
-
Computers and peripheral equipment.
-
Office machinery (such as typewriters, calculators, and copiers).
-
Any property used in research and experimentation.
-
Breeding cattle and dairy cattle.
-
Appliances, carpets, furniture, etc., used in a residential rental real estate activity.
-
Certain geothermal, solar, and wind energy property.
-
7-year property.
-
Office furniture and fixtures (such as desks, files, and safes).
-
Agricultural machinery and equipment.
-
Any property that does not have a class life and has not been designated by law as being in any other class.
-
Certain motorsports entertainment complex property placed in service before January 1, 2008 (defined later).
-
Any natural gas gathering line placed in service after April 11, 2005. See Natural gas gathering line, natural gas distribution line,
and electric transmission property, later.
-
10-year property.
-
Vessels, barges, tugs, and similar water transportation equipment.
-
Any single purpose agricultural or horticultural structure.
-
Any tree or vine bearing fruits or nuts.
-
15-year property.
-
Certain improvements made directly to land or added to it (such as shrubbery, fences, roads, sidewalks, and bridges).
-
Any retail motor fuels outlet (defined later), such as a convenience store.
-
Any municipal wastewater treatment plant.
-
Any qualified leasehold improvement property (defined later) placed in service before January 1, 2008.
-
Any qualified restaurant property (defined later) placed in service before January 1, 2008.
-
Initial clearing and grading land improvements for gas utility property.
-
Electric transmission property (that is section 1245 property) used in the transmission at 69 or more kilovolts of electricity
placed in
service after April 11, 2005. See Natural gas gathering line, natural gas distribution line, and electric transmission property,
later.
-
Any natural gas distribution line placed in service after April 11, 2005. See Natural gas gathering line, natural gas distribution
line, and electric transmission property, later.
-
20-year property.
-
Farm buildings (other than single purpose agricultural or horticultural structures).
-
Municipal sewers not classified as 25-year property.
-
Initial clearing and grading land improvements for electric utility transmission and distribution plants.
-
25-year property. This class is water utility property, which is either of the following.
-
Property that is an integral part of the gathering, treatment, or commercial distribution of water, and that, without regard
to this
provision, would be 20-year property.
-
Municipal sewers other than property placed in service under a binding contract in effect at all times since June 9, 1996.
-
Residential rental property.
This is any building or structure, such as a rental home (including a mobile home), if 80% or more of its gross
rental income for the tax year is from dwelling units. A dwelling unit is a house or apartment used to provide living accommodations
in a building or
structure. It does not include a unit in a hotel, motel, or other establishment where more than half the units are used on
a transient basis. If you
occupy any part of the building or structure for personal use, its gross rental income includes the fair rental value of the
part you occupy.
-
Nonresidential real property.
This is section 1250 property, such as an office building, store, or warehouse, that is neither
residential rental property nor property with a class life of less than 27.5 years.
If your property is not listed above, you can determine its property class from the Table of Class Lives and Recovery Periods in
Appendix B. The property class is generally the same as the GDS recovery period indicated in the table.
Qualified rent-to-own property.
Qualified rent-to-own property is property held by a rent-to-own dealer for purposes of being subject to a rent-to-own
contract. It is tangible
personal property generally used in the home for personal use. It includes computers and peripheral equipment, televisions,
videocassette recorders,
stereos, camcorders, appliances, furniture, washing machines and dryers, refrigerators, and other similar consumer durable
property. Consumer durable
property does not include real property, aircraft, boats, motor vehicles, or trailers.
If some of the property you rent to others under a rent-to-own agreement is of a type that may be used by the renters
for either personal or
business purposes, you still can treat this property as qualified property as long as it does not represent a significant
portion of your leasing
property. However, if this dual-use property does represent a significant portion of your leasing property, you must prove
that this property is
qualified rent-to-own property.
Rent-to-own dealer.
You are a rent-to-own dealer if you meet all the following requirements.
-
You regularly enter into rent-to-own contracts in the ordinary course of your business for the use of consumer property.
-
A substantial portion of these contracts end with the customer returning the property before making all the payments required
to transfer
ownership.
-
The property is tangible personal property of a type generally used within the home for personal use.
Rent-to-own contract.
This is any lease for the use of consumer property between a rent-to-own dealer and a customer who is an individual
which—
-
Is titled “Rent-to-Own Agreement,” “Lease Agreement with Ownership Option,” or other similar language.
-
Provides a beginning date and a maximum period of time, not to exceed 156 weeks or 36 months from the beginning date, for
which the contract
can be in effect (including renewals or options to extend).
-
Provides for regular periodic (weekly or monthly) payments that can be either level or decreasing. If the payments are decreasing,
no
payment can be less than 40 percent of the largest payment.
-
Provides for total payments that generally exceed the normal retail price of the property plus interest.
-
Provides for total payments that do not exceed $10,000 for each item of property.
-
Provides that the customer has no legal obligation to make all payments outlined in the contract and that, at the end of each
weekly or
monthly payment period, the customer can either continue to use the property by making the next payment or return the property
in good working order
with no further obligations and no entitlement to a return of any prior payments.
-
Provides that legal title to the property remains with the rent-to-own dealer until the customer makes either all the required
payments or
the early purchase payments required under the contract to acquire legal title.
-
Provides that the customer has no right to sell, sublease, mortgage, pawn, pledge, or otherwise dispose of the property until
all contract
payments have been made.
Motorsports entertainment complex.
This is a racing track facility permanently situated on land that hosts one or more racing events for automobiles,
trucks, or motorcycles during
the 36-month period after the first day of the month in which the facility is placed in service. The events must be open to
the public for the price
of admission.
Retail motor fuels outlet.
Real property is a retail motor fuels outlet if it is used to a substantial extent in the retail marketing of petroleum
or petroleum products
(whether or not it is also used to sell food or other convenience items) and meets any one of the following three tests.
-
It is not larger than 1,400 square feet.
-
50% or more of the gross revenues generated from the property are derived from petroleum sales.
-
50% or more of the floor space in the property is devoted to petroleum marketing sales.
A retail motor fuels outlet does not include any facility related to petroleum and natural gas trunk pipelines.
Qualified leasehold improvement property.
Generally, this is any improvement to an interior part of a building that is nonresidential real property, provided
all of the requirements
discussed in chapter 3 under Qualified leasehold improvement property are met.
In addition, an improvement made by the lessor does not qualify as qualified leasehold improvement property to any
subsequent owner unless it is
acquired from the original lessor by reason of the lessor's death or in any of the following types of transactions.
-
A transaction to which section 381(a) applies,
-
A mere change in the form of conducting the trade or business so long as the property is retained in the trade or business
as qualified
leasehold improvement property and the taxpayer retains a substantial interest in the trade or business,
-
A like-kind exchange, involuntary conversion, or reacquisition of real property to the extent that the basis in the property
represents the
carryover basis, or
-
Certain nonrecognition transactions to the extent that your basis in the property is determined by reference to the transferor's
or
distributor's basis in the property. Examples include the following.
-
A complete liquidation of a subsidiary.
-
A transfer to a corporation controlled by the transferor.
-
An exchange of property by a corporation solely for stock or securities in another corporation in a reorganization.
Qualified restaurant property.
Qualified restaurant property is any section 1250 property that is an improvement to a building and meets the following
requirements.
-
The improvement is placed in service more than 3 years after the date the building was first placed in service, and
-
More than 50% of the building's square footage is devoted to preparation of meals and seating for on-premise consumption of
prepared
meals.
Natural gas gathering line, natural gas distribution line, and electric transmission property.
Any natural gas gathering line placed in service after April 11, 2005, is treated as 7-year property, and electric
transmission property (that is
section 1245 property) used in the transmission at 69 or more kilovolts of electricity and any natural gas distribution line
placed in service after
April 11, 2005, are treated as 15-year property, if the following requirements are met.
-
The original use of the property must have begun with you after April 11, 2005. Original use means the first use to which
the property is
put, whether or not by you. Therefore, property used by any person before April 12, 2005, is not original use. Original use
includes additional
capital expenditures you incurred to recondition or rebuild your property. However, original use does not include the cost
of reconditioned or rebuilt
property you acquired. Property containing used parts will not be treated as reconditioned or rebuilt if the cost of the used
parts is not more than
20 percent of the total cost of the property.
-
The property must not be placed in service under a binding contract in effect before April 12, 2005.
-
The property must not be self-constructed property (property you manufacture, construct, or produce for your own use), if
you began the
manufacture, construction, or production of the property before April 12, 2005. Property that is manufactured, constructed,
or produced for your use
by another person under a written binding contract entered into by you or a related party before the manufacture, construction,
or production of the
property, is considered to be manufactured, constructed, or produced by you.
What Is the Placed-in-Service Date?
Terms you may need to know (see Glossary):
You begin to claim depreciation when your property is placed in service for either use in a trade or business or the production
of income. The
placed-in-service date for your property is the date the property is ready and available for a specific use. It is therefore
not necessarily the date
it is first used. If you converted property held for personal use to use in a trade or business or for the production of income,
treat the property as
being placed in service on the conversion date. See Placed in Service under When Does Depreciation Begin and End in chapter 1
for examples illustrating when property is placed in service.
What Is the Basis for Depreciation?
Terms you may need to know (see Glossary):
The basis for depreciation of MACRS property is the property's cost or other basis multiplied by the percentage of business/investment
use. For a
discussion of business/investment use, see Partial business or investment use under Property Used in Your Business or Income-Producing
Activity in chapter 1. Reduce that amount by any credits and deductions allocable to the property. The following are examples of some
credits
and deductions that reduce basis.
-
Any deduction for section 179 property.
-
Any deduction under section 179B of the Internal Revenue Code for capital costs to comply with Environmental Protection Agency
sulfur
regulations.
-
Any deduction under section 179C of the Internal Revenue Code for certain qualified refinery property placed in service after
August 8,
2005.
-
Any deduction under section 179D of the Internal Revenue Code for certain energy efficient commercial building property placed
in service
after December 31, 2005.
-
Any deduction under section 179E of the Internal Revenue Code for qualified advanced mine safety equipment property placed
in service after
December 20, 2006.
-
Any deduction for removal of barriers to the disabled and the elderly.
-
Any disabled access credit, enhanced oil recovery credit, and credit for employer-provided childcare facilities and services.
-
Any special depreciation allowance.
-
Basis adjustment for investment credit property under section 50(c) of the Internal Revenue Code.
For additional credits and deductions that affect basis, see section 1016 of the Internal Revenue Code.
Enter the basis for depreciation under column (c) in Part III of Form 4562. For information about how to determine the cost
or other basis of
property, see What Is the Basis of Your Depreciable Property in chapter 1.
Which Recovery Period Applies?
Terms you may need to know (see Glossary):
| Active conduct of a trade or business |
| Basis |
| Improvement |
| Listed property |
| Nonresidential real property |
| Placed in service |
| Property class |
| Recovery period |
| Residential rental property |
| Section 1245 property |
|
The recovery period of property is the number of years over which you recover its cost or other basis. It is determined based
on the depreciation
system (GDS or ADS) used.
Recovery Periods Under GDS
Under GDS, property that is not qualified Indian reservation property is depreciated over one of the following recovery periods.
|
Property Class |
Recovery Period |
|
3-year property
|
|
3 years
|
1 |
|
|
5-year property
|
|
5 years
|
|
|
|
7-year property
|
|
7 years
|
|
|
|
10-year property
|
|
10 years
|
|
|
|
15-year property
|
|
15 years
|
2 |
|
|
20-year property
|
|
20 years
|
|
|
|
25-year property
|
|
25 years
|
3 |
|
|
Residential rental property
|
|
27.5 years
|
|
|
|
Nonresidential real property
|
|
39 years
|
4 |
|
| 15 years for qualified rent-to-own property placed in service before August 6, 1997.
|
| 239 years for property that is a retail motor fuels outlet placed in service before August 20, 1996 (31.5 years if placed in
service before
May 13, 1993), unless you elected to depreciate it over 15 years.
|
| 320 years for property placed in service before June 13, 1996, or under a binding contract in effect before June 10, 1996.
|
| 431.5 years for property placed in service before May 13, 1993 (or before January 1, 1994, if the purchase or construction
of the property
is under a binding contract in effect before May 13, 1993, or if construction began before May 13, 1993).
|
The GDS recovery periods for property not listed above can be found in Appendix B, Table of Class Lives and Recovery Periods.
Residential rental property and nonresidential real property are defined earlier under Which Property Class Applies Under GDS.
Enter the appropriate recovery period on Form 4562 under column (d) in section B of Part III, unless already shown (for 25-year
property,
residential rental property, and nonresidential real property).
Office in the home.
If your home is a personal-use single family residence and you begin to use part of your home as an office, depreciate
that part of your home as
nonresidential real property over 39 years (31.5 years if you began using it for business before May 13, 1993). However, if
your home is an apartment
in an apartment building that you own and the building is residential rental property as defined earlier under Which Property Class Applies Under
GDS, depreciate the part used as an office as residential rental property over 27.5 years. See Publication 587 for a discussion
of the tests you
must meet to claim expenses, including depreciation, for the business use of your home.
Home changed to rental use.
If you begin to rent a home that was your personal home before 1987, you depreciate it as residential rental property
over 27.5 years.
Indian Reservation Property
The recovery periods for qualified property you placed in service on an Indian reservation after 1993 and before 2008 are
shorter than those listed
earlier. The following table shows these shorter recovery periods.
|
Property Class |
Recovery
Period |
|
3-year property
|
2 years
|
|
5-year property
|
3 years
|
|
7-year property
|
4 years
|
|
10-year property
|
6 years
|
|
15-year property
|
9 years
|
|
20-year property
|
12 years
|
|
Nonresidential real property
|
22 years
|
Nonresidential real property is defined earlier under Which Property Class Applies Under GDS.
Qualified property.
Property eligible for the shorter recovery periods are 3-, 5-, 7-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year property and nonresidential
real property. You must use
this property predominantly in the active conduct of a trade or business within an Indian reservation. The rental of real
property that is located on
an Indian reservation is treated as the active conduct of a trade or business within an Indian reservation.
The following property is not qualified property.
-
Property used or located outside an Indian reservation on a regular basis, other than qualified infrastructure property.
-
Property acquired directly or indirectly from a related person.
-
Property placed in service for purposes of conducting or housing class I, II, or III gaming activities. These activities are
defined in
section 4 of the Indian Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2703).
-
Any property you must depreciate under ADS. Determine whether property is qualified without regard to the election to use
ADS and after
applying the special rules for listed property not used predominantly for qualified business use (discussed in chapter 5).
Qualified infrastructure property.
Item (1) above does not apply to qualified infrastructure property located outside the reservation that is used to
connect with qualified
infrastructure property within the reservation. Qualified infrastructure property is property that meets all the following
rules.
-
It is qualified property, as defined earlier, except that it is outside the reservation.
-
It benefits the tribal infrastructure.
-
It is available to the general public.
-
It is placed in service in connection with the active conduct of a trade or business within a reservation.
Infrastructure property includes, but is not limited to, roads, power lines, water systems, railroad spurs, and communications
facilities.
Related person.
For purposes of item (2) above, see Related persons in the discussion on property owned or used in 1986 under Which Method Can You
Use To Depreciate Your Property in chapter 1 for a description of related persons.
Indian reservation.
The term Indian reservation means a reservation as defined in section 3(d) of the Indian Financing Act of 1974 (25
U.S.C. 1452(d)) or section 4(10)
of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1903(10)). Section 3(d) of the Indian Financing Act of 1974 defines reservation
to include former
Indian reservations in Oklahoma. For a definition of the term “ former Indian reservations in Oklahoma”, see Notice 98-45 in Internal Revenue
Bulletin 1998-35.
Recovery Periods Under ADS
The recovery periods for most property generally are longer under ADS than they are under GDS. The following table shows some
of the ADS recovery
periods.
|
Property |
Recovery
Period |
|
Rent-to-own property
|
4 years
|
|
Automobiles and light duty trucks
|
5 years
|
|
Computers and peripheral equipment
|
5 years
|
|
High technology telephone station equipment installed on customer premises
|
5 years
|
|
High technology medical equipment
|
5 years
|
|
Personal property with no class life
|
12 years
|
|
Natural gas gathering lines
|
14 years
|
Single purpose agricultural and horticultural
structures
|
15 years
|
|
Any tree or vine bearing fruit or nuts
|
20 years
|
Initial clearing and grading land
improvements for gas utility property
|
20 years
|
Initial clearing and grading land
improvements for electric utility
transmission and distribution plants
|
25 years
|
|
Electric transmission property used in the transmission at 69 or more kilovolts of electricity
|
30 years
|
|
Natural gas distribution lines
|
35 years
|
|
Any qualified leasehold improvement property
|
39 years
|
|
Any qualified restaurant property
|
39 years
|
|
Nonresidential real property
|
40 years
|
|
Residential rental property
|
40 years
|
|
Section 1245 real property not listed in Appendix B
|
40 years
|
|
Railroad grading and tunnel bore
|
50 years
|
The ADS recovery periods for property not listed above can be found in the tables in Appendix B. Rent-to-own property, qualified
leasehold
improvement property, qualified restaurant property, residential rental property, and nonresidential real property are defined
earlier under
Which Property Class Applies Under GDS.
Tax-exempt use property subject to a lease.
The ADS recovery period for any property leased under a lease agreement to a tax-exempt organization, governmental
unit, or foreign person or
entity (other than a partnership) cannot be less than 125 percent of the lease term.
Additions and Improvements
An addition or improvement you make to depreciable property is treated as separate depreciable property. See How Do You Treat Repairs and
Improvements in chapter 1 for a definition of improvements. Its property class and recovery period are the same as those that would apply
to the
original property if you had placed it in service at the same time you placed the addition or improvement in service. The
recovery period begins on
the later of the following dates.
If the improvement you make is qualified leasehold improvement property or qualified restaurant property (defined earlier
under Which Property
Class Applies Under GDS ), the GDS recovery period is 15 years (39 years under ADS).
Example.
You own a rental home that you have been renting out since 1981. If you put an addition on the home and place the addition
in service this year,
you would use MACRS to figure your depreciation deduction for the addition. Under GDS, the property class for the addition
is residential rental
property and its recovery period is 27.5 years because the home to which the addition is made would be residential rental
property if you had placed
it in service this year.
Which Convention Applies?
Terms you may need to know (see Glossary):
| Basis |
| Convention |
| Disposition |
| Nonresidential real property |
| Placed in service |
| Recovery period |
| Residential rental property |
Under MACRS, averaging conventions establish when the recovery period begins and ends. The convention you use determines the
number of months for
which you can claim depreciation in the year you place property in service and in the year you dispose of the property.
The mid-month convention.
Use this convention for nonresidential real property, residential rental property, and any railroad grading or tunnel
bore.
Under this convention, you treat all property placed in service or disposed of during a month as placed in service
or disposed of at the midpoint
of the month. This means that a one-half month of depreciation is allowed for the month the property is placed in service
or disposed of.
Your use of the mid-month convention is indicated by the “ MM” already shown under column (e) in Part III of Form 4562.
The mid-quarter convention.
Use this convention if the mid-month convention does not apply and the total depreciable bases of MACRS property you
placed in service during the
last 3 months of the tax year (excluding nonresidential real property, residential rental property, any railroad grading or
tunnel bore, property
placed in service and disposed of in the same year, and property that is being depreciated under a method other than MACRS)
are more than 40% of the
total depreciable bases of all MACRS property you placed in service during the entire year.
Under this convention, you treat all property placed in service or disposed of during any quarter of the tax year
as placed in service or disposed
of at the midpoint of that quarter. This means that 1½ months of depreciation is allowed for the quarter the property is placed
in
service or disposed of.
If you use this convention, enter “ MQ” under column (e) in Part III of Form 4562.
For purposes of determining whether the mid-quarter convention applies, the depreciable basis of property you placed in service
during the tax year
reflects the reduction in basis for amounts expensed under section 179 and the part of the basis of property attributable
to personal use. However, it
does not reflect any reduction in basis for any special depreciation allowance.
The half-year convention.
Use this convention if neither the mid-quarter convention nor the mid-month convention applies.
Under this convention, you treat all property placed in service or disposed of during a tax year as placed in service
or disposed of at the
midpoint of the year. This means that a one-half year of depreciation is allowed for the year the property is placed in service
or disposed of.
If you use this convention, enter “ HY” under column (e) in Part III of Form 4562.
Which Depreciation Method Applies?
Terms you may need to know (see Glossary):
| Declining balance method |
| Listed property |
| Nonresidential real property |
| Placed in service |
| Property class |
| Recovery period |
| Residential rental property |
| Straight line method |
| Tax exempt |
MACRS provides three depreciation methods under GDS and one depreciation method under ADS.
-
The 200% declining balance method over a GDS recovery period.
-
The 150% declining balance method over a GDS recovery period.
-
The straight line method over a GDS recovery period.
-
The straight line method over an ADS recovery period.
For property placed in service before 1999, you could have elected the 150% declining balance method using the ADS recovery
periods for certain
property classes. If you made this election, continue to use the same method and recovery period for that property.
Table 4-1 lists the types of property you can depreciate under each method. It also gives a brief explanation of the method, including
any benefits that may apply.
Depreciation Methods for Farm Property
If you place personal property in service in a farming business after 1988, you generally must depreciate it under GDS using
the 150% declining
balance method unless you are a farmer who must depreciate the property under ADS using the straight line method or you elect
to depreciate the
property under GDS or ADS using the straight line method. You can depreciate real property using the straight line method
under either GDS or ADS.
Fruit or nut trees and vines.
Depreciate trees and vines bearing fruit or nuts under GDS using the straight line method over a recovery period of
10 years.
ADS required for some farmers.
If you elect not to apply the uniform capitalization rules to any plant produced in your farming business, you must
use ADS. You must use ADS for
all property you place in service in any year the election is in effect. See the regulations under section 263A of the Internal
Revenue Code for
information on the uniform capitalization rules that apply to farm property.
Electing a Different Method
As shown in Table 4-1, you can elect a different method for depreciation for certain types of property. You must make the election by
the due date of the return (including extensions) for the year you placed the property in service. However, if you timely
filed your return for the
year without making the election, you still can make the election by filing an amended return within 6 months of the due date
of the return (excluding
extensions). Attach the election to the amended return and write “Filed pursuant to section 301.9100-2” on the election statement. File the
amended return at the same address you filed the original return. Once you make the election, you cannot change it.
If you elect to use a different method for one item in a property class, you must apply the same method to all property in
that class placed in
service during the year of the election. However, you can make the election on a property-by-property basis for nonresidential
real and residential
rental property.
150% election.
Instead of using the 200% declining balance method over the GDS recovery period for nonfarm property in the 3-, 5-,
7-, and 10-year property
classes, you can elect to use the 150% declining balance method. Make the election by entering “ 150 DB” under column (f) in Part III of Form
4562.
Straight line election.
Instead of using either the 200% or 150% declining balance methods over the GDS recovery period, you can elect to
use the straight line method over
the GDS recovery period. Make the election by entering
“ S/L” under column (f) in Part III of Form 4562.
Election of ADS.
As explained earlier under Which Depreciation System (GDS or ADS) Applies, you can elect to use ADS even though your property may come
under GDS. ADS uses the straight line method of depreciation over fixed ADS recovery periods. Most ADS recovery periods are
listed in Appendix B, or
see the table under Recovery Periods Under ADS, earlier.
Make the election by completing line 20 in Part III of Form 4562.
Farm property.
Instead of using the 150% declining balance method over a GDS recovery period for property you use in a farming business
(other than real
property), you can elect to depreciate it using either of the following methods.
Table 4-1. Depreciation Methods
| Note. The declining balance method is abbreviated as DB and the straight line method is abbreviated as
SL.
|
| Method |
Type of Property |
Benefit |
|
GDS using 200% DB
|
• Nonfarm 3-, 5-, 7-, and 10-year property
|
• Provides a greater deduction during the earlier recovery years
• Changes to SL when that method provides an equal or greater deduction
|
|
GDS using 150% DB
|
• All farm property (except real property)
• All 15- and 20-year property (except qualified leasehold improvement property and qualified restaurant property placed in
service before
January 1, 2008)
• Nonfarm 3-, 5-, 7-, and 10-year property
|
• Provides a greater deduction during the earlier recovery years
• Changes to SL when that method provides an equal or greater deduction
1 |
|
GDS using SL
|
• Nonresidential real property
• Qualified leasehold improvement property placed in service before January 1, 2008
• Qualified restaurant property placed in service before January 1, 2008
• Residential rental property
• Trees or vines bearing fruit or nuts
• Water utility property
• All 3-, 5-, 7-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year property
2 |
• Provides for equal yearly deductions (except for the first and last
years)
|
|
ADS using SL
|
• Listed property used 50% or less for business
• Property used predominantly outside the U.S.
• Qualified leasehold improvement property placed in service before January 1, 2008
• Qualified restaurant property placed in service before January 1, 2008
• Tax-exempt property
• Tax-exempt bond-financed property
• Farm property used when an election not to apply the uniform capitalization rules is in effect
• Imported property
3
• Any property for which you elect to use this method
2 |
• Provides for equal yearly deductions
|
| 1The MACRS percentage tables in Appendix A have the switch to the straight line method built into their rates
|
| 2Elective method
|
| 3See section 168(g)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code
|
How Is the Depreciation Deduction Figured?
Terms you may need to know (see Glossary):
| Adjusted basis |
| Amortization |
| Basis |
| Business/investment use |
| Convention |
| Declining balance method |
| Disposition |
| Exchange |
| Nonresidential real property |
| Placed in service |
| Property class |
| Recovery period |
| Straight line method |
To figure your depreciation deduction under MACRS, you first determine the depreciation system, property class, placed-in-service
date, basis
amount, recovery period, convention, and depreciation method that applies to your property. Then, you are ready to figure
your depreciation deduction.
You can figure it using a percentage table provided by the IRS, or you can figure it yourself without using the table.
Using the MACRS Percentage Tables
To help you figure your deduction under MACRS, the IRS has established percentage tables that incorporate the applicable convention
and
depreciation method. These percentage tables are in Appendix A near the end of this publication.
Which table to use.
Appendix A contains the MACRS Percentage Table Guide, which is designed to help you locate the correct percentage table to use for
depreciating your property. The percentage tables immediately follow the guide.
Rules Covering the Use of the Tables
The following rules cover the use of the percentage tables.
-
You must apply the rates in the percentage tables to your property's unadjusted basis.
-
You cannot use the percentage tables for a short tax year. See Figuring the Deduction for a Short Tax Year, later, for
information on the short tax year rules.
-
Once you start using the percentage tables for any item of property, you generally must continue to use them for the entire
recovery period
of the property.
-
You must stop using the tables if you adjust the basis of the property for any reason other than—
-
Depreciation allowed or allowable, or
-
An addition or improvement to that property that is depreciated as a separate item of property.
Basis adjustments other than those made due to the items listed in (4) include an increase in basis for the recapture of a
clean-fuel deduction
or credit and a reduction in basis for a casualty loss.
Basis adjustment due to recapture of clean-fuel vehicle deduction or credit.
If you increase the basis of your property because of the recapture of part or all of a deduction for clean-fuel vehicles
or the credit for
clean-fuel vehicle refueling property placed in service before January 1, 2006, you cannot continue to use the percentage
tables. For the year of the
adjustment and the remaining recovery period, you must figure the depreciation deduction yourself using the property's adjusted
basis at the end of
the year. See Figuring the Deduction Without Using the Tables, later.
Basis adjustment due to casualty loss.
If you reduce the basis of your property because of a casualty, you cannot continue to use the percentage tables.
For the year of the adjustment
and the remaining recovery period, you must figure the depreciation yourself using the property's adjusted basis at the end
of the year. See
Figuring the Deduction Without Using the Tables, later.
Example.
On October 26, 2006, Sandra Elm, a calendar year taxpayer, bought and placed in service in her business a new item of 7-year
property. It cost
$39,000 and she elected a section 179 deduction of $24,000. She also took a special depreciation allowance of $7,500 [50%
of $15,000 ($39,000 -
$24,000)]. Her unadjusted basis after the section 179 deduction and special depreciation allowance was $7,500 ($15,000 - $7,500).
She figured
her MACRS depreciation deduction using the percentage tables. For 2006, her MACRS depreciation deduction was $268.
In July 2007, the property was vandalized and Sandra had a deductible casualty loss of $3,000. She must adjust the property's
basis for the
casualty loss, so she can no longer use the percentage tables. Her adjusted basis at the end of 2007, before figuring her
2007 depreciation, is
$4,232. She figures that amount by subtracting the 2006 MACRS depreciation of $268 and the casualty loss of $3,000 from the
unadjusted basis of
$7,500. She must now figure her depreciation for 2007 without using the percentage tables.
Figuring the Unadjusted Basis of Your Property
You must apply the table rates to your property's unadjusted basis each year of the recovery period. Unadjusted basis is the
same basis amount you
would use to figure gain on a sale, but you figure it without reducing your original basis by any MACRS depreciation taken
in earlier years. However,
you do reduce your original basis by other amounts, including the following.
-
Any amortization taken on the property.
-
Any section 179 deduction claimed.
-
Any special depreciation allowance taken on the property.
For business property you purchase during the year, the unadjusted basis is its cost minus these and other applicable adjustments.
If you trade
property, your unadjusted basis in the property received is the cash paid plus the adjusted basis of the property traded minus
these adjustments.
You can use this worksheet to help you figure your depreciation deduction using the percentage tables. Use a separate worksheet
for each item of
property. Then, use the information from this worksheet to prepare Form 4562.
Do not use this worksheet for automobiles. Use the Depreciation Worksheet for Passenger Automobiles in chapter 5.
MACRS Worksheet
| Part I |
|
|
1.
|
MACRS system (GDS or ADS)
|
|
|
2.
|
Property class
|
|
|
3.
|
Date placed in service
|
|
|
4.
|
Recovery period
|
|
|
5.
|
Method and convention
|
|
|
6.
|
Depreciation rate (from tables)
|
|
| Part II |
|
|
7.
|
Cost or other basis*
|
$
|
|
|
|
8.
|
Business/investment use
|
|
%
|
|
|
9.
|
Multiply line 7 by line 8
|
|
$
|
|
10.
|
Total claimed for section 179 deduction and other items
|
|
$
|
|
11.
|
Subtract line 10 from line 9. This is your tentative basis for depreciation
|
|
$
|
|
12.
|
Multiply line 11 by .30 if the 30% special depreciation allowance applies. Multiply line 11 by .50 if the
50% special depreciation allowance applies. This is your special depreciation allowance. Enter -0- if this is not the year
you placed the property in
service, the property is not qualified property, or you elected not to claim a special allowance
|
|
$
|
|
13.
|
Subtract line 12 from line 11. This is your basis for depreciation
|
|
|
|
14.
|
Depreciation rate (from line 6)
|
|
|
|
15.
|
Multiply line 13 by line 14. This is your MACRS depreciation deduction
|
|
$
|
|
*If real estate, do not include cost (basis) of land.
|
The following example shows how to figure your MACRS depreciation deduction using the percentage tables and the MACRS worksheet.
Example.
You bought office furniture (7-year property) for $10,000 and placed it in service on August 11, 2007. You use the furniture
only for business.
This is the only property you placed in service this year. You did not elect a section 179 deduction and the property is not
qualified property for
purposes of claiming a special depreciation allowance so your property's unadjusted basis is its cost, $10,000. You use GDS
and the half-year
convention to figure your depreciation. You refer to the MACRS Percentage Table Guide in Appendix A and find that you should use Table A-1.
Multiply your property's unadjusted basis each year by the percentage for 7-year property given in Table A-1. You figure your
depreciation deduction
using the MACRS worksheet as follows.
MACRS Worksheet
| Part I |
|
1.
|
MACRS system (GDS or ADS)
|
GDS
|
|
2.
|
Property class
|
7-year
|
|
3.
|
Date placed in service
|
8/11/07
|
|
4.
|
Recovery period
|
7-Year
|
|
5.
|
Method and convention
|
200%DB/Half-Year
|
|
6.
|
Depreciation rate (from tables)
|
.1429
|
| Part II |
|
7.
|
Cost or other basis*
|
$10,000
|
|
|
|
8.
|
Business/investment use
|
100
|
%
|
|
|
9.
|
Multiply line 7 by line 8
|
|
$10,000
|
|
10.
|
Total claimed for section 179 deduction and other items
|
|
-0-
|
|
11.
|
Subtract line 10 from line 9. This is your tentative basis for depreciation
|
|
$10,000
|
|
12.
|
Multiply line 11 by .30 if the 30% special depreciation allowance applies. Multiply line 11 by .50 if the
50% special depreciation allowance applies. This is your special depreciation allowance. Enter -0- if this is not the year
you placed the property in
service, the property is not qualified property, or you elected not to claim a special allowance
|
|
-0-
|
|
13.
|
Subtract line 12 from line 11. This is your basis for depreciation
|
|
$10,000
|
|
14.
|
Depreciation rate (from line 6)
|
|
.1429
|
|
15.
|
Multiply line 13 by line 14. This is your MACRS depreciation deduction
|
|
$1,429
|
| *If real estate, do not include cost (basis) of
land.
|
If there are no adjustments to the basis of the property other than depreciation, your depreciation deduction for each subsequent
year of the
recovery period will be as follows.
|
Year |
|
Basis |
Percentage |
Deduction |
|
2008
|
$
|
10,000
|
24.49%
|
|
$2,449
|
|
|
2009
|
|
10,000
|
17.49
|
|
1,749
|
|
|
2010
|
|
10,000
|
12.49
|
|
1,249
|
|
|
2011
|
|
10,000
|
8.93
|
|
893
|
|
|
2012
|
|
10,000
|
8.92
|
|
892
|
|
|
2013
|
|
10,000
|
8.93
|
|
893
|
|
|
2014
|
|
10,000
|
4.46
|
|
446
|
|
The following examples are provided to show you how to use the percentage tables. In both examples, assume the following.
-
You use the property only for business.
-
You use the calendar year as your tax year.
-
You use GDS for all the properties.
Example 1.
You bought a building and land for $120,000 and placed it in service on March 8. The sales contract showed that the building
cost $100,000 and the
land cost $20,000. It is nonresidential real property. The building's unadjusted basis is its original cost, $100,000.
You refer to the MACRS Percentage Table Guide in Appendix A and find that you should use Table A-7a. March is the third month of your
tax year, so multiply the building's unadjusted basis, $100,000, by the percentages for the third month in Table A-7a. Your
depreciation deduction for
each of the first 3 years is as follows:
|
Year |
|
Basis |
Percentage |
Deduction |
|
1st
|
$
|
100,000
|
2.033%
|
|
$2,033
|
|
|
2nd
|
|
100,000
|
2.564
|
|
2,564
|
|
|
3rd
|
|
100,000
|
2.564
|
|
2,564
|
|
Example 2.
During the year, you bought a machine (7-year property) for $4,000, office furniture (7-year property) for $1,000, and a computer
(5-year property)
for $5,000. You placed the machine in service in January, the furniture in September, and the computer in October. You do
not elect a section 179
deduction and none of these items is qualified property for purposes of claiming a special depreciation allowance.
You placed property in service during the last three months of the year, so you must first determine if you have to use the
mid-quarter convention.
The total bases of all property you placed in service during the year is $10,000. The $5,000 basis of the computer, which
you placed in service during
the last 3 months (the fourth quarter) of your tax year, is more than 40% of the total bases of all property ($10,000) you
placed in service during
the year. Therefore, you must use the mid-quarter convention for all three items.
You refer to the MACRS Percentage Table Guide in Appendix A to determine which table you should use under the mid-quarter convention.
The machine is 7-year property placed in service in the first quarter, so you use Table A-2. The furniture is 7-year property
placed in service in the
third quarter, so you use Table A-4. Finally, because the computer is 5-year property placed in service in the fourth quarter,
you use Table A-5.
Knowing what table to use for each property, you figure the depreciation for the first 2 years as follows.
| Year |
Property |
Basis |
Percentage |
Deduction |
|
1st
|
Machine
|
$4,000
|
25.00
|
$1,000
|
|
|
2nd
|
Machine
|
4,000
|
21.43
|
857
|
|
|
1st
|
Furniture
|
1,000
|
10.71
|
107
|
|
|
2nd
|
Furniture
|
1,000
|
25.51
|
255
|
|
|
1st
|
Computer
|
5,000
|
5.00
|
250
|
|
|
2nd
|
Computer
|
5,000
|
38.00
|
1,900
|
|
Sale or Other Disposition Before the Recovery Period Ends
If you sell or otherwise dispose of your property before the end of its recovery period, your depreciation deduction for the
year of the
disposition will be only part of the depreciation amount for the full year. You have disposed of your property if you have
permanently withdrawn it
from use in your business or income-producing activity because of its sale, exchange, retirement, abandonment, involuntary
conversion, or destruction.
After you figure the full-year depreciation amount, figure the deductible part using the convention that applies to the property.
Half-year convention used.
For property for which you used a half-year convention, the depreciation deduction for the year of the disposition
is half the depreciation
determined for the full year.
Mid-quarter convention used.
For property for which you used the mid-quarter convention, figure your depreciation deduction for the year of the
disposition by multiplying a
full year of depreciation by the percentage listed below for the quarter in which you disposed of the property.
|
Quarter |
Percentage |
|
First
|
12.5%
|
|
Second
|
37.5
|
|
Third
|
62.5
|
|
Fourth
|
87.5
|
Example.
On December 2, 2004, you placed in service an item of 5-year property costing $10,000. You did not claim a section 179 deduction
and the property
does not qualify for a special depreciation allowance. Your unadjusted basis for the property was $10,000. You used the mid-quarter
convention because
this was the only item of business property you placed in service in 2004 and it was placed in service during the last 3 months
of your tax year. Your
property is in the 5-year property class, so you used Table A-5 to figure your depreciation deduction. Your deductions for
2004, 2005, and 2006 were
$500 (5% of $10,000), $3,800 (38% of $10,000), and $2,280 (22.80% of $10,000). You disposed of the property on April 6, 2007.
To determine your
depreciation deduction for 2007, first figure the deduction for the full year. This is $1,368 (13.68% of $10,000). April is
in the second quarter of
the year, so you multiply $1,368 by 37.5% to get your depreciation deduction of $513 for 2007.
Mid-month convention used.
If you dispose of residential rental or nonresidential real property, figure your depreciation deduction for the year
of the disposition by
multiplying a full year of depreciation by a fraction. The numerator of the fraction is the number of months (including partial
months) in the year
that the property is considered in service. The denominator is 12.
Example.
On July 2, 2005, you purchased and placed in service residential rental property. The property cost $100,000, not including
the cost of land. You
used Table A-6 to figure your MACRS depreciation for this property. You sold the property on March 2, 2007. You file your
tax return based on the
calendar year.
A full year of depreciation for 2007 is $3,636. This is $100,000 multiplied by .03636 (the percentage for the seventh month
of the third recovery
year) from Table A-6. You then apply the mid-month convention for the 2½ months of use in 2007. Treat the month of disposition
as
one-half month of use. Multiply $3,636 by the fraction, 2.5 over 12, to get your 2007 depreciation deduction of $757.50.
Figuring the Deduction Without Using the Tables
Instead of using the rates in the percentage tables to figure your depreciation deduction, you can figure it yourself. Before
making the
computation each year, you must reduce your adjusted basis in the property by the depreciation claimed the previous year.
Figuring MACRS deductions without using the tables generally will result in a slightly different amount than using the tables.
When using a declining balance method, you apply the same depreciation rate each year to the adjusted basis of your property.
You must use the
applicable convention for the first tax year and you must switch to the straight line method beginning in the first year for
which it will give an
equal or greater deduction. The straight line method is explained later.
You figure depreciation for the year you place property in service as follows.
-
Multiply your adjusted basis in the property by the declining balance rate.
-
Apply the applicable convention.
You figure depreciation for all other years (before the year you switch to the straight line method) as follows.
-
Reduce your adjusted basis in the property by the depreciation allowed or allowable in earlier years.
-
Multiply this new adjusted basis by the same declining balance rate used in earlier years.
If you dispose of property before the end of its recovery period, see Using the Applicable Convention, later, for information on how to
figure depreciation for the year you dispose of it.
Figuring depreciation under the declining balance method and switching to the straight line method is illustrated in Example 1, later,
under Examples.
Declining balance rate.
You figure your declining balance rate by dividing the specified declining balance percentage (150% or 200% changed
to a decimal) by the number of
years in the property's recovery period. For example, for 3-year property depreciated using the 200% declining balance method,
divide 2.00 (200%) by 3
to get 0.6667, or a 66.67% declining balance rate. For 15-year property depreciated using the 150% declining balance method,
divide 1.50 (150%) by 15
to get 0.10, or a 10% declining balance rate.
The following table shows the declining balance rate for each property class and the first year for which the straight
line method gives an equal
or greater deduction.
| Property Class |
Method |
Declining Balance Rate |
Year |
|
3-year
|
200% DB
|
66.667%
|
3rd
|
|
5-year
|
200% DB
|
40.0
|
4th
|
|
7-year
|
200% DB
|
28.571
|
5th
|
|
10-year
|
200% DB
|
20.0
|
7th
|
|
15-year
|
150% DB
|
10.0
|
7th
|
|
20-year
|
150% DB
|
7.5
|
9th
|
When using the straight line method, you apply a different depreciation rate each year to the adjusted basis of your property.
You must use the
applicable convention in the year you place the property in service and the year you dispose of the property.
You figure depreciation for the year you place property in service as follows.
-
Multiply your adjusted basis in the property by the straight line rate.
-
Apply the applicable convention.
You figure depreciation for all other years (including the year you switch from the declining balance method to the straight
line method) as
follows.
-
Reduce your adjusted basis in the property by the depreciation allowed or allowable in earlier years (under any method).
-
Determine the depreciation rate for the year.
-
Multiply the adjusted basis figured in (1) by the depreciation rate figured in (2).
If you dispose of property before the end of its recovery period, see Using the Applicable Convention, later, for information on how to
figure depreciation for the year you dispose of it.
Straight line rate.
You determine the straight line depreciation rate for any tax year by dividing the number 1 by the years remaining
in the recovery period at the
beginning of that year. When figuring the number of years remaining, you must take into account the convention used in the
year you placed the
property in service. If the number of years remaining is less than 1, the depreciation rate for that tax year is 1.0 (100%).
Using the Applicable Convention
The applicable convention (discussed earlier under Which Convention Applies) affects how you figure your depreciation deduction for the
year you place your property in service and for the year you dispose of it. It determines how much of the recovery period
remains at the beginning of
each year, so it also affects the depreciation rate for property you depreciate under the straight line method. See Straight line rate in
the previous discussion. Use the applicable convention as explained in the following discussions.
Half-year convention.
If this convention applies, you deduct a half-year of depreciation for the first year and the last year that you depreciate
the property. You
deduct a full year of depreciation for any other year during the recovery period.
Figure your depreciation deduction for the year you place the property in service by dividing the depreciation for
a full year by 2. If you dispose
of the property before the end of the recovery period, figure your depreciation deduction for the year of the disposition
the same way. If you hold
the property for the entire recovery period, your depreciation deduction for the year that includes the final 6 months of
the recovery period is the
amount of your unrecovered basis in the property.
Mid-quarter convention.
If this convention applies, the depreciation you can deduct for the first year you depreciate the property depends
on the quarter in which you
place the property in service.
A quarter of a full 12-month tax year is a period of 3 months. The first quarter in a year begins on the first day
of the tax year. The second
quarter begins on the first day of the fourth month of the tax year. The third quarter begins on the first day of the seventh
month of the tax year.
The fourth quarter begins on the first day of the tenth month of the tax year. A calendar year is divided into the following
quarters.
|
Quarter |
Months |
|
First
|
January, February, March
|
|
Second
|
April, May, June
|
|
Third
|
July, August, September
|
|
Fourth
|
October, November, December
|
Figure your depreciation deduction for the year you place the property in service by multiplying the depreciation
for a full year by the percentage
listed below for the quarter you place the property in service.
|
Quarter |
Percentage |
|
First
|
87.5%
|
|
Second
|
62.5
|
|
Third
|
37.5
|
|
Fourth
|
12.5
|
If you dispose of the property before the end of the recovery period, figure your depreciation deduction for the year
of the disposition by
multiplying a full year of depreciation by the percentage listed below for the quarter you dispose of the property.
|
Quarter |
Percentage |
|
First
|
12.5%
|
|
Second
|
37.5
|
|
Third
|
62.5
|
|
Fourth
|
87.5
|
If you hold the property for the entire recovery period, your depreciation deduction for the year that includes the
final quarter of the recovery
period is the amount of your unrecovered basis in the property.
Mid-month convention.
If this convention applies, the depreciation you can deduct for the first year that you depreciate the property depends
on the month in which you
place the property in service. Figure your depreciation deduction for the year you place the property in service by multiplying
the depreciation for a
full year by a fraction. The numerator of the fraction is the number of full months in the year that the property is in service
plus ½
(or 0.5). The denominator is 12.
If you dispose of the property before the end of the recovery period, figure your depreciation deduction for the year
of the disposition the same
way. If you hold the property for the entire recovery period, your depreciation deduction for the year that includes the final
month of the recovery
period is the amount of your unrecovered basis in the property.
Example.
You use the calendar year and place nonresidential real property in service in August. The property is in service 4 full months
(September,
October, November, and December). Your numerator is 4.5 (4 full months plus 0.5). You multiply the depreciation for a full
year by 4.5/12, or 0.375.
The following examples show how to figure depreciation under MACRS without using the percentage tables. Figures are rounded
for purposes of the
examples. Assume for all the examples that you use a calendar year as your tax year.
Example 1—200% DB method and half-year convention.
In February, you placed in service depreciable property with a 5-year recovery period and a basis of $1,000. You do not elect
to take the section
179 deduction and the property does not qualify for a special depreciation allowance. You use GDS and the 200% declining balance
(DB) method to figure
your depreciation. When the straight line (SL) method results in an equal or larger deduction, you switch to the SL method.
You did not place any
property in service in the last 3 months of the year, so you must use the half-year convention.
First year. You figure the depreciation rate under the 200% DB method by dividing 2 (200%) by 5 (the number of years in the recovery
period). The result is 40%. You multiply the adjusted basis of the property ($1,000) by the 40% DB rate. You apply the half-year
convention by
dividing the result ($400) by 2. Depreciation for the first year under the 200% DB method is $200.
You figure the depreciation rate under the straight line (SL) method by dividing 1 by 5, the number of years in the recovery
period. The result is
20%.You multiply the adjusted basis of the property ($1,000) by the 20% SL rate. You apply the half-year convention by dividing
the result ($200) by
2. Depreciation for the first year under the SL method is $100.
The DB method provides a larger deduction, so you deduct the $200 figured under the 200% DB method.
Second year. You reduce the adjusted basis ($1,000) by the depreciation claimed in the first year ($200). You multiply the result ($800)
by the DB rate (40%). Depreciation for the second year under the 200% DB method is $320.
You figure the SL depreciation rate by dividing 1 by 4.5, the number of years remaining in the recovery period. (Based on
the half-year convention,
you used only half a year of the recovery period in the first year.) You multiply the reduced adjusted basis ($800) by the
result (22.22%).
Depreciation under the SL method for the second year is $178.
The DB method provides a larger deduction, so you deduct the $320 figured under the 200% DB method.
Third year. You reduce the adjusted basis ($800) by the depreciation claimed in the second year ($320). You multiply the result ($480)
by the DB rate (40%). Depreciation for the third year under the 200% DB method is $192.
You figure the SL depreciation rate by dividing 1 by 3.5. You multiply the reduced adjusted basis ($480) by the result (28.57%).
Depreciation under
the SL method for the third year is $137.
The DB method provides a larger deduction, so you deduct the $192 figured under the 200% DB method.
Fourth year. You reduce the adjusted basis ($480) by the depreciation claimed in the third year ($192). You multiply the result ($288)
by the DB rate (40%). Depreciation for the fourth year under the 200% DB method is $115.
You figure the SL depreciation rate by dividing 1 by 2.5. You multiply the reduced adjusted basis ($288) by the result (40%).
Depreciation under
the SL method for the fourth year is $115.
The SL method provides an equal deduction, so you switch to the SL method and deduct the $115.
Fifth year. You reduce the adjusted basis ($288) by the depreciation claimed in the fourth year ($115) to get the reduced adjusted basis
of $173. You figure the SL depreciation rate by dividing 1 by 1.5. You multiply the reduced adjusted basis ($173) by the result
(66.67%). Depreciation
under the SL method for the fifth year is $115.
Sixth year. You reduce the adjusted basis ($173) by the depreciation claimed in the fifth year ($115) to get the reduced adjusted basis
of $58. There is less than one year remaining in the recovery period, so the SL depreciation rate for the sixth year is 100%.
You multiply the reduced
adjusted basis ($58) by 100% to arrive at the depreciation deduction for the sixth year ($58).
Example 2—SL method and mid-month convention.
In January, you bought and placed in service a building for $100,000 that is nonresidential real property with a recovery
period of 39 years. The
adjusted basis of the building is its cost of $100,000. You use GDS, the straight line (SL) method, and the mid-month convention
to figure your
depreciation.
First year. You figure the SL depreciation rate for the building by dividing 1 by 39 years. The result is .02564. The depreciation for
a
full year is $2,564 ($100,000 × .02564). Under the mid-month convention, you treat the property as placed in service in the
middle of January.
You get 11.5 months of depreciation for the year. Expressed as a decimal, the fraction of 11.5 months divided by 12 months
is .958. Your first-year
depreciation for the building is $2,456 ($2,564 × .958).
Second year. You subtract $2,456 from $100,000 to get your adjusted basis of $97,544 for the second year. The SL rate is .02629. This
is
1 divided by the remaining recovery period of 38.042 years (39 years reduced by 11.5 months or .958 year). Your depreciation
for the building for the
second year is $2,564 ($97,544 × .02629).
Third year. The adjusted basis is $94,980 ($97,544 - $2,564). The SL rate is .027 (1 divided by 37.042 remaining years). Your
depreciation for the third year is $2,564 ($94,980 × .027).
Example 3—200% DB method and mid-quarter convention.
During the year, you bought and placed in service in your business the following items.
| Item |
Month Placed
in Service |
Cost |
|
Safe
|
January
|
$4,000
|
|
Office furniture
|
September
|
1,000
|
|
Computer (not listed property)
|
October
|
5,000
|
You do not elect a section 179 deduction and these items do not qualify for a special depreciation allowance. You use GDS
and the 200%
declining balance (DB) method to figure the depreciation. The total bases of all property you placed in service this year
is $10,000. The basis of the
computer ($5,000) is more than 40% of the total bases of all property placed in service during the year ($10,000), so you
must use the mid-quarter
convention. This convention applies to all three items of property. The safe and office furniture are 7-year property and
the computer is 5-year
property.
First and second year depreciation for safe. The 200% DB rate for 7-year property is .28571. You determine this by dividing 2.00 (200%)
by 7 years. The depreciation for the safe for a full year is $1,143 ($4,000 × .28571). You placed the safe in service in the
first quarter of
your tax year, so you multiply $1,143 by 87.5% (the mid-quarter percentage for the first quarter). The result, $1,000, is
your deduction for
depreciation on the safe for the first year.
For the second year, the adjusted basis of the safe is $3,000. You figure this by subtracting the first year's depreciation
($1,000) from the basis
of the safe ($4,000). Your depreciation deduction for the second year is $857
($3,000 × .28571).
First and second year depreciation for furniture. The furniture is also 7-year property, so you use the same 200% DB rate of .28571. You
multiply the basis of the furniture ($1,000) by .28571 to get the depreciation of $286 for the full year. You placed the furniture
in service in the
third quarter of your tax year, so you multiply $286 by 37.5% (the mid-quarter percentage for the third quarter). The result,
$107, is your deduction
for depreciation on the furniture for the first year.
For the second year, the adjusted basis of the furniture is $893. You figure this by subtracting the first year's depreciation
($107) from the
basis of the furniture ($1,000). Your depreciation for the second year is $255 ($893 × .28571).
First and second year depreciation for computer. The 200% DB rate for 5-year property is .40. You determine this by dividing 2.00 (200%)
by 5 years. The depreciation for the computer for a full year is $2,000 ($5,000 × .40). You placed the computer in service
in the fourth quarter
of your tax year, so you multiply the $2,000 by 12.5% (the mid-quarter percentage for the fourth quarter). The result, $250,
is your deduction for
depreciation on the computer for the first year.
For the second year, the adjusted basis of the computer is $4,750. You figure this by subtracting the first year's depreciation
($250) from the
basis of the computer ($5,000). Your depreciation deduction for the second year is $1,900 ($4,750 × .40).
Example 4—200% DB method and half-year convention.
Last year, in July, you bought and placed in service in your business a new item of 7-year property. This was the only item
of property you placed
in service last year. The property cost $39,000 and you elected a $24,000 section 179 deduction. You also took a special depreciation
allowance of
$7,500. Your unadjusted basis for the property is $7,500. Because you did not place any property in service in the last 3
months of your tax year, you
used the half-year convention. You figured your deduction using the percentages in Table A-1 for 7-year property. Last year,
your depreciation was
$1,072 ($7,500 × 14.29%).
In July of this year, your property was vandalized. You had a deductible casualty loss of $3,000. You spent $3,500 to put
the property back in
operational order. Your adjusted basis at the end of this year is $6,928. You figured this by first subtracting the first
year's depreciation ($1,072)
and the casualty loss ($3,000) from the unadjusted basis of $7,500. To this amount ($3,428), you then added the $3,500 repair
cost.
You cannot use the table percentages to figure your depreciation for this property for this year because of the adjustments
to basis. You must
figure the deduction yourself. You determine the DB rate by dividing 2.00 (200%) by 7 years. The result is .28571 or 28.571%.
You multiply the
adjusted basis of your property ($6,928) by the declining balance rate of .28571 to get your depreciation deduction of $1,979
for this year.
Figuring the Deduction for Property Acquired in a Nontaxable Exchange
If your property has a carryover basis because you acquired it in a nontaxable transfer such as a like-kind exchange or involuntary
conversion, you
must generally figure depreciation for the property as if the transfer had not occurred. However, see Like-kind exchanges and involuntary
conversions, earlier, in chapter 3 under How Much Can You Deduct and Property Acquired in a Like-kind Exchange or Involuntary
Conversion, next.
Property Acquired in a Like-kind Exchange or Involuntary Conversion
You generally must depreciate the carryover basis of property acquired in a like-kind exchange or involuntary conversion over
the remaining
recovery period of the property exchanged or involuntarily converted. You also generally continue to use the same depreciation
method and convention
used for the exchanged or involuntarily converted property. This applies only to acquired property with the same or a shorter
recovery period and the
same or more accelerated depreciation method than the property exchanged or involuntarily converted. The excess basis (the
part of the acquired
property's basis that exceeds its carryover basis), if any, of the acquired property is treated as newly placed in service
property.
For acquired property that has a longer recovery period or less accelerated depreciation method than the exchanged or involuntarily
converted
property, you generally must depreciate the carryover basis of the acquired property as if it were placed in service in the
same tax year as the
exchanged or involuntarily converted property. You also generally continue to use the longer recovery period and less accelerated
depreciation method
of the acquired property.
If the MACRS property you acquired in the exchange or involuntary conversion is qualified property, discussed earlier in chapter
3 under What
Is Qualified Property, you can claim a special depreciation allowance on the carryover basis.
Special rules apply to vehicles acquired in a trade-in. For information on how to figure depreciation for a vehicle acquired
in a trade-in that is
subject to the passenger automobile limits, see Deductions For Passenger Automobiles Acquired in a Trade-in under Do the Passenger
Automobile Limits Apply in chapter 5.
Election out.
Instead of using the above rules, you can elect, for depreciation purposes, to treat the adjusted basis of the exchanged
or involuntarily converted
property as if disposed of at the time of the exchange or involuntary conversion. Treat the carryover basis and excess basis,
if any, for the acquired
property as if placed in service the later of the date you acquired it or the time of the disposition of the exchanged or
involuntarily converted
property. The depreciable basis of the new property is the adjusted basis of the exchanged or involuntarily converted property
plus any additional
amount you paid for it. The election, if made, applies to both the acquired property and the exchanged or involuntarily converted
property. This
election does not affect the amount of gain or loss recognized on the exchange or involuntary conversion.
When to make the election.
You must make the election on a timely filed return (including extensions) for the year of replacement. The election
must be made separately by
each person acquiring replacement property. In the case of a partnership, S corporation, or consolidated group, the election
is made by the
partnership, by the S corporation, or by the common parent of a consolidated group, respectively. Once made, the election
may not be revoked without
IRS consent.
For more information and special rules, see the Instructions for Form 4562.
Property Acquired in a Nontaxable Transfer
You must depreciate MACRS property acquired by a corporation or partnership in certain nontaxable transfers over the property's
remaining recovery
period in the transferor's hands, as if the transfer had not occurred. You must continue to use the same depreciation method
and convention as the
transferor. You can depreciate the part of the property's basis that exceeds its carryover basis (the transferor's adjusted
basis in the property) as
newly purchased MACRS property.
The nontaxable transfers covered by this rule include the following.
-
A distribution in complete liquidation of a subsidiary.
-
A transfer to a corporation controlled by the transferor.
-
An exchange of property solely for corporate stock or securities in a reorganization.
-
A contribution of property to a partnership in exchange for a partnership interest.
-
A partnership distribution of property to a partner.
Figuring the Deduction for a Short Tax Year
You cannot use the MACRS percentage tables to determine depreciation for a short tax year. A short tax year is any tax year
with less than 12 full
months. This section discusses the rules for determining the depreciation deduction for property you place in service or dispose
of in a short tax
year. It also discusses the rules for determining depreciation when you have a short tax year during the recovery period (other
than the year the
property is placed in service or disposed of).
For more information on figuring depreciation for a short tax year, see Revenue Procedure 89-15, 1989-1 C.B. 816.
Using the Applicable Convention in a Short Tax Year
The applicable convention establishes the date property is treated as placed in service and disposed of. Depreciation is allowable
only for that
part of the tax year the property is treated as in service. The recovery period begins on the placed-in-service date determined
by applying the
convention. The remaining recovery period at the beginning of the next tax year is the full recovery period less the part
for which depreciation was
allowable in the first tax year.
The following discussions explain how to use the applicable convention in a short tax year.
Mid-month convention.
Under the mid-month convention, you always treat your property as placed in service or disposed of on the midpoint
of the month it is placed in
service or disposed of. You apply this rule without regard to your tax year.
Half-year convention.
Under the half-year convention, you treat property as placed in service or disposed of on the midpoint of the tax
year it is placed in service or
disposed of.
First or last day of month.
For a short tax year beginning on the first day of a month or ending on the last day of a month, the tax year consists
of the number of months in
the tax year. If the short tax year includes part of a month, you generally include the full month in the number of months
in the tax year. You
determine the midpoint of the tax year by dividing the number of months in the tax year by 2. For the half-year convention,
you treat property as
placed in service or disposed of on either the first day or the midpoint of a month.
For example, a short tax year that begins on June 20 and ends on December 31 consists of 7 months. You use only full
months for this determination,
so you treat the tax year as beginning on June 1 instead of June 20. The midpoint of the tax year is the middle of September
(3½ months
from the beginning of the tax year). You treat property as placed in service or disposed of on this midpoint.
Example.
Tara Corporation, a calendar year taxpayer, was incorporated on March 15. For purposes of the half-year convention, it has
a short tax year of 10
months, ending on December 31, 2007. During the short tax year, Tara placed property in service for which it uses the half-year
convention. Tara
treats this property as placed in service on the first day of the sixth month of the short tax year, or August 1, 2007.
Not on first or last day of month.
For a short tax year not beginning on the first day of a month and not ending on the last day of a month, the tax
year consists of the number of
days in the tax year. You determine the midpoint of the tax year by dividing the number of days in the tax year by 2. For
the half-year convention,
you treat property as placed in service or disposed of on either the first day or the midpoint of a month. If the result of
dividing the number of
days in the tax year by 2 is not the first day or the midpoint of a month, you treat the property as placed in service or
disposed of on the nearest
preceding first day or midpoint of a month.
Mid-quarter convention.
To determine if you must use the mid-quarter convention, compare the basis of property you place in service in the
last 3 months of your tax year
to that of property you place in service during the full tax year. The length of your tax year does not matter. If you have
a short tax year of 3
months or less, use the mid-quarter convention for all applicable property you place in service during that tax year.
You treat property under the mid-quarter convention as placed in service or disposed of on the midpoint of the quarter
of the tax year in which it
is placed in service or disposed of. Divide a short tax year into 4 quarters and determine the midpoint of each quarter.
For a short tax year of 4 or 8 full calendar months, determine quarters on the basis of whole months. The midpoint
of each quarter is either the
first day or the midpoint of a month. Treat property as placed in service or disposed of on this midpoint.
To determine the midpoint of a quarter for a short tax year of other than 4 or 8 full calendar months, complete the
following steps.
-
Determine the number of days in your short tax year.
-
Determine the number of days in each quarter by dividing the number of days in your short tax year
by 4.
-
Determine the midpoint of each quarter by dividing the number of days in each quarter by 2.
If the result of (3) gives you a midpoint of a quarter that is on a day other than the first day or midpoint of a
month, treat the property as
placed in service or disposed of on the nearest preceding first day or midpoint of that month.
Example.
Tara Corporation, a calendar year taxpayer, was incorporated and began business on March 15. It has a short tax year of 9½
months,
ending on December 31. During December, it placed property in service for which it must use the mid-quarter convention. This
is a short tax year of
other than 4 or 8 full calendar months, so it must determine the midpoint of each quarter.
-
First, it determines that its short tax year beginning March 15 and ending December 31 consists of 292 days.
-
Next, it divides 292 by 4 to determine the length of each quarter, 73 days.
-
Finally, it divides 73 by 2 to determine the midpoint of each quarter, the 37th day.
The following table shows the quarters of Tara Corporation's short tax year, the midpoint of each quarter, and the date in
each quarter that Tara
must treat its property as placed in service.
| Quarter |
Midpoint |
Placed in Service |
|
3/15 - 5/26
|
4/20
|
4/15
|
|
5/27 - 8/07
|
7/02
|
7/01
|
|
8/08 - 10/19
|
9/13
|
9/01
|
|
10/20 - 12/31
|
11/25
|
11/15
|
The last quarter of the short tax year begins on October 20, which is 73 days from December 31, the end of the tax year. The
37th day of the last
quarter is November 25, which is the midpoint of the quarter. November 25 is not the first day or the midpoint of November,
so Tara Corporation must
treat the property as placed in service in the middle of November (the nearest preceding first day or midpoint of that month).
Property Placed in Service in a Short Tax Year
To figure your MACRS depreciation deduction for the short tax year, you must first determine the depreciation for a full tax
year. You do this by
multiplying your basis in the property by the applicable depreciation rate. Then, determine the depreciation for the short
tax year. Do this by
multiplying the depreciation for a full tax year by a fraction. The numerator (top number) of the fraction is the number of
months (including parts of
a month) the property is treated as in service during the tax year (applying the applicable convention). The denominator (bottom
number) is 12. See
Depreciation After a Short Tax Year, later, for information on how to figure depreciation in later years.
Example 1—half-year convention.
Tara Corporation, with a short tax year beginning March 15 and ending December 31, placed in service on March 16 an item of
5-year property with a
basis of $1,000. This is the only property the corporation placed in service during the short tax year. Tara does not elect
to claim a section 179
deduction and the property does not qualify for a special depreciation allowance. The depreciation method for this property
is the 200% declining
balance method. The depreciation rate is 40% and Tara applies the half-year convention.
Tara treats the property as placed in service on
August 1. The determination of this August 1 date is explained in the example illustrating the half-year convention under
Using the Applicable
Convention in a Short Tax Year, earlier. Tara is allowed 5 months of depreciation for the short tax year that consists of 10 months. The
corporation first multiplies the basis ($1,000) by 40% (the declining balance rate) to get the depreciation for a full tax
year of $400. The
corporation then multiplies $400 by 5/12 to get the short tax year depreciation of $167.
Example 2—mid-quarter convention.
Tara Corporation, with a short tax year beginning March 15 and ending on December 31, placed in service on October 16 an item
of 5-year property
with a basis of $1,000. Tara does not elect to claim a section 179 deduction and the property does not qualify for a special
depreciation allowance.
The depreciation method for this property is the 200% declining balance method. The depreciation rate is 40%. The corporation
must apply the
mid-quarter convention because the property was the only item placed in service that year and it was placed in service in
the last 3 months of the tax
year.
Tara treats the property as placed in service on September 1. This date is shown in the table provided in the example illustrating
the mid-quarter
convention under Using the Applicable Convention in a Short Tax Year, earlier, for property that Tara Corporation placed in service during
the quarter that begins on August 8 and ends on October 19. Under MACRS, Tara is allowed 4 months of depreciation for the
short tax year that consists
of 10 months. The corporation first multiplies the basis ($1,000) by 40% to get the depreciation for a full tax year of $400.
The corporation then
multiplies $400 by 4/12 to get the short tax year depreciation of $133.
Property Placed in Service Before a Short Tax Year
If you have a short tax year after the tax year in which you began depreciating property, you must change the way you figure
depreciation for that
property. If you were using the percentage tables, you can no longer use them. You must figure depreciation for the short
tax year and each later tax
year as explained next.
Depreciation After a Short Tax Year
You can use either of the following methods to figure the depreciation for years after a short tax year.
-
The simplified method.
-
The allocation method.
You must use the method you choose consistently.
Using the simplified method for a 12-month year.
Under the simplified method, you figure the depreciation for a later 12-month year in the recovery period by multiplying
the adjusted basis of your
property at the beginning of the year by the applicable depreciation rate.
Example.
Assume the same facts as in Example 1 under Property Placed in Service in a Short Tax Year, earlier. The Tara Corporation
claimed depreciation of $167 for its short tax year. The adjusted basis on January 1 of the next year is $833 ($1,000 - $167).
Tara's
depreciation for that next year is 40% of $833, or $333.
Using the simplified method for a short year.
If a later tax year in the recovery period is a short tax year, you figure depreciation for that year by multiplying
the adjusted basis of the
property at the beginning of the tax year by the applicable depreciation rate, and then by a fraction. The fraction's numerator
is the number of
months (including parts of a month) in the tax year. Its denominator is 12.
Using the simplified method for an early disposition.
If you dispose of property in a later tax year before the end of the recovery period, determine the depreciation for
the year of disposition by
multiplying the adjusted basis of the property at the beginning of the tax year by the applicable depreciation rate and then
multiplying the result by
a fraction. The fraction's numerator is the number of months (including parts of a month) the property is treated as in service
during the tax year
(applying the applicable convention). Its denominator is 12.
Using the allocation method for a 12-month or short tax year.
Under the allocation method, you figure the depreciation for each later tax year by allocating to that year the depreciation
attributable to the
parts of the recovery years that fall within that year. Whether your tax year is a 12-month or short tax year, you figure
the depreciation by
determining which recovery years are included in that year. For each recovery year included, multiply the depreciation attributable
to that recovery
year by a fraction. The fraction's numerator is the number of months (including parts of a month) that are included in both
the tax year and the
recovery year. Its denominator is 12. The allowable depreciation for the tax year is the sum of the depreciation figured for
each recovery year.
Example.
Assume the same facts as in Example 1 under Property Placed in Service in a Short Tax Year, earlier. The Tara Corporation's
first tax year after the short tax year is a full year of 12 months, beginning January 1 and ending December 31. The first
recovery year for the
5-year property placed in service during the short tax year extends from August 1 to July 31. Tara deducted 5 months of the
first recovery year on its
short-year tax return. Seven months of the first recovery year and 5 months of the second recovery year fall within the next
tax year. The
depreciation for the next tax year is $333, which is the sum of the following.
-
$233—The depreciation for the first recovery year
($400 × 7/12).
-
$100—The depreciation for the second recovery year. This is figured by multiplying the adjusted basis of $600 ($1,000 - $400)
by
40%, then multiplying the $240 result by 5/12.
Using the allocation method for an early disposition.
If you dispose of property before the end of the recovery period in a later tax year, determine the depreciation for
the year of disposition by
multiplying the depreciation figured for each recovery year or part of a recovery year included in the tax year by a fraction.
The numerator of the
fraction is the number of months (including parts of months) the property is treated as in service in the tax year (applying
the applicable
convention). The denominator is 12. If there is more than one recovery year in the tax year, you add together the depreciation
for each recovery year.
How Do You Use General Asset Accounts?
Terms you may need to know (see Glossary):
| Adjusted basis |
| Amortization |
| Amount realized |
| Basis |
| Convention |
| Disposition |
| Exchange |
| Placed in service |
| Recovery period |
| Section 1245 property |
| Unadjusted basis |
To make it easier to figure MACRS depreciation, you can group separate properties into one or more general asset accounts
(GAAs). You then can
depreciate all the properties in each account as a single item of property.
Property you cannot include.
You cannot include property in a GAA if you use it in both a personal activity and a trade or business (or for the
production of income) in the
year in which you first place it in service. If property you included in a GAA is later used in a personal activity, see Terminating GAA
Treatment, later.
Property generating foreign source income.
For information on the GAA treatment of property that generates foreign source income, see sections 1.168(i)-1(f)
of the regulations.
Change in use.
Special rules apply to figuring depreciation for property in a GAA for which the use changes during the tax year.
Examples include a change in use
resulting in a shorter recovery period and/or more accelerated depreciation method or a change in use resulting in a longer
recovery period and/or a
less accelerated depreciation method. See sections 1.168(i)-1(h) and 1.168(i)-4 of the regulations.
Each GAA must include only property you placed in service in the same year and that has the following in common.
-
Asset class, if any.
-
Recovery period.
-
Depreciation method.
-
Convention.
The following rules also apply when you establish a GAA.
-
No asset class. Properties without an asset class, but with the same depreciation method, recovery period, and convention, can be
grouped into the same GAA.
-
Mid-quarter convention. Property subject to the mid-quarter convention can only be grouped into a GAA with property placed in
service in the same quarter of the tax year.
-
Mid-month convention. Property subject to the mid-month convention can only be grouped into a GAA with property placed in service
in the same month of the tax year.
-
Passenger automobiles. Passenger automobiles subject to the limits on passenger automobile depreciation must be grouped into a
separate GAA.
Figuring Depreciation for a GAA
After you have set up a GAA, you generally figure the MACRS depreciation for it by using the applicable depreciation method,
recovery period, and
convention for the property in the GAA. For each GAA, record the depreciation allowance in a separate depreciation reserve
account.
Example.
Make & Sell, a calendar-year corporation, set up a GAA for ten machines. The machines cost a total of $10,000 and were placed
in service in
June 2007. One of the machines cost $8,200 and the rest cost a total of $1,800. This GAA is depreciated under the 200% declining
balance method with a
5-year recovery period and a half-year convention. Make & Sell did not claim the section 179 deduction on the machines and
the machines did not
qualify for a special depreciation allowance. The depreciation allowance for 2007 is $2,000 [($10,000 × 40%) ÷ 2]. As of January
1, 2008,
the depreciation reserve account is $2,000.
Passenger automobiles.
To figure depreciation on passenger automobiles in a GAA, apply the deduction limits discussed in chapter 5 under
Do the Passenger Automobile
Limits Apply. Multiply the amount determined using these limits by the number of automobiles originally included in the account, reduced
by the
total number of automobiles removed from the GAA as discussed in Terminating GAA Treatment, later.
Disposing of GAA Property
When you dispose of property included in a GAA, the following rules generally apply.
-
Neither the unadjusted depreciable basis (defined later) nor the depreciation reserve account of the GAA is affected. You
continue to
depreciate the account as if the disposition had not occurred.
-
The property is treated as having an adjusted basis of zero, so you cannot realize a loss on the disposition. If the property
is transferred
to a supplies, scrap, or similar account, its basis in that account is zero.
-
Any amount realized on the disposition is treated as ordinary income, up to the limit discussed later under Treatment of amount
realized.
However, these rules do not apply to any disposition described later under Terminating GAA Treatment.
Disposition.
Property in a GAA is considered disposed of when you do any of the following.
-
Permanently withdraw it from use in your trade or business or from the production of income.
-
Transfer it to a supplies, scrap, or similar account.
-
Sell, exchange, retire, physically abandon, or destroy it.
The retirement of a structural component of real property is not a disposition.
Treatment of amount realized.
When you dispose of property in a GAA, you must recognize any amount realized from the disposition as ordinary income,
up to a limit. The limit is:
-
The unadjusted depreciable basis of the GAA plus
-
Any expensed costs for property in the GAA that are subject to recapture as depreciation (not including any expensed costs
for property that
you removed from the GAA under the rules discussed later under Terminating GAA Treatment), minus
-
Any amount previously recognized as ordinary income upon the disposition of other property from the GAA.
Unadjusted depreciable basis.
The unadjusted depreciable basis of a GAA is the total of the unadjusted depreciable bases of all the property in
the GAA. The unadjusted
depreciable basis of an item of property in a GAA is the amount you would use to figure gain or loss on its sale, but figured
without reducing your
original basis by any depreciation allowed or allowable in earlier years. However, you do reduce your original basis by other
amounts, including any
amortization deduction, section 179 deduction, special depreciation allowance, and electric vehicle credit.
Expensed costs.
Expensed costs that are subject to recapture as depreciation include the following.
-
The section 179 deduction.
-
Amortization deductions for the following.
-
Pollution control facilities.
-
Removal of barriers for the elderly and disabled.
-
Tertiary injectants.
-
Reforestation expenses.
Example 1.
The facts are the same as in the example under Figuring Depreciation for a GAA, earlier. In February 2008, Make & Sell sells the
machine that cost $8,200 to an unrelated person for $9,000. The machine is treated as having an adjusted basis of zero.
On its 2008 tax return, Make & Sell recognizes the $9,000 amount realized as ordinary income because it is not more than the
GAA's unadjusted
depreciable basis ($10,000) plus any expensed cost (for example, the section 179 deduction) for property in the GAA ($0),
minus any amounts previously
recognized as ordinary income because of dispositions of other property from the GAA ($0).
The unadjusted depreciable basis and depreciation reserve of the GAA are not affected by the sale of the machine. The depreciation
allowance for
the GAA in 2008 is $3,200 [($10,000 - $2,000) × 40%].
Example 2.
Assume the same facts as in Example 1. In June 2009, Make & Sell sells seven machines to an unrelated person for a total of $1,100.
These machines are treated as having an adjusted basis of zero.
On its 2009 tax return, Make & Sell recognizes $1,000 as ordinary income. This is the GAA's unadjusted depreciable basis ($10,000)
plus the
expensed costs ($0), minus the amount previously recognized as ordinary income ($9,000). The remaining amount realized of
$100 ($1,100 - $1,000)
is section 1231 gain (discussed in chapter 3 of Publication 544).
The unadjusted depreciable basis and depreciation reserve of the GAA are not affected by the disposition of the machines.
The depreciation
allowance for the GAA in 2009 is $1,920 [($10,000 - $5,200) × 40%].
Terminating GAA Treatment
You must remove the following property from a GAA.
-
Property you dispose of in a nonrecognition transaction or an abusive transaction.
-
Property you dispose of in a qualifying disposition or in a disposition of all the property in the GAA, if you choose to terminate
GAA
treatment.
-
Property you dispose of in a like-kind exchange or an involuntary conversion.
-
Property you change to personal use.
-
Property for which you must recapture any allowable credit or deduction, such as the investment credit, the credit for qualified
electric
vehicles, the section 179 deduction, or the deduction for clean-fuel vehicles and clean-fuel vehicle refueling property placed
in service before
January 1, 2006.
If you remove property from a GAA, you must make the following adjustments.
-
Reduce the unadjusted depreciable basis of the GAA by the unadjusted depreciable basis of the property as of the first day
of the tax year
in which the disposition, change in use, or recapture event occurs. You can use any reasonable method that is consistently
applied to determine the
unadjusted depreciable basis of the property you remove from a GAA.
-
Reduce the depreciation reserve account by the depreciation allowed or allowable for the property (computed in the same way
as computed for
the GAA) as of the end of the tax year immediately preceding the year in which the disposition, change in use, or recapture
event occurs.
These adjustments have no effect on the recognition and character of prior dispositions subject to the rules discussed earlier
under
Disposing of GAA Property.
Nonrecognition transactions.
If you dispose of GAA property in a nonrecognition transaction, you must remove it from the GAA. The following are
nonrecognition transactions.
-
The receipt by one corporation of property distributed in complete liquidation of another corporation.
-
The transfer of property to a corporation solely in exchange for stock in that corporation if the transferor is in control
of the
corporation immediately after the exchange.
-
The transfer of property by a corporation that is a party to a reorganization in exchange solely for stock and securities
in another
corporation that is also a party to the reorganization.
-
The contribution of property to a partnership in exchange for an interest in the partnership.
-
The distribution of property (including money) from a partnership to a partner.
-
Any transaction between members of the same affiliated group during any year for which the group makes a consolidated return.
Rules for recipient (transferee).
The recipient of the property (the person to whom it is transferred) must include your (the transferor's) adjusted
basis in the property in a GAA.
If you transferred either all of the property or the last item of property in a GAA, the recipient's basis in the property
is the result of the
following.
-
The adjusted depreciable basis of the GAA as of the beginning of your tax year in which the transaction takes place,
minus
-
The depreciation allowable to you for the year of the transfer.
For this purpose, the adjusted depreciable basis of a GAA is the unadjusted depreciable basis of the GAA minus any
depreciation allowed or
allowable for the GAA.
Abusive transactions.
If you dispose of GAA property in an abusive transaction, you must remove it from the GAA. A disposition is an abusive
transaction if it is not a
nonrecognition transaction (described earlier) or a like-kind exchange or involuntary conversion and a main purpose for the
disposition is to get a
tax benefit or a result that would not be available without the use of a GAA. Examples of abusive transactions include the
following.
-
A transaction with a main purpose of shifting income or deductions among taxpayers in a way that would not be possible without
choosing to
use a GAA to take advantage of differing effective tax rates.
-
A choice to use a GAA with a main purpose of disposing of property from the GAA so that you can use an expiring net operating
loss or
credit. For example, if you have a net operating loss carryover or a credit carryover, the following transactions will be
considered abusive
transactions unless there is strong evidence to the contrary.
-
A transfer of GAA property to a related person.
-
A transfer of GAA property under an agreement where the property continues to be used, or is available for use, by you.
Figuring gain or loss.
You must determine the gain, loss, or other deduction due to an abusive transaction by taking into account the property's
adjusted basis. The
adjusted basis of the property at the time of the disposition is the result of the following:
-
The unadjusted depreciable basis of the property, minus
-
The depreciation allowed or allowable for the property figured by using the depreciation method, recovery period, and convention
that
applied to the GAA in which the property was included.
If there is a gain, the amount subject to recapture as ordinary income is the smaller of the following.
-
The depreciation allowed or allowable for the property, including any expensed cost (such as section 179 deductions or the
additional
depreciation allowed or allowable for the property).
-
The result of the following:
-
The original unadjusted depreciable basis of the GAA (plus, for section 1245 property originally included in the GAA, any
expensed cost),
minus
-
The total gain previously recognized as ordinary income on the disposition of property from the GAA.
Qualifying dispositions.
If you dispose of GAA property in a qualifying disposition, you can choose to remove the property from the GAA. A
qualifying disposition is one
that does not involve all the property, or the last item of property, remaining in a GAA and that is described by any of the
following.
-
A disposition that is a direct result of fire, storm, shipwreck, other casualty, or theft.
-
A charitable contribution for which a deduction is allowed.
-
A disposition that is a direct result of a cessation, termination, or disposition of a business, manufacturing or other income-producing
process, operation, facility, plant, or other unit (other than by transfer to a supplies, scrap, or similar account).
-
A nontaxable transaction other than a nonrecognition transaction (described earlier), a like-kind exchange or involuntary
conversion, or a
transaction that is nontaxable only because it is a disposition from a GAA.
If you choose to remove the property from the GAA, figure your gain, loss, or other deduction resulting from the disposition
in the manner
described earlier under Abusive transactions.
Like-kind exchanges and involuntary conversions.
If you dispose of GAA property as a result of a like-kind exchange or involuntary conversion, you must remove from
the GAA the property that you
transferred. See chapter 1 of Publication 544 for information on these transactions. Figure your gain, loss, or other deduction
resulting from the
disposition in the manner described earlier under Abusive transactions.
Example.
Sankofa, a calendar-year corporation, maintains one GAA for 12 machines. Each machine costs $15,000 and was placed in service
in 2006. Of the 12
machines, nine cost a total of $135,000 and are used in Sankofa's New York plant and three machines cost $45,000 and are used
in Sankofa's New Jersey
plant. Assume this GAA uses the 200% declining balance depreciation method, a 5-year recovery period, and a half-year convention.
Sankofa does not
claim the section 179 deduction and the machines do not qualify for a special depreciation allowance. As of January 1, 2008,
the depreciation reserve
account for the GAA is $93,600.
In May 2008, Sankofa sells its entire manufacturing plant in New Jersey to an unrelated person. The sales proceeds allocated
to each of the three
machines at the New Jersey plant is $5,000. This transaction is a qualifying disposition, so Sankofa chooses to remove the
three machines from the GAA
and figure the gain, loss, or other deduction by taking into account their adjusted bases.
For Sankofa's 2008 return, the depreciation allowance for the GAA is figured as follows. As of December 31, 2007, the depreciation
allowed or
allowable for the three machines at the New Jersey plant is $23,400. As of January 1, 2008, the unadjusted depreciable basis
of the GAA is reduced
from $180,000 to $135,000 ($180,000 minus the $45,000 unadjusted depreciable bases of the three machines), and the depreciation
reserve account is
decreased from $93,600 to $70,200 ($93,600 minus $23,400 depreciation allowed or allowable for the three machines as of December
31, 2007). The
depreciation allowance for the GAA in 2008 is $25,920 [($135,000 - $70,200) × 40%].
For Sankofa's 2008 return, gain or loss for each of the three machines at the New Jersey plant is determined as follows. The
depreciation allowed
or allowable in 2008 for each machine is $1,440 [(($15,000 - $7,800) × 40%) ÷ 2]. The adjusted basis of each machine is $5,760
(the
adjusted depreciable basis of $7,200 removed from the account less the $1,440 depreciation allowed or allowable in 2008).
As a result, the loss
recognized in 2008 for each machine is $760 ($5,000 - $5,760). This loss is subject to section 1231 treatment. See chapter
3 of Publication 544
for information on section 1231 losses.
Disposition of all property in a GAA.
If you dispose of all the property, or the last item of property, in a GAA, you can choose to end the GAA. If you
make this choice, you figure the
gain or loss by comparing the adjusted depreciable basis of the GAA with the amount realized.
If there is a gain, the amount subject to recapture as ordinary income is limited to the result of the following.
-
The depreciation allowed or allowable for the GAA, including any expensed cost (such as section 179 deductions or the additional
depreciation allowed or allowable for the GAA), minus
-
The total gain previously recognized as ordinary income on the disposition of property from the GAA.
Like-kind exchanges and involuntary conversions.
If you dispose of all the property or the last item of property in a GAA as a result of a like-kind exchange or involuntary
conversion, the GAA
terminates. You must figure the gain or loss in the manner described above under Disposition of all property in a GAA.
Example.
Duforcelf, a calendar-year corporation, maintains a GAA for 1,000 calculators that cost a total of $60,000 and were placed
in service in 2006.
Assume this GAA is depreciated under the 200% declining balance method, has a recovery period of 5 years, and uses a half-year
convention. Duforcelf
does not claim the section 179 deduction and the calculators do not qualify for a special depreciation allowance. In 2007,
Duforcelf sells 200 of the
calculators to an unrelated person for $10,000. The $10,000 is recognized as ordinary income.
In March 2008, Duforcelf sells the remaining calculators in the GAA to an unrelated person for $35,000. Duforcelf decides
to end the GAA.
On the date of the disposition, the adjusted depreciable basis of the account is $23,040 (unadjusted depreciable basis of
$60,000 minus the
depreciation allowed or allowable of $36,960). In 2008, Duforcelf recognizes a gain of $11,960. This is the amount realized
of $35,000 minus the
adjusted depreciable basis of $23,040. The gain subject to recapture as ordinary income is limited to the depreciation allowed
or allowable minus the
amounts previously recognized as ordinary income ($36,960 - $10,000 = $26,960). Therefore, the entire gain of $11,960 is recaptured
as ordinary
income.
An election to include property in a GAA is made separately by each owner of the property. This means that an election to
include property in a GAA
must be made by each member of a consolidated group and at the partnership or S corporation level (and not by each partner
or shareholder separately).
How to make the election.
Make the election by completing line 18 of Form 4562.
When to make the election.
You must make the election on a timely filed tax return (including extensions) for the year in which you place in
service the property included in
the GAA. However, if you timely filed your return for the year without making the election, you still can make the election
by filing an amended
return within 6 months of the due date of the return (excluding extensions). Attach the election to the amended return and
write “ Filed pursuant to
section 301.9100-2” on the election statement.
You must maintain records that identify the property included in each GAA, that establish the unadjusted depreciable basis
and depreciation reserve
of the GAA, and that reflect the amount realized during the year upon dispositions from each GAA. However, see chapter 2 for
the recordkeeping
requirements for section 179 property.
Revoking an election.
You can revoke an election to use a GAA only in the following situations.
-
You include in the GAA property that generates foreign source income, both United States and foreign source income, or combined
gross income
of an FSC, a DISC, or a possessions corporation and its related supplier, and that inclusion results in a substantial distortion
of
income.
-
You remove property from the GAA as described under Terminating GAA Treatment, earlier.
When Do You Recapture MACRS Depreciation?
Terms you may need to know (see Glossary):
| Disposition |
| Nonresidential real property |
| Recapture |
| Residential rental property |
When you dispose of property that you depreciated using MACRS, any gain on the disposition generally is recaptured (included
in income) as ordinary
income up to the amount of the depreciation previously allowed or allowable for the property. Depreciation, for this purpose,
includes the following.
-
Any section 179 deduction claimed on the property.
-
Any deduction under section 179B of the Internal Revenue Code for capital costs to comply with Environmental Protection Agency
sulfur
regulations.
-
Any deduction under section 179C of the Internal Revenue Code for certain qualified refinery property placed in service after
August 8,
2005.
-
Any deduction under section 179D of the Internal Revenue Code for certain energy efficient commercial building property placed
in service
after December 31, 2005.
-
Any deduction under section 179E of the Internal Revenue Code for qualified advanced mine safety equipment property placed
in service after
December 20, 2006.
-
Any deduction under section 190 of the Internal Revenue Code for removal of barriers to the disabled and the elderly.
-
Any deduction under section 193 of the Internal Revenue Code for tertiary injectants.
-
Any special depreciation allowance previously allowed or allowable for the property (unless you elected not to claim it).
There is no recapture for residential rental and nonresidential real property unless that property is qualified property
for which you claimed
a special depreciation allowance. For more information on depreciation recapture, see Publication 544.
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