Help understanding bonus depreciation and section 179 for my business vehicle purchase?

Yes, if you purchase a vehicle for your business before December 31st this year, you would claim the deduction on your 2024 tax return that you'll file in 2025. That part you've got right! For what you can deduct, it's the business-use portion of the purchase price plus sales tax - not the total financed amount. Financing costs (like interest) are separate deductions. The negative equity rolled in from your trade-in isn't part of the depreciable basis. You can use both Section 179 and bonus depreciation, but there are some important limitations for vehicles. Heavy vehicles (over 6,000 lbs GVWR) have different rules than passenger vehicles. For passenger vehicles, there are strict luxury auto depreciation limits that cap how much you can deduct each year. Based on the $120k price tag, I'm guessing this might be a heavy SUV or truck? If so, you could potentially deduct up to $28,900 using Section 179 for 2024, and then apply bonus depreciation to the remaining basis.

I went through this exact process last year and found https://taxr.ai incredibly helpful. I was totally confused about how much I could deduct between section 179 and bonus depreciation for my new work truck. The tool helped me understand that I couldn't deduct the financing costs (I was making the same mistake). I uploaded my purchase agreement and it immediately identified what portion was eligible for depreciation. It showed me exactly how to maximize my deduction by applying Section 179 first, then bonus depreciation on the remainder. The best part was that it created documentation explaining why the negative equity in my trade-in shouldn't be included in the depreciable basis - which saved me from a potential audit flag!

I was totally skeptical about using an online tool for something this complicated, but I decided to give taxr.ai a shot after reading about it here. Holy crap, I'm glad I did! I had been about to make a HUGE mistake with how I was planning to deduct my new business vehicle. I was going to include all the dealer add-ons and extended warranty in my depreciable basis, and the tool immediately flagged those items as needing separate treatment. It showed me exactly what portion of my purchase qualified for each type of deduction and even created a depreciation schedule I could show my accountant. The documentation it provided actually helped me convince my accountant (who's pretty old-school) that we needed to approach my vehicle deduction differently. We ended up saving several thousand dollars more than his original calculation!

After spending HOURS trying to reach the IRS for clarification on vehicle depreciation rules, I finally used https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual human at the IRS. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c They called the IRS for me, navigated the horrible phone tree, waited on hold, and then called me when they had an agent on the line. Went from spending days trying to get answers to having an IRS agent explain the exact vehicle depreciation rules that applied to my situation in one afternoon. The agent confirmed that financing costs aren't part of the depreciable basis and explained exactly how the luxury auto limits would apply to my specific vehicle. Definitely worth it for the peace of mind of having the official word.

I have to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself because I was desperate to confirm how the bonus depreciation percentage works for 2024 and 2025 (since it's phasing down each year). It took about 3 hours for them to get through to the IRS, but I just went about my day and got a call when they had an agent on the line. The IRS agent confirmed that for 2024 it's 60% bonus depreciation and drops to 40% for 2025, which is critical for timing my purchase. The agent also explained that negative equity from a trade-in shouldn't be added to the basis of the new vehicle - something my dealer had incorrectly told me I could do. That clarification alone probably saved me from a potential audit issue.

Don't forget about the specific luxury auto limits that can apply depending on what type of vehicle you're buying. I made this mistake last year. Even with Section 179 and bonus depreciation, if the vehicle is under 6,000 lbs GVWR, the luxury auto depreciation limits will cap your deduction regardless of the vehicle's cost. For 2024, the first-year limit for passenger automobiles is around $19,200 (will be adjusted for inflation). But if your vehicle is over 6,000 lbs GVWR, you get much better treatment. Look into the SUV loophole - Section 179 allows expensing up to $28,900 for SUVs between 6,000-14,000 lbs GVWR.

Just a quick tip - make sure you keep AMAZING records on business use percentage. The IRS is really focusing on vehicle deductions right now. My business partner just got audited specifically on her vehicle deduction. You need a detailed mileage log showing business vs. personal use. If you're claiming 100% business use, be prepared to prove that you have another vehicle for personal use. They're being super strict about this.

One thing to also consider is the timing of when you actually place the vehicle in service. The IRS requires that the vehicle be "placed in service" before December 31st to qualify for the 2024 tax year deductions - not just purchased or delivered. "Placed in service" means the vehicle is ready and available for its intended use in your business. So if you buy it in December but don't start using it for business until January, you'd have to wait until your 2025 tax return to claim the deduction. Also, since you mentioned this is for construction, make sure you understand the difference between listed property and non-listed property rules. Heavy trucks used predominantly for business (like yours sounds like) get better treatment than vehicles that could easily be used for personal purposes. The key documentation you'll want to keep includes the purchase agreement, financing documents, proof of business use, and detailed records of when you first started using it for business purposes. The IRS loves to challenge vehicle deductions, so having your documentation organized from day one will save you headaches later.

This is a great question and the answers here are really helpful! I just wanted to add one important consideration that I learned the hard way - make sure to factor in your overall business income when planning these deductions. Section 179 is limited by your taxable business income for the year. So if your business doesn't have enough profit to absorb the full $28,900 Section 179 deduction, you won't be able to use it all in 2024 (though you can carry the unused portion forward). Bonus depreciation doesn't have this income limitation, but it also can't be carried forward if unused. So you really want to run the numbers on your expected 2024 business income before making the purchase. Also, since you mentioned you're putting $7k down and financing the rest, don't forget that the interest on the business portion of the loan is also deductible as a business expense (separate from the depreciation). Just make sure to keep good records showing the business use percentage if you ever use the truck for personal purposes. The timing really matters here - both for getting the higher 60% bonus depreciation rate in 2024 versus 40% in 2025, and for ensuring you place it in service before December 31st. Sounds like you're on the right track though!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation - looking at a heavy duty work truck for my landscaping business before year-end. One thing I wanted to add that hasn't been mentioned yet is the importance of timing your purchase if you're near the phase-out thresholds. The Section 179 deduction starts to phase out if you place more than $3,050,000 in qualifying property into service in 2024. For most small businesses this isn't an issue, but if you've made other major equipment purchases this year, it's worth double-checking. Also, I learned from my accountant that if you're considering multiple vehicle purchases, the $28,900 SUV limit under Section 179 applies per vehicle, not per business. So if you buy two qualifying heavy trucks, you could potentially use Section 179 on up to $57,800 total ($28,900 each), then apply bonus depreciation to the remaining basis on both. The depreciation strategy can get pretty complex when you're dealing with multiple assets, so definitely worth running the scenarios with a tax professional before making any major purchases. But for a single heavy duty truck like yours, the math seems pretty straightforward based on the great explanations in this thread!