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2016 Last Minute Year End Tax Deduction for Existing Vehicles

12/8/2016

 
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​As the end of the year approaches, I want to explain how your vehicle may be able to provide you with big tax savings. There are various actions you can take, so examine the strategies described below and see if you can take advantage of any of them.
 
Just keep in mind that all actions must be completed before midnight on December 31, 2016.
 
Take Your Child’s or Spouse’s Car and Sell It
 
If you gave your old business vehicle to your child or spouse to use, then consider selling it before the end of the year. Your old business vehicle could have a big tax loss embedded in it, in which case your strategy is easy. Take the vehicle and sell it to a third party before December 31 so that you have a tax-deductible loss this year.
 
Replace Your Vehicle
 
If you’re considering replacing your business vehicle, then how you should proceed depends on whether it would sell for a gain or loss.
 
If the sale would result in a gain (i.e., the fair market value is greater than your undepreciated basis), it’s better to trade in the car for a different one so that it’s considered a tax-deferred Section 1031 exchange. This will allow you to avoid the taxes on the gain if you sell the vehicle.
 
If you prefer to sell the vehicle outright, you should engage a Section 1031 exchange intermediary in order to do so (rather than trade it in) and then buy a replacement vehicle. The exchange intermediary charges a fee and does the paperwork that makes this happen, resulting in no taxable gain this year.
 
If the sale would result in a loss, then you should sell the vehicle so you can benefit from this tax-deductible loss in 2016.
 
Put Your Personal Vehicle in Business Service
 
Now that lawmakers have reinstated bonus depreciation for 2016, you can use this as an effective strategy to get a big deduction. If you or your spouse owns a vehicle that you purchased new and never deducted for tax purposes, you can convert that personal car to business use to take advantage of bonus depreciation.
 
As long as you make the conversion by December 31, you get a deduction for bonus depreciation, which can be as much as half the fair market value on the date of conversion, depending on the vehicle.
 
Please contact me if you would like to discuss any of the above strategies further. 

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    Important Disclosures


    Spencer Accounting Group, LLC does not provide investment, tax, legal, or retirement advice or recommendations in these blogs. The information presented here is not specific to any individual's personal circumstances.

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    To the extent that this material concerns tax matters, it is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by a taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed by law. Each taxpayer should seek independent advice from a tax professional based on his or her individual circumstances.
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    These materials are provided for general information and educational purposes based upon publicly available information from sources believed to be reliable — we cannot assure the accuracy or completeness of these materials. The information in these materials may change at any time and without notice.

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    Author

    Keana Spencer is an Accountant, Entrepreneur, and Educator to her clients, with a strong passion.  Keana has over 10 years of experience and through her practice, she is a source of knowledge and strategies to her clients.

    Keana founded this website and decided and created this blog page to offer a space for those seeking knowledge to understand, however not to be confused with advice or planning strategies.

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