Section 179 Tax Savings

What is the Section 179 Deduction


Most people think the Section 179 deduction is some mysterious or complicated tax code. It really isn't, as you will see below the section 179 deduction vehicle list of 2022.

Essentially, Section 179 of the IRS tax code allows businesses to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment and/or software purchased or financed during the tax year. That means that if you buy (or lease) a piece of qualifying equipment, you can deduct the FULL PURCHASE PRICE from your gross income. It's an incentive created by the U.S. government to encourage businesses to buy equipment and invest in themselves.

Several years ago, Section 179 was often referred to as the "SUV Tax Loophole" or the "Hummer Deduction" because many businesses have used this tax code to write-off the purchase of qualifying vehicles at the time (like SUV's and Hummers). But that particular benefit of Section 179 has been severely reduced in recent years (see 'Vehicles & Section 179' for current limits on business vehicles.)

However, despite the SUV deduction lessened, Section 179 is more beneficial to small businesses than ever. Today, Section 179 is one of the few government incentives available to small businesses, and has been included in many of the recent Stimulus Acts and Congressional Tax Bills. Although large businesses also benefit from Section 179 or Bonus Depreciation, the original target of this legislation was much needed tax relief for small businesses - and millions of small businesses are actually taking action and getting real benefits.

Section 179 Deduction Qualifying Vehicles

Limits of Section 179

Section 179 does come with limits - there are caps to the total amount written off ($1,080,000 for 2022), and limits to the total amount of the equipment purchased ($2,700,000 in 2022). The deduction begins to phase out on a dollar-for-dollar basis after $2,700,000 is spent by a given business (thus, the entire deduction goes away once $3,780,000 in purchases is reached), so this makes it a true small and medium-sized business deduction.

What Business Vehicles Qualify for the full Section 179 Deduction?

Many "work vehicles" that, by their nature, are not likely to be used for personal purposes will usually always qualify for full Section 179 deduction. This includes the following vehicles:

  • Vehicles that can seat nine-plus passengers behind the driver's seat (i.e.: Hotel / Airport shuttle vans, etc.).
  • Vehicles with: (1) a fully-enclosed driver's compartment / cargo area, (2) no seating at all behind the driver's seat, and (3) no body section protruding more than 30 inches ahead of the leading edge of the windshield. In other words, a classic cargo van.
  • Heavy construction equipment will qualify for the Section 179 deduction, as will forklifts and similar.
  • Typical "over-the-road" Tractor Trailers will qualify.

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