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IRS Announces Limits on Depreciation Deductions for Automobiles

MAY 21, 2019

Rev. Proc. 2019-26; 2019-24 IRB 1323

DATED MAY 21, 2019
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Citations: Rev. Proc. 2019-26; 2019-24 IRB 1323

26 CFR 601.105: Examination of returns and claims for refund, credit, or abatement; determination of correct tax liability.

(Also Part I, §§ 280F; 1.280F-7.)

SECTION 1. PURPOSE

This revenue procedure provides: (1) tables of limitations on depreciation deductions for owners of passenger automobiles first placed in service by the taxpayer during calendar year 2019; and (2) a table of amounts that must be included in income by lessees of passenger automobiles first leased by the taxpayer during calendar year 2019. The tables detailing these depreciation limitations and lessee inclusion amounts reflect the automobile price inflation adjustments required by § 280F(d)(7). For purposes of this revenue procedure, the term “passenger automobiles” includes trucks and vans.

SECTION 2. BACKGROUND

.01 For owners of passenger automobiles, § 280F(a) imposes dollar limitations on the depreciation deduction for the year the taxpayer places the passenger automobile in service and for each succeeding year. For passenger automobiles placed in service after 2018, § 280F(d)(7) requires the Internal Revenue Service to increase the amounts allowable as depreciation deductions by a price inflation adjustment amount that is determined using the automobile component of the Chained Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers published by the Department of Labor.

.02 Section 168(k)(1) provides that, in the case of qualified property, the depreciation deduction allowed under § 167(a) for the taxable year in which the property is placed in service includes an allowance equal to the applicable percentage of the property's adjusted basis (hereinafter, referred to as “§ 168(k) additional first year depreciation deduction”). Pursuant to § 168(k)(6)(A), the applicable percentage is 100 percent for qualified property acquired and placed in service after September 27, 2017, and placed in service before January 1, 2023, and is phased down 20 percent each year for property placed in service through December 31, 2026. Pursuant to § 168(k)(8)(B)(i), the applicable percentage is 30 percent for qualified property acquired before September 28, 2017, and placed in service in 2019. For qualified property acquired and placed in service after September 27, 2017, § 168(k)(2)(F)(i) increases the first year depreciation allowed under § 280F(a)(1)(A)(i) by $8,000. For qualified property acquired by the taxpayer before September 28, 2017, and placed in service by the taxpayer during 2019, § 168(k)(2)(F)(iii) increases the first year depreciation allowed under § 280F(a)(1)(A)(i) by $4,800.

.03 Tables 1 through 3 of this revenue procedure provide depreciation limitations for passenger automobiles placed in service during calendar year 2019. Table 1 provides depreciation limitations for passenger automobiles acquired by the taxpayer before September 28, 2017, and placed in service by the taxpayer during calendar year 2019, for which the § 168(k) additional first year depreciation deduction applies. Table 2 provides depreciation limitations for passenger automobiles acquired by the taxpayer after September 27, 2017, and placed in service by the taxpayer during calendar year 2019, for which the § 168(k) additional first year depreciation deduction applies. Table 3 provides depreciation limitations for passenger automobiles placed in service during calendar year 2019 for which no § 168(k) additional first year depreciation deduction applies. The § 168(k) additional first year depreciation deduction does not apply for 2019 if the taxpayer: (1) did not use the passenger automobile during 2019 more than 50 percent for business purposes; (2) elected out of the § 168(k) additional first year depreciation deduction pursuant to § 168(k)(7) for the class of property that includes passenger automobiles; or (3) acquired the passenger automobile used and the acquisition of such property did not meet the acquisition requirements in § 168(k)(2)(E)(ii).

.04 Section 280F(c)(2) requires a reduction to the amount of deduction allowed to the lessee of a leased passenger automobile. Pursuant to § 280F(c)(3), the reduction must be substantially equivalent to the limitations on the depreciation deductions imposed on owners of passenger automobiles. Under § 1.280F-7(a) of the Income Tax Regulations, this reduction requires a lessee to include in gross income an amount determined by applying a formula to the amount obtained from a table. Table 4 applies to lessees of passenger automobiles. This table shows income inclusion amounts for a range of fair market values for each taxable year after the passenger automobile is first leased.

SECTION 3. SCOPE

.01 The limitations on depreciation deductions in section 4.01(2) of this revenue procedure apply to passenger automobiles, other than leased passenger automobiles, that are placed in service by the taxpayer in calendar year 2019, and continue to apply for each taxable year that the passenger automobile remains in service.

.02 The table in section 4.02 of this revenue procedure applies to leased passenger automobiles for which the lease term begins during calendar year 2019. Lessees of these passenger automobiles must use these tables to determine the inclusion amount for each taxable year during which the passenger automobile is leased. See Rev. Proc. 2014-21, 2014-11 I.R.B. 641, as amplified and modified by section 4.03 of Rev. Proc. 2015-19, 2015-8 I.R.B. 656, for passenger automobiles first leased during calendar year 2014; Rev. Proc. 2015-19, as amplified and modified by section 4.03 of Rev. Proc. 2016-23, 2016-16 I.R.B. 581, for passenger automobiles first leased during calendar year 2015, Rev. Proc. 2016-23 for passenger automobiles first leased during calendar year 2016, Rev. Proc. 2017-29, 2017-14 I.R.B. 1065, for passenger automobiles first leased during calendar year 2017, and Rev. Proc. 2018-03, 2018-2 I.R.B. 285, for passenger automobiles first leased during calendar year 2018.

SECTION 4. APPLICATION

.01 Limitations on Depreciation Deductions for Certain Automobiles.

(1) Amount of the inflation adjustment. Under § 280F(d)(7)(B)(i), the automobile price inflation adjustment for any calendar year is the percentage (if any) by which the C-CPI-U automobile component for October of the preceding calendar year exceeds the automobile component of the CPI (as defined in § 1(f)(4)) for October of 2017, multiplied by the amount determined under § 1(f)(3)(B). The amount determined under § 1(f)(3)(B) is the amount obtained by dividing the new vehicle component of the C-CPI-U for calendar year 2016 by the new vehicle component of the CPI for calendar year 2016, where the C-CPI-U and the CPI for calendar year 2016 means the average of such amounts as of the close of the 12-month period ending on August 31, 2016.

Section 280F(d)(7)(B)(ii) defines the term "C-CPI-U automobile component" as the automobile component of the Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers as described in § 1(f)(6). The product of the October 2017 CPI new vehicle component (144.868) and the amount determined under § 1(f)(3)(B) (0.694370319) is 100.592. The new vehicle component of the C-CPI-U released in November 2018 was 101.318 for October 2018. The October 2018 C-CPI-U new vehicle component exceeded the product of the October 2017 CPI new vehicle component and the amount determined under § 1(f)(3)(B) by 0.726 (101.318 – 100.592). The percentage by which the C-CPI-U new vehicle component for October 2018 exceeds the product of the new vehicle component of the CPI for October of 2017 and the amount determined under § 1(f)(3)(B) is 0.722 percent (0.726/100.592 x 100%), the automobile price inflation adjustment for 2019 for passenger automobiles. The dollar limitations in § 280F(a) are therefore multiplied by a factor of 0.00722, and the resulting increases, after rounding to the nearest $100, are added to the 2018 limitations to give the depreciation limitations applicable to passenger automobiles for calendar year 2019. This adjustment applies to all passenger automobiles that are first placed in service in calendar year 2019.

(2) Amount of the limitation. Tables 1 through 3 contain the dollar amount of the depreciation limitation for each taxable year for passenger automobiles a taxpayer places in service during calendar year 2019. Use Table 1 for a passenger automobile to which the § 168(k) additional first year depreciation deduction applies that is acquired before September 28, 2017, and placed in service during calendar year 2019; Table 2 for a passenger automobile to which the § 168(k) additional first year depreciation deduction applies that is acquired after September 27, 2017, and placed in service during calendar year 2019; and Table 3 for a passenger automobile for which no § 168(k) additional first year depreciation deduction applies.

REV. PROC. 2019-26 TABLE 1

DEPRECIATION LIMITATIONS FOR PASSENGER AUTOMOBILES ACQUIRED BEFORE SEPTEMBER 28, 2017, AND PLACED IN SERVICE DURING CALENDAR YEAR 2019 FOR WHICH THE § 168(k) ADDITIONAL FIRST YEAR DEPRECIATION DEDUCTION APPLIES

Tax Year

Amount

1st Tax Year

$14,900

2nd Tax Year

$16,100

3rd Tax Year

$9,700

Each Succeeding Year

$5,760

REV. PROC. 2019-26 TABLE 2

DEPRECIATION LIMITATIONS FOR PASSENGER AUTOMOBILES ACQUIRED AFTER SEPTEMBER 27, 2017, AND PLACED IN SERVICE DURING CALENDAR YEAR 2019, FOR WHICH THE § 168(k) ADDITIONAL FIRST YEAR DEPRECIATION DEDUCTION APPLIES

Tax Year

Amount

1st Tax Year

$18,100

2nd Tax Year

$16,100

3rd Tax Year

$9,700

Each Succeeding Year

$5,760

REV. PROC. 2019-26 TABLE 3

DEPRECIATION LIMITATIONS FOR PASSENGER AUTOMOBILES PLACED IN SERVICE DURING CALENDAR YEAR 2019 FOR WHICH NO § 168(k) ADDITIONAL FIRST YEAR DEPRECIATION DEDUCTION APPLIES

Tax Year

Amount

1st Tax Year

$10,100

2nd Tax Year

$16,100

3rd Tax Year

$9,700

Each Succeeding Year

$5,760

.02 Inclusions in Income of Lessees of Passenger Automobiles.

A taxpayer must follow the procedures in § 1.280F-7(a) for determining the income inclusion amounts for passenger automobiles first leased in calendar year 2019. In applying these procedures, lessees of passenger automobiles should use Table 4 of this revenue procedure.

REV. PROC. 2019-26 TABLE 4

DOLLAR AMOUNTS FOR PASSENGER AUTOMOBILES WITH A LEASE TERM BEGINNING IN CALENDAR YEAR 2019

Fair Market Value of Passenger Automobile

Tax Year During Lease

Over

Not Over

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th & later

$50,000

$51,000

0

1

1

3

3

51,000

52,000

4

11

15

20

23

52,000

53,000

9

20

30

36

43

53,000

54,000

13

30

44

53

63

54,000

55,000

17

40

58

70

83

55,000

56,000

22

49

72

88

102

56,000

57,000

26

59

86

105

122

57,000

58,000

31

68

101

122

142

58,000

59,000

35

78

115

139

161

59,000

60,000

39

88

129

156

181

60,000

62,000

46

102

151

181

211

62,000

64,000

55

121

179

216

250

64,000

66,000

63

140

208

251

289

66,000

68,000

72

160

236

284

329

68,000

70,000

81

179

265

318

369

70,000

72,000

90

198

293

353

408

72,000

74,000

98

217

322

387

448

74,000

76,000

107

236

351

421

487

76,000

78,000

116

255

379

456

526

78,000

80,000

125

275

407

489

567

80,000

85,000

140

308

458

549

635

85,000

90,000

162

356

529

635

734

90,000

95,000

184

404

600

720

833

95,000

100,000

206

452

671

806

931

100,000

110,000

238

525

778

934

1,079

110,000

120,000

282

621

920

1,105

1,277

120,000

130,000

326

717

1,063

1,276

1,474

130,000

140,000

370

812

1,206

1,447

1,672

140,000

150,000

413

909

1,348

1,618

1,869

150,000

160,000

457

1,005

1,491

1,788

2,067

160,000

170,000

501

1,101

1,633

1,960

2,264

170,000

180,000

545

1,197

1,776

2,130

2,461

180,000

190,000

588

1,293

1,919

2,301

2,659

190,000

200,000

632

1,389

2,061

2,473

2,856

200,000

210,000

676

1,485

2,204

2,643

3,053

210,000

220,000

720

1,581

2,346

2,815

3,250

220,000

230,000

763

1,677

2,489

2,986

3,448

230,000

240,000

807

1,773

2,632

3,156

3,645

240,000

and over

851

1,869

2,774

3,328

3,842

SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE

This revenue procedure applies to passenger automobiles that a taxpayer first places in service or first leases during calendar year 2019.

SECTION 6. DRAFTING INFORMATION

The principal author of this revenue procedure is Bernard P. Harvey of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Income Tax & Accounting). For further information regarding this revenue procedure, contact Mr. Harvey at (202) 317-7005 (not a toll-free call).

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