Form 4562 - Depreciation and Amortization

General Information

In 2010, we automatically create each Form 4562, and specify the form and copy to which data carries.

If extra copies of Form 4562 appear, simply erase them, using the "Delete Form" menu option or the "Delete Copy" button.

Business Description

At the top of the form, we fill in the business description, based on the Form and Copy appearing immediately below that description. (Note that the form and copy numbers carry from the related Depreciation Worksheet or Vehicle Worksheet.)

Line 1 - Section 179

There are three limits on the amount of section 179 expense you may deduct in any given year.

First, your total section 179 amount may generally not exceed $500,000 for 2010. This is the limitation that affects most individuals. We leave it to you to check that your total section 179 deductions don't exceed this limit for 2010.

The second limitation is less likely to affect you. This limitation cuts back the maximum section 179 amount for property you place in service during the year at a cost over $2,000,000. If you place $423,000 of section 179 property in service in 2010, you may deduct only $102,000 of section 179 expense. (This limitation was enacted to ensure that the benefit accrued to small businesses, not large ones.)

As to the second limit, you're also on your own, but as this limit is much less likely to apply, you're less likely to be concerned.

The third limit is the so-called "business income limitation." This limit says that you may not claim more section 179 deduction than your total aggregate taxable income that is derived from the active conduct of all your trades and businesses (including your wages and, if married filing jointly, your spouse's wages).

Line 6a - Section 179 Property Description

On the first line of the section 179 chart, we carry the first entered item of nonlisted section 179 property (from the Depreciation Worksheet or the Vehicle Worksheet) whose Form and Copy are the same as the Form and Copy appearing at the top of this form.

This worksheet is for nonlisted section 179 property, only.

Listed section 179 property carries in to the "Listed Property" chart, below.

On the second line of the section 179 chart, we carry the total of all other items of nonlisted section 179 property placed in service in 2010.

Line 14 - Special Depreciation Allowance

This line shows your total special depreciation allowance for non-listed property placed in service during 2010. (The special allowance for listed property is shown on line 25 ). Amounts carry to these lines from line 8e of the Depreciation Worksheet and line 5n of the Vehicle Worksheet.

Line 18 - General Asset Account Election

We'll carry the "X" from line 9a of the Depreciation Worksheet to line 18 of Form 4562 if these conditions are met:

·         there is a current-year date in service on line 3a of the Depreciation Worksheet

·         there are proper form and copy numbers indicated on lines 2a and 2b of the Depreciation Worksheet

·         there is a value on line 8c or "Summary" line 12a or line 12b of the Depreciation Worksheet.

Line 19a - Depreciation Chart for Nonlisted Property

The key thing to note about the depreciation chart for nonlisted property is that it covers ONLY assets placed in service in 2010.

Also, if you elected the Alternative method for any assets placed in service in 2010, check line 20a, immediately below this chart.

Depreciation amounts for all the other nonlisted assets you're depreciating are lumped together on lines 17 , 15, and 16.

One gets the distinct impression that the IRS doesn't want to be told all the gory details of your depreciation deductions. "Keep careful records in case you're audited," they seem to be saying, "but just give us the bottom line."

We carry data from the Depreciation Worksheets only if the depreciation amount allowable in 2010 is greater than zero.

Line 19h - Residential Rental Property

Although there are two lines here, we simply summarize the depreciation total for all the assets on the first line.

Line 19i - Nonresidential Rental Property

Although there are two lines here, we simply summarize the depreciation total for all the assets on the first line.

Line 20a - Alternative Method Assets in Service in 2010

The lines here on the chart are for assets placed in service in 2010 for which the Alternative Method was elected.

Line 23

The amount attributable to section 263A costs is an "information only" number and doesn't affect the calculations.

Line 24a - Listed Property

Leased vehicles. If you're filling out this Form 4562 for leased vehicles, you should override a blank line on the listed property section of the form to enter the vehicle information in the columns specified.

Questions about vehicles. There are several Yes/No questions about vehicles, a couple of rows of questions above the chart on listed property, and several rows of questions below the chart. The responses to all of these questions are "information only," and they don't affect the calculations.

Listed Property. We carry listed property items from the Depreciation Worksheet in the order entered on the Depreciation Worksheets (lowest copy number first). If there are more items than lines, we combine the totals of the additional items on the last line in each section.

Section 179. Here, again, we leave it to your vigilance to check that the total section 179 amount you claim across all copies of Form 4562 is not more than $500,000 for 2010.

Line 30 - Information Regarding Vehicles

The chart of information regarding vehicles reflects the answers you entered on the Vehicle Worksheet.

Line 42a - Amortization

The amounts you enter in this section don't carry automatically to any form or schedule. You should manually enter an amortization deduction both here and on the appropriate form or schedule.