EveryCalc

Finance category

Mortgage, loan, investing, tax, and money calculators.

Browse finance

Bonus vs Section 179 Calculator

§179 lets businesses immediately expense qualified property up to $1.16M (2024 limit) but is capped at business taxable income. Bonus depreciation has no income cap but is phasing down: 60% (2024), 40% (2025), 20% (2026), 0% (2027). Most taxpayers stack §179 first, then bonus on the remainder. This calculator compares both.

$
$
%

§179 deduction

$120,000

Bonus depreciation deduction

$24,000

§179 tax saved

$38,400

Bonus tax saved

$7,680

Best path

§179 — fully deductible

How the math works

§179 lets businesses immediately expense qualified property up to $1.16M (2024) limited by business income. Bonus depreciation phasing down: 60% (2024), 40% (2025), 20% (2026), 0% (2027). Most taxpayers stack §179 first, then bonus on the remainder.

Real-estate-specific bonus depreciation requires cost segregation to identify 5/7/15-year property within a building (carpet, appliances, land improvements).

How to Use

  1. Enter qualified property cost.
  2. Enter business taxable income (caps §179).
  3. Choose tax year (drives bonus %).
  4. Enter marginal tax rate.
  5. Read both deduction amounts and tax saved.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why §179 first?

§179 is more flexible — you choose how much to expense (up to limit). Bonus is mandatory unless you elect out by class. Layer §179 first, then take bonus on remainder.

Real estate eligibility?

§179 doesn't apply to real property generally. Bonus depreciation applies to 5/7/15-year property within a building (identified via cost segregation). Bonus also covers QIP (qualified improvement property).

Bonus phase-out?

Through 2026: 60%/40%/20% then 0% in 2027 unless extended. Significant pressure to extend full bonus depreciation in tax legislation.

Related Calculators

More Finance Calculators

Browse all finance

Keep exploring

Next steps in Finance

View finance hub →