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Depreciation Bonus vs Straight Line Calculator
Bonus depreciation accelerates deductions into year 1 versus spreading over the asset's recovery period. The economic advantage is the time value of money on the accelerated tax savings. This calculator computes NPV advantage so taxpayers can decide whether to take bonus or elect out of bonus on a class basis.
NPV advantage of bonus
$3,868
PV of bonus tax savings
$29,421
PV of straight-line savings
$25,553
Year-1 bonus deduction
$60,000
How the math works
Bonus depreciation accelerates the deduction into year 1 vs spreading over recovery period. The NPV advantage is the time value of money on the accelerated tax savings.
At 8% discount, accelerating $50K deduction from year-3 to year-1 generates ~$2.5K NPV advantage. Modest but compounds across multiple assets.
How to Use
- Enter asset cost and recovery period.
- Enter applicable bonus depreciation %.
- Enter marginal tax rate and discount rate.
- Read NPV advantage of bonus over straight-line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why elect out of bonus?
Low-income year (taxes don't help), expected higher rate next year, NOL carryforward already covers, or wanting to spread deductions evenly. Election is by class, not by asset.
Recapture issue?
Accelerated depreciation increases potential recapture at sale (taxed at 25% for §1250 real property). Multi-year planning factors recapture into NPV.
Bonus phase-down impact?
60% (2024) → 40% (2025) → 20% (2026) → 0% (2027). NPV advantage shrinks proportionally. Multiple legislative attempts to restore 100% bonus.
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