100% Bonus Depreciation Is Back, and This Time It Is Permanent
This article is general educational information about a change in federal tax law. It is not tax advice and is not a recommendation to take, or refrain from taking, any particular action.
For most of the last few years, the deduction known as bonus depreciation was shrinking on a set schedule, and by early 2025 it had dropped to 40 percent. The 2025 tax law reversed that. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent, and for the first time it is permanent, with no phase-out date sitting on the calendar.
What follows is an overview of how the deduction works, the timing rules that determine eligibility, and why the rules are more nuanced than they may first appear.
What bonus depreciation does
When a business buys a long-lasting asset (ex. a machine, a work truck, office furniture) the tax code generally requires the cost to be deducted a little at a time over several years. That schedule is called depreciation. It spreads the deduction across the years the asset is in use, which also means the full benefit is felt slowly.
Bonus depreciation compresses that timeline. Rather than deducting a portion of the cost each year, a business may deduct the full cost in the year the asset is placed in service.
What changed, and the date that governs eligibility
Under the prior rules, bonus depreciation was phasing out: 80 percent in 2023, 60 percent in 2024, and 40 percent in 2025, headed toward zero. The new law ended that phase-down and reset the rate to 100 percent.
The relevant date is January 19, 2025. Qualifying property that is both acquired and placed in service after that date is generally eligible for the 100 percent deduction. Property tied to an earlier acquisition date generally remains subject to the older phase-down percentages, which makes the timing of a purchase central to how it is treated.
What generally qualifies
The eligible categories are broad. Bonus depreciation generally applies to tangible business property with a depreciation life of 20 years or less. That typically includes machinery, equipment, work vehicles, tools, computers, office furniture, and off-the-shelf software. It also generally includes qualified improvement property, which covers most interior improvements to a nonresidential building the taxpayer already owns.
The property does not have to be new. Used equipment can qualify, provided it is new to the buyer (meaning the buyer or a related party did not previously own it) and it was purchased rather than inherited or otherwise acquired. Whether a specific asset meets these conditions depends on the facts.
A timing rule tied to binding contracts
The acquisition rules contain a nuance that is easy to overlook. Where a written binding contract to purchase an asset was signed before January 20, 2025, the tax code generally treats the asset as acquired on that contract date, even if delivery occurred later. That treatment can place an otherwise eligible purchase back under the older phase-down percentages. For purchases that straddle that window, which rules apply is a question a tax professional can address based on the specific contract and facts.
Bonus depreciation and Section 179
Bonus depreciation is not the only accelerated write-off in the code. Section 179 expensing operates similarly, and the 2025 law expanded it as well, raising the annual limit to $2.5 million and the phase-out threshold to $4 million.
The two provisions differ in several respects. A Section 179 deduction cannot create a loss; it is limited to the taxpayer's business income for the year. Bonus depreciation has no dollar limit and can create or increase a loss, which may then offset other income. The tax code permits the two to be used in combination, and how they interact in any given year depends on the taxpayer's full circumstances.
An illustration of the timing effect
The following figures are hypothetical and are included only to illustrate mechanics. They are not a projection, an estimate, or a representation of any actual result.
Consider a business that purchases $120,000 of qualifying equipment and places it in service in the current year. Under 100 percent bonus depreciation, the full $120,000 would be deducted immediately rather than spread across seven years. At an assumed combined marginal rate of roughly 32 percent, a deduction of that size would reduce that year's tax by approximately $38,000. Actual results would differ based on the taxpayer's bracket, entity structure, state of residence, and the property involved.
It is worth being precise about what the provision does and does not do. Bonus depreciation does not create a permanent additional deduction - the $120,000 would have been deducted eventually in any case. What changes is the timing. The deduction is pulled into year one, which affects cash flow rather than the total amount deducted over the life of the asset. In addition, when the asset is later sold, a portion of the deduction may be recognized as taxable income under the depreciation recapture rules.
Real estate and cost segregation studies
Because a building itself is depreciated over decades, bonus depreciation may appear inapplicable to real estate. Cost segregation studies address that gap. A cost segregation study allocates a building's cost among its component parts, and many of those components (flooring, fixtures, cabinetry, certain electrical and plumbing, and land improvements such as driveways and landscaping) carry substantially shorter depreciation lives that can qualify for bonus depreciation.
Short-term rental properties are often discussed in this context, because the combination of a cost segregation study and 100 percent bonus depreciation may result in a large first-year deduction on paper. The rules governing whether such a deduction can actually be applied against other income are restrictive, however, particularly the material participation requirements. Whether those requirements are satisfied is highly fact-dependent, and no general statement can be made about the outcome in any particular case. Consult a qualified tax professional for guidance.
A temporary write-off for production buildings
The law also created a new, temporary write-off for certain production buildings. Where a facility is constructed for direct use in manufacturing, refining, or producing physical goods, 100 percent of the cost of the production space may be deductible in the first year rather than depreciated over 39 years.
The deadlines are specific: construction generally must begin before 2029, and the building must be placed in service before 2031. Only production space qualifies, not offices, laboratories, or sales areas, and a 10-year recapture rule applies if the building's use changes. The requirements are detailed, and whether a particular facility qualifies is a question for a qualified tax professional.
Why the largest current-year deduction is not always the outcome chosen
Claiming the full deduction in the current year does not produce the same result for every taxpayer. A deduction generally has more value in a year of higher marginal rates, so a taxpayer who anticipates being in a meaningfully higher bracket in future years faces a different calculation than one who does not. The law expressly permits a taxpayer to elect a reduced bonus percentage, or to elect out of bonus depreciation for a class of assets and depreciate them under the normal schedules.
Because the comparison depends on a multi-year view of income rather than a single year in isolation, it is the kind of question typically reviewed with a qualified tax professional before a return is filed.
Other rules that can affect the result
Several additional items commonly bear on the analysis. State conformity is a significant one: Kansas and Missouri do not always follow the federal rules, and state treatment of bonus depreciation can differ from the federal deduction. Large deductions can also interact with the business interest limitation and with the qualified business income deduction. Vehicles are subject to their own annual caps depending on weight and use, and the recapture rules apply on a later sale. These are the kinds of details that determine how a deduction actually lands on a return, and they are specific to each taxpayer's situation.
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This material is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as individualized tax, legal, or investment advice. The example figures are hypothetical and used only to illustrate how the deduction works; they are not a projection of results. Actual results depend on your specific facts, your tax bracket, your state of residence, and the type of property involved. Depreciation rules, dollar limits, and eligibility are subject to change and to IRS guidance. Proper Planning & Wealth Management and LPL Financial do not provide tax or legal advice. Please consult a qualified tax professional regarding your specific situation.