I am self employed,I which one can I write off on my taxes, buying a car or leasing a car?

Question

I will be using my car for business, i will be putting about 250 miles a day 6 days a week...please explain in detail your answer thanks

Answer 1

either
contact an accountant for what works best for you specific situation
(normally leases work well for business and buying for personal taxes)

Answer 2

I'm self employed also I take the miles I get more of a deduction that way. If you drive alot take the miles and buy a car. But you must keep a log. 250 miles a day times 6 at .37 a mile is about 550 dollars a week ,times 52 is worth more than the car will be in 2 years. You will end up making money after 1 year if you drive that munch. But taking the miles is a red flag with the IRS. Keep on top of that log!

Answer 3

the stupid advertising would lead you to believe you can only deduct a leased car--NOT TRUE--if you use the car for business, 6 days a week will qualify, whether you own or lease the car, both ways are deductible !! technically, if you lease or own, your deduction of 85-95 % will be based on miles used for business//divided by miles total, to determine % deductible for business..you should probably OWN because leased cars normal mileage per yr is 10-12-15 K miles at most--you will log about 75K miles, causing excess mileage charges on a leased car, that will kill you with extra costs--check the extra mileage charges for leased cars--that will probably cause you to buy, rather than lease a car for the best deal financially !! I am a retired CPA, & CFP, & LUTCF having helped people for over 30 yrs with financial problems and solutions...if i can be of further help..holler back at me..good luck to you....

Answer 4

You have a choice to write off the cost, or part of it, or deduct by the mile. Depends on which you think is better for you. The irs.gov website has publications on how to figure out this and other kinds of business expenses. There is a lotof tax software that helps you keep track of these kinds of things, like quickbooks.

Answer 5

The ease way to take the deduction is to use he standard mileage rate . You do 250 miles per day - 1,250 miles per week - 65,000 miles per year. At $ 0.40 per mile = $ 26,000.00. BUT you need to log everything every day on the approved IRS log form. Calculate all your expenses - including the depreciation rate and the monthly lease cost - figure the best for you.l

Answer 6

You can do it one of two ways. Either leasing and proving you have another vehicle for personal use so you can write it off or, write off mileage which the IRS is allowing 47cents a mile for. Do the math.

Sounds to me like you are better off with the mileage write off.

Answer 7

I have always written off a lease. Problem is the leasing company will try to keep you locked into a never-ending cycle of leasing which can be tough to get out of. Ted.

Answer 8

You can write off the mileage of the car at $0.34/mi. If you ONLY use the car for business, and NEVER use it for personal use, then you /might/ be able to write it off. As far as leasing the car, again it is only possible if you NEVER use it for personal use.

Answer 9

You can probably write off either one, as long as it is for business use...Mileage, too, but I think there is a minimum. I'm not sure since things always vary state to state...I know for sure you can write off a lease. My parents always did that. One was in real estate, the other in landscaping.

Answer 10

Either one. It's a business expense. However, if you buy a car, you can also write off the depreciation.

Answer 11

Leasing equipment can be a better option for business owners who have limited capital or who need equipment that must be upgraded every few years, while purchasing equipment can be a better option for established businesses or for equipment that has a long usable life. Each business owner’s situation is unique, however, and the decision to buy or lease business equipment must be made on a case-by-case basis.

Leasing business equipment and tools preserves capital and provides flexibility but may cost you more in the long run.

The primary advantage of leasing business equipment is that it allows you to acquire assets with minimal initial expenditures. Because equipment leases rarely require a down payment, you can obtain the goods you need without significantly affecting your cash flow.

Another financial benefit of leasing equipment is that your lease payments can usually be deducted as business expenses on your tax return, reducing the net cost of your lease. In addition, leases are usually easier to obtain and have more flexible terms than loans for buying equipment. This can be a significant advantage if you have bad credit or need to negotiate a longer payment plan to lower your costs.

Leasing also allows businesses to address the problem of obsolescence. If you use your lease to attain items that are subject to becoming technologically outdated in a short period of time, such as computers or other high-tech equipment, a lease passes the burden of obsolescence onto the lessor, as you are free to lease new, higher-end equipment after your lease expires.

Leasing business equipment has two main disadvantages: overall cost and lack of ownership. With regard to cost, leasing an item is almost always more expensive than purchasing it. For example, a 3-year lease on a computer worth $4,000, at a standard rate of $40/month per $1,000, will cost you a total of $5,760. If you had bought it outright, you would have paid only $4,000. In addition to the higher cost, you will have built up no equity in the computer. Unless the computer has become obsolete by the end of the lease, this lack of ownership is a significant disadvantage.

Another downside to leasing is that you are obligated to make payments for the entire lease period even if you stop using the equipment. Some leases give you the option to cancel the lease if your business changes directions and the equipment you leased is no longer necessary, but large early termination fees always apply

Ownership and tax breaks make buying business equipment appealing, but high initial costs mean this option isn’t for everyone.

The most obvious advantage of buying business equipment is that, after you purchase the equipment, you gain ownership of it. This is especially true when the property has a long useful life and is not likely to become technologically outdated in the near future, such as office furniture or farm machinery.

Tax incentives are another good reason to consider purchasing business equipment. Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Code allows you to fully deduct the cost of some newly purchased assets in the first year. In 2006, you can deduct up to $108,000 of equipment (subject to a phase-out if you placed more than $430,000 of equipment in service in any one year). For example, if you are in the 25% tax bracket and you purchase $100,000 in business equipment this year, the net cost to you is only $75,000.

Although not all equipment purchases are eligible for Section 179 treatment, you can still receive tax savings for almost any business equipment through depreciation deductions. (Some assets that don't qualify for the Section 179 deduction are real estate, inventory bought for resale, and property bought from a close relative.)

For some people, purchasing business equipment may not be an option, because the initial cash outlay is too high. Even if you plan on borrowing the money and making monthly payments, most banks require a down payment of around 20%. Borrowing money may also tie up lines of credit, and lenders may place restrictions on your future financial operations to ensure that you are able to repay your loan.

Although ownership is perhaps the biggest advantage to buying business equipment, it can also be a disadvantage. If you purchase high-tech equipment, you run the risk that the equipment may become technologically obsolete, and you may be forced to reinvest in new equipment long before you had planned to. Certain business equipment has very little resale value. A computer system that costs $5,000 today, for instance, may be worth only $1,000 or less three years from now.

When deciding whether to buy or lease a particular piece of business equipment, you should try to figure out the approximate net cost of that asset. Be sure to factor in tax breaks and resale value when making this calculation. After determining which option is more cost-effective, consider other intangibles such as the possibility that the product will become obsolete (if you are considering purchasing) or that your need for the product will expire before the lease does (if you are considering leasing).

Read “Keys to Vehicle Leasing” by the Federal Reserve Board available at www.federalreserve.gov. Ask a lot of questions and get the answers in writing. If you want to know the interest rate on the lease, ask the dealer for the "money factor" or the “lease rate.” Multiply that number by 24 and you'll get the approximate interest rate.