Iowa Admin. Code r. 701-502.23

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 5, September 4, 2024

Rule 701-502.23 - Section 179 expensing

(1)In general. Iowa taxpayers that elect to expense certain depreciable business assets in the year the assets were placed in service under section 179 of the Internal Revenue Code must also expense those same assets for Iowa income tax purposes in that year. However, for certain years, the Iowa limitations on this deduction are different from the federal limitations for the same year. This means that for some tax years, adjustments are required to determine the correct Iowa section 179 expensing deduction, as described in this rule.

(2)Claiming the deduction.

a.Timing and requirement to follow federal election. A taxpayer that takes a federal section 179 deduction must also take the deduction for the same asset in the same year for Iowa purposes, except as expressly provided by Iowa law or this rule. A taxpayer that takes a federal section 179 deduction is not permitted to opt out of taking the same deduction for Iowa purposes. A taxpayer that does not take a federal section 179 deduction on a specific qualifying asset is not permitted to take a section 179 deduction for Iowa purposes on that asset.

b.Qualifying for the deduction. Whether a specific business asset qualifies for a section 179 deduction is determined by the Internal Revenue Code (Title 26, U.S. Code) and applicable federal regulations for both federal and Iowa purposes.

c.Amount of the Iowa deduction. Generally, the Iowa deduction must equal the amount of the federal deduction taken for the same asset in the same year, subject to special Iowa limitations. The following chart provides a comparison of the Iowa and federal section 179 dollar limitations and reduction limitations. See rule 701-40.65(422) for the section 179 rules applicable to individuals and other noncorporate entities, and see rule 701-59.24 (422) for the section 179 rules applicable to financial institutions subject to the franchise tax.

Section 179 Deduction Allowances Under Federal and Iowa Law
	Federal		Iowa
Tax Year	Dollar Limitation	Reduction Limitation	Dollar Limitation	Reduction Limitation
2003	$ 100,000	$ 400,000	$ 100,000	$ 400,000
2004	102,000	410,000	102,000	410,000
2005	105,000	420,000	105,000	420,000
2006	108,000	430,000	108,000	430,000
2007	125,000	500,000	125,000	500,000
2008	250,000	800,000	250,000	800,000
2009	250,000	800,000	133,000	530,000
2010	500,000	2,000,000	500,000	2,000,000
2011	500,000	2,000,000	500,000	2,000,000
2012	500,000	2,000,000	500,000	2,000,000
2013	500,000	2,000,000	500,000	2,000,000
2014	500,000	2,000,000	500,000	2,000,000
2015	500,000	2,000,000	500,000	2,000,000
2016	500,000	2,010,000	25,000	200,000
2017	510,000	2,030,000	25,000	200,000
2018	1,000,000	2,500,000	70,000	280,000
2019	1,020,000	2,550,000	100,000	400,000
2020 and later	Iowa limitations are the same as federal

d.Reduction. Both the federal and the Iowa deductions for section 179 assets are reduced (phased out dollar for dollar) for taxpayers whose total section 179 assets placed in service during a given year cost more than the amount specified (reduction limitation) for that year. Like the deduction limitation, the Iowa and federal reduction limitations are different for certain years. See paragraph 53.23(2)"c" for applicable limitations.

EXAMPLE: Taxpayer, a corporation, purchases $400,000 worth of qualifying section 179 assets and places all of them in service in 2018. Taxpayer claims a section 179 deduction of $400,000 for the full cost of the assets on the 2018 federal return. For corporations, the Iowa section 179 deduction for 2018 is phased out dollar for dollar by the amount of section 179 assets placed in service in excess of $280,000. This means that, for 2018, the Iowa deduction is fully phased out if the taxpayer placed in service section 179 assets that cost, in total, more than $350,000. Since the cost of the qualifying assets in this example exceeds the Iowa section 179 phase-out limit, the taxpayer cannot claim any section 179 deduction on the Iowa return. However, the taxpayer may depreciate the entire cost of the assets for Iowa purposes.

e.Amounts in excess of the Iowa limits.

(1) Recovering the excess. Due to the differences between the Iowa and federal limitations for certain years, taxpayers may have a federal section 179 deduction that exceeds the amount allowed for Iowa purposes. This excess amount is handled in different ways depending on the source of the deduction.

1. Assets placed in service by the taxpayer or entity reporting the deduction. The cost of any section 179 assets placed in service by the taxpayer in excess of the Iowa limitation for a given year may be recovered through regular depreciation under Section 168 of the Internal Revenue Code, without regard to bonus depreciation under Section 168(k). The Iowa section 179 and depreciation deductions and any basis adjustments resulting from the difference in timing of the recovery between Iowa and federal law are calculated and tracked on forms made available on the department's website.

EXAMPLE: Taxpayer, a corporation, purchases a $100,000 piece of equipment and places it in service in 2018. Taxpayer claims a section 179 deduction of $100,000 for the full cost of the equipment on the 2018 federal return. Taxpayer is also required to claim a section 179 deduction of $70,000 on the 2018 Iowa return (the full amount of the federal deduction up to the Iowa limit for corporations for 2018). The taxpayer can depreciate the remaining $30,000 cost of the equipment for Iowa purposes.

2. Special election for assets placed in service by a pass-through entity when the section 179 deduction is claimed by an owner of that pass-through. See subrule 53.23(3) for information on a special election available to certain owners of pass-through entities related to any section 179 deductions passed through from a partnership or other entity that, in the aggregate, exceed the Iowa limitations.

(2) Special information for pass-throughs. In the case of pass-through entities, section 179 limitations apply at both the entity level and the owner level. Pass-through entities that are required to file an Iowa return and that actually place section 179 assets in service should follow 53.23(2)"e"(1)"1" to account for any assets for which the total federal section 179 deductions for a given year exceeded the Iowa limitation. Owners of pass-throughs receiving section 179 deductions from one or more pass-throughs that, in the aggregate, exceed the Iowa limitations should follow 53.23(2)"e"(1)"2."

EXAMPLE: A, Inc. (a corporation doing business exclusively in Iowa) owns 50 percent interests in each of three partnerships: C, D, and E. Partnership C, which also does business exclusively in Iowa, places $200,000 worth of section 179 assets in service during tax year 2019 and claims a federal section 179 deduction for the full cost of the assets. Because C is required to file an Iowa partnership return, C is subject to the Iowa section 179 limitations for 2019 and must adjust its Iowa section 179 deduction as provided in 701-numbered paragraph 40.65(2)"e"(1)"1." C passes through 50 percent of its section 179 deduction ($100,000 for federal purposes, $50,000 for Iowa purposes) to A, Inc. A, Inc. also receives $50,000 each in section 179 deductions from D and E, for a total of $150,000 in section 179 deductions (for Iowa purposes) in 2019. A, Inc. is subject to the $100,000 Iowa section 179 deduction limitation for 2019, but because A, Inc. received total section 179 deductions from one or more pass-throughs in excess of the 2019 Iowa limitation, A, Inc. is eligible for the special election referenced in 53.23(2)"e"(1)"2."

f.Income limitation. The Iowa section 179 deduction for any given year is limited to the taxpayer's income from active conduct in a trade or business in the same manner that the section 179 deduction is limited for federal purposes. If an allowable Iowa section 179 deduction exceeds the taxpayer's business income for a given year, any excess allowable Iowa section 179 deduction may be carried forward as described in paragraph 53.23(2)"g."

g.Carryforward. This paragraph applies only to amounts that do not exceed the Iowa section 179 deduction limitations for a given year but do exceed the taxpayer's business income for that year. As with the federal deduction, allowable Iowa section 179 deductions claimed in a given year that exceed a taxpayer's business income may be carried forward and claimed in future years. This carryforward, if any, is calculated using only amounts up to the Iowa limit. Any federal section 179 deduction the taxpayer claimed in excess of the Iowa limit is not an Iowa section 179 deduction and therefore is not eligible for the carryforward described in this paragraph. Such amounts must instead be recovered as described in paragraph 53.23(2)"e," or in subrule 53.23(3) for taxpayers receiving the deduction from one or more pass-through entities and making the special election as described in that subrule.

h.Difference in basis. Iowa adjustments for differences between the Iowa and federal section 179 deduction limitations may cause the taxpayer to have a different basis in the same asset for Iowa and federal purposes. Taxpayers are required to use forms made available on the department's website to calculate and track these differences.

(3)Section 179 deduction received from a pass-through entity. In some cases, an entity that receives income from one or more pass-through entities may receive a section 179 deduction in excess of the Iowa deduction limitation listed in paragraph 53.23(2)"c" for a given year. The entity may be eligible for a special election with regard to that excess section 179 deduction, as described in this subrule.

a.Tax years beginning before January 1, 2018. For tax years beginning before January 1, 2018, the amount of any section 179 deduction received by a corporation (both C and S corporations) or an entity subject to the corporate income tax in excess of the Iowa deduction limitation for that year is not eligible for the special election.

b.Special election available for tax years 2018 and 2019. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, but before January 1, 2020, a corporation (both C and S corporations) or an entity subject to the corporate income tax that receives a section 179 deduction from one or more pass-through entities in excess of the Iowa deduction limitation for that tax year may elect to deduct the excess in future years, as described in this subrule. See rule 701-40.65(422) for rules applicable to individuals and other noncorporate entities, and see rule 701-59.24 (422) for rules applicable to financial institutions subject to the franchise tax.

(1) This special election applies only to section 179 deductions passed through to the corporation or entity subject to the corporate income tax by one or more other entities.

(2) If the total Iowa section 179 deduction passed through to the corporation or entity subject to the corporate income tax exceeds the federal section 179 deduction limitation for that year, the corporation or other entity may only use the amount up to the federal limitation when calculating the deduction under this election. Any amount in excess of the federal limitation shall not be deducted for Iowa purposes.

c.Section 179 assets of a corporation or entity subject to the corporate income tax. A corporation or entity subject to the corporate income tax that makes this special election may not claim an Iowa section 179 deduction for any assets the corporation or entity placed in service during the same year but must instead depreciate such assets using the modified accelerated cost recovery system (MACRS) without regard to bonus depreciation under Section 168(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. To the extent the corporation or entity claimed a federal section 179 deduction on those assets, the Iowa depreciation deductions and any basis adjustments resulting from the difference in timing of the recovery between Iowa law and federal law are calculated and tracked on forms made available on the department's website.

EXAMPLE: A, Inc., a corporation doing business in Iowa, places in service $20,000 worth of section 179 assets in tax year 2019 and claims the deduction for the full amount for federal purposes. A, Inc. is also a member of B, LLC, an entity that has elected to be taxed as a partnership for federal purposes and does not do any business in Iowa. B, LLC also places section 179 assets in service, properly claims a federal section 179 deduction, and passes a total of $150,000 of that deduction through to A, Inc. For federal purposes, A, Inc. has a total of $170,000 in section 179 deductions. Because A, Inc. has section 179 deductions from a pass-through that exceed the Iowa limitation for 2019, A, Inc. is eligible for the special election. A, Inc. makes the special election and claims the maximum Iowa section 179 deduction of $100,000 on the amount passed through from B, LLC. Under the special election, A, Inc. will be allowed to deduct the remaining $50,000 passed through from B, LLC over the next five years, as described in paragraph 53.23(3)"e." However, because A, Inc. made the special election, A, Inc. will be required to depreciate the entire $20,000 cost of the assets A, Inc. placed in service in 2019.

d.Calculating the special election. A corporation or other entity subject to the corporate income tax that elects to take advantage of the special election must first add together all section 179 deductions which the corporation or other entity received from all relevant pass-through entities. The corporation or other entity must claim an aggregate Iowa section 179 deduction equal to the Iowa limit for the tax year. This amount must be subtracted from the total. Whatever remains is the amount the corporation or other entity will be permitted to deduct (special election deduction) in future years.

e.Special election deduction.

(1) Calculation. The remaining amount from paragraph 53.23(3)"d" must be separated into five equal shares.

(2) Claiming the special election deduction. The corporation or other entity may deduct one of the five shares in each of the next five years. The dollar limitations and reduction limitations on section 179 deductions do not apply to special deduction amounts allowed over the five-year period under this paragraph.

(3) Excess special deduction. The special election deduction for a given year is limited to the taxpayer's business income for that year. Any excess may be carried forward to future years. Any amounts carried forward under this subparagraph shall be added to, and treated in the same manner as, regular Iowa section 179 deduction carryforwards as described in paragraph 53.23(2)"g."

EXAMPLE: D, Inc., a corporation doing business in Iowa, is a partner in a partnership that does not do business in Iowa. In 2019, the partnership passes through a $600,000 federal section 179 deduction and does not recalculate the deduction for Iowa purposes because the partnership has no obligation to file an Iowa return. D, Inc. claims an Iowa section 179 deduction of $100,000 (the 2019 Iowa limitation) and elects the five-year carryforward for the rest, meaning the corporation will be allowed to take a $100,000 Iowa deduction in each of the next five years.

In 2020, D, Inc. is eligible for the $100,000 deduction carried forward under the election, but the corporation only has $50,000 in business income. The deduction is limited to business income, so the corporation can only use $50,000 of the deduction in this year. However, D, Inc. will be permitted to treat the excess $50,000 as a section 179 carryforward and use it to offset business income in future years until the deduction is used up.

f.Basis. The individual's or entity's basis in the pass-through entity assets is adjusted by the full amount of the section 179 deduction passed through in the year that the section 179 deduction is received and is therefore the same for both Iowa and federal purposes.

g.Later tax years. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, Iowa fully conforms to the federal section 179 deduction and special Iowa treatment for excess section 179 deductions received from pass-throughs is not available.

This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code section 422.35 as amended by 2019 Iowa Acts, Senate File 220.

Iowa Admin. Code r. 701-502.23

ARC 9103B, IAB 9/22/10, effective 10/27/10; ARC 9820B, IAB 11/2/11, effective 12/7/11; ARC 1101C, IAB 10/16/13, effective 11/20/13; ARC 4142C, IAB 11/21/18, effective 12/26/18; ARC 4517C, IAB 6/19/19, effective 7/24/19; Editorial change: IAC Supplement 11/2/22