J.K. Lasser's Small Business Taxes 2014: Your Complete Guide to a Better Bottom Line

Repairs, Maintenance, and Energy Improvements

Ordinary Repairs

Rehabilitation Plans

Special Rules for Improvements for the Elderly and Handicapped

Lists of Deductible Repairs and Capital Improvements

Energy Improvements

Property and equipment generally need constant repairs to keep them in working order. Preventative maintenance—regular servicing of equipment—can cut down on replacement costs by allowing you to keep your current equipment longer. When your computer goes down, a service person is required to make repairs. When the air-conditioning system in your office building stops working, again, servicing is necessary. If you have property or equipment to which you make repairs, you can deduct these expenses. The only hitch is making sure that the expenses are not capital expenditures. Capital expenditures cannot be currently deducted but instead are added to the basis of property and recovered through depreciation or upon the disposition of the property.

For further information about deducting repairs, see IRS Publication 535, Business Expenses.

Ordinary Repairs

Deducting Incidental Repairs in General

The cost of repairing property and equipment used in your business is a deductible business expense. In contrast, expenditures that materially add to the value of the property, prolong its life, or adapt the property to a new or different use must be capitalized (added to the ...