Should I Expense or Depreciate?

As a general rule, it's better to expense an item than to depreciate because money has a time value. If you expense the item, you get the deduction in the current tax year, and you can immediately use the money the expense deduction has freed from taxes.

When should you depreciate an asset?

If you have an asset that will be used in your business for longer than the current year, you are generally not allowed to deduct its full cost in the year you bought it. Instead, you need to depreciate it over time. This rule applies whether you use cash or accrual-based accounting.

What expenses should be depreciated?

Automobiles, computers and other major purchases of office equipment should be depreciated over a five-year period, while residential rental property has a depreciation period of 27 1/2 years. As of 2012, the IRS allows you to directly write off expenses up to $139,000, rather than depreciating them over time.