CHAPTER 10Repairs, Maintenance, and 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. This is so even though the cost of materials and labor in today's economic climate is high. 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. As a general rule, the cost of capital expenditures cannot be currently deducted but instead are added to the basis of property and recovered through depreciation ...

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