MACRS Depreciation Helper

Summary

Enter your asset cost, recovery period, and convention to get a full MACRS depreciation schedule for US tax purposes.

How it works

1. Enter the asset's cost basis (purchase price plus improvements).
2. Select the GDS recovery period that matches your asset class (e.g., 5-year for computers, 7-year for office furniture).
3. Choose the depreciation convention — half-year is standard; mid-quarter applies when more than 40% of assets are placed in service in Q4.
4. Click Calculate to generate the full year-by-year depreciation table.
5. Review the deduction for each tax year and the remaining book value.
6. Copy or print the schedule to include with your tax workpapers.

Use cases

• Plan cash flow by projecting annual tax depreciation deductions.
• Verify IRS depreciation tables for asset additions in your business.
• Compare the tax benefit of immediate Section 179 expensing vs. MACRS.
• Build multi-year tax projections for newly purchased equipment.
• Prepare depreciation schedules for corporate or partnership tax returns.
• Educate staff or clients on how accelerated depreciation works.
• Reconcile book vs. tax depreciation for deferred tax calculations.
• Model the after-tax cost of capital equipment purchases.

Frequently Asked Questions