OBBBA Restores and Creates New 100 Percent Deductions for You Now

If you plan to buy equipment, furniture, computers, or other personal property for your business, the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) delivers great news. You can now deduct the full cost of such property in a single year—without limit.

For manufacturers, the OBBBA goes even further by creating a new 100 percent deduction for factories and other production-related real estate.

100 Percent Bonus Depreciation Returns

Bonus depreciation lets you deduct a property’s cost in the year you place it in service, instead of spreading the deduction over several years. You can apply it to most personal business property, off-the-shelf software, and land improvements such as landscaping.

The OBBBA increases bonus depreciation to 100 percent for property acquired and placed in service on or after January 20, 2025. Previously, bonus depreciation had dropped to 60 percent in 2024 and fell to 40 percent from January 1 through January 19. The new law makes the 100 percent deduction permanent.

This change makes bonus depreciation the primary method for deducting personal property. You may deduct the entire cost of a qualifying property in one year if you use it exclusively for business. The only exception is listed property, primarily passenger automobiles, which remain subject to an annual cap of $8,000.

There is no overall limit on bonus depreciation deductions, even if they create a loss. You can carry unused deductions forward to future years. If you prefer not to use bonus depreciation, you must opt out for the entire class of assets.

Enhanced Section 179 Deduction

Section 179 expensing overlaps with bonus depreciation but comes with annual limits. The OBBBA raised the Section 179 limit to $2.5 million for 2025, with a phaseout beginning at $4 million of property placed in service.

Because of the new, permanent 100 percent bonus depreciation, most businesses will rely less on Section 179. Unlike bonus depreciation, Section 179:

• Requires business use of at least 51 percent,
• Cannot create a loss, and
• Carries annual caps.

However, Section 179 allows you to pick and choose specific assets to expense, which can be beneficial for planning purposes.

New Deduction for Qualified Production Property

The OBBBA also created a temporary 100 percent deduction for real property used in manufacturing tangible goods, such as factories, refining halls, and assembly lines.

Typically, businesses depreciate such property over a period of 39 years.

Now, you may deduct the entire cost in one year if you build the property between January 20, 2025, and December 31, 2028, and place it in service by January 1, 2031. Specific existing property may also qualify if it was not in service as qualified production property between January 1, 2021, and May 12, 2025.

How We Can Help

Sterling Tax and Accounting is here to help your business with tax planning! Our comprehensive approach to tax planning helps reduce your overall tax liability and keep more money in your pocket. If all your accountant does is file your taxes, chances are they are making you pay more than your fair share of taxes.

Learn how to proactively save on taxes by scheduling a call with our tax planning specialists.

Our tax planning, accounting & business services help you stay on track. Sterling Tax & Accounting will work with you to optimize your business and minimize your taxes. We will work to provide you and your business with the tools and resources you need to build a solid tax and business foundation. We’re a trusted CPA Firm in Sarasota, Florida. We serve clients all over the US, and proactively work to minimize their taxes.

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