U.S. Individual Income Tax Return

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Instructions for Form 2106

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2008

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service

Instructions for Form 2106
Employee Business Expenses
Section references are to the Internal
Revenue Code unless otherwise noted.

General Instructions
What’s New
Standard mileage rate. The 2008
rate for business use of your vehicle is
501/2 cents a mile (581/2 cents a mile
after June 30, 2008).
Special depreciation allowance.
Generally, new vehicles purchased and
placed in service in 2008 qualify for a
special depreciation allowance. The
special allowance is a depreciation
deduction equal to 50% of the adjusted
basis of the vehicle. For more details
see page 6.
Depreciation limits on vehicles. For
2008, the first-year limit on
depreciation, special depreciation

allowance, and section 179 deduction
for most vehicles has increased to
$10,960 ($2,960 if you elect not to
claim the special depreciation
allowance). For trucks and vans, the
first-year limit has increased to $11,160
($3,160 if you elect not to claim the
special depreciation allowance). For
more details, see pages 7 and 8.

An ordinary expense is one that is
common and accepted in your field of
trade, business, or profession. A
necessary expense is one that is
helpful and appropriate for your
business. An expense does not have to
be required to be considered
necessary.

Meal expenses. The percentage of
meal expenses that can be deducted
by employees subject to the
Department of Transportation (DOT)
hours of service limits has increased to
80%.

Form 2106-EZ. You may be able to
file Form 2106-EZ, Unreimbursed
Employee Business Expenses,
provided you:
• Use the standard mileage rate (if
claiming vehicle expense), and
• Were not reimbursed by your
employer for any expense (amounts
your employer included in box 1 of your
Form W-2 are not considered
reimbursements for this purpose).
See Form 2106-EZ to find out if you
qualify to file it.

Purpose of Form
Use Form 2106 if you were an
employee deducting ordinary and
necessary expenses for your job. See
the flowchart below to find out if you
must file this form.

Who Must File Form 2106
No

A Were you an employee during the year?

䊳 Do not file Form 2106.

See the instructions for Schedule C, C-EZ, E, or F.

Yes

䊲
B Did you have job-related business expenses?

No

䊳 Do not file Form 2106.

Yes

䊲
C Were you reimbursed for any of your business
expenses (count only reimbursements your employer
did not include in box 1 of your Form W-2)?

Yes
No

D Are you claiming job-related vehicle,
travel, transportation, meals, or
䊳
entertainment expenses?
No

䊲
E Are you a reservist, a qualified performing artist, a fee-basis
state or local government official, or an individual with a
disability claiming impairment-related work expenses? See
the line 10 instructions for definitions.

Yes
䊲
F Did you use a vehicle in your job in 2008 that
you also used for business in a prior year?

Yes

No

䊲
H Are your deductible expenses more than your
reimbursements (count only reimbursements your
employer did not include in box 1 of your Form W-2)?
For rules covering employer reporting of reimbursed
expenses, see the instructions for line 7.

䊲
G Is either (1) or (2) true?
1 You owned this vehicle and used the actual
expense method in the first year you used the
vehicle for business.
2 You used a depreciation method other than
straight line for this vehicle in a prior year.

䊲
File Form 2106 (but
see Notes below).

Do not file Form 2106. Enter expenses on Schedule A
No

䊳 (Form 1040), line 21 or Schedule A (Form 1040NR), line

9. These expenses include business gifts, education
(tuition and books), home office, trade publications, etc.

No
䊲

䊱
No

䊱
Yes

Do not file Form 2106.
Yes

䊲
File Form 2106 (but
see Notes).

Yes 䊲
File Form 2106.

Cat. No. 64188V

Notes
● Generally, employee expenses are deductible only on
line 21 of Schedule A (Form 1040) or line 9 of Schedule A
(Form 1040NR). But reservists, qualified performing artists,
fee-based state or local government officials, and
individuals with disabilities should see the instructions for
line 10 to find out where to deduct employee expenses.
● Do not file Form 2106 if none of your expenses are
deductible because of the 2% limit on miscellaneous
itemized deductions.

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Instructions for Form 2106

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Recordkeeping
You cannot deduct expenses for travel
(including meals unless you used the
standard meal allowance),
entertainment, gifts, or use of a car or
other listed property, unless you keep
records to prove the time, place,
business purpose, business
relationship (for entertainment and
gifts), and amounts of these expenses.
Generally, you must also have receipts
for all lodging expenses (regardless of
the amount) and any other expense of
$75 or more.

Additional Information
For more details about employee
business expenses, see:
• Pub. 463, Travel, Entertainment, Gift,
and Car Expenses.
• Pub. 529, Miscellaneous Deductions.
• Pub. 587, Business Use of Your
Home (Including Use by Daycare
Providers).
• Pub. 946, How To Depreciate
Property.

Specific Instructions
Part I—Employee
Business Expenses and
Reimbursements
Fill in all of Part I if you were
reimbursed for employee business
expenses. If you were not reimbursed
for your expenses, complete steps 1
and 3 only.

Step 1—Enter Your
Expenses
Line 1. If you were a rural mail carrier,
you can treat the amount of qualified
reimbursement you received as the
amount of your allowable expense.
Because the qualified reimbursement is
treated as paid under an accountable
plan, your employer should not include
the amount of reimbursement in your
income.
You were a rural mail carrier if you
were an employee of the United States
Postal Service (USPS) who performed
services involving the collection and
delivery of mail on a rural route.
Qualified reimbursements. These
are the amounts paid by the USPS as
an equipment maintenance allowance
under a collective bargaining
agreement between the USPS and the
National Rural Letter Carriers’
Association, but only if such amounts
do not exceed the amount that would
have been paid under the 1991
collective bargaining agreement

(adjusted for changes in the Consumer
Price Index since 1991).
If you were a rural mail carrier and
your vehicle expenses were:
• Less than or equal to your qualified
reimbursements, do not file Form 2106
unless you have deductible expenses
other than vehicle expenses. If you
have deductible expenses other than
vehicle expenses, skip line 1 and do
not include any qualified
reimbursements in column A on line 7.
• More than your qualified
reimbursements, first complete Part II
of Form 2106. Enter your total vehicle
expenses from line 29 on line 1 and the
amount of your qualified
reimbursements in column A on
line 7.
If you are a rural mail carrier
and received a qualified
CAUTION reimbursement, you cannot use
the standard mileage rate.

!

Line 2. The expenses of commuting to
and from work are not deductible. See
the line 15 instructions on page 4 for
the definition of commuting.
Line 3. Enter lodging and
transportation expenses connected with
overnight travel away from your tax
home (defined next). Do not include
expenses for meals and entertainment.
For more details, including limits, see
Pub. 463.
Tax home. Generally, your tax
home is your regular or main place of
business or post of duty regardless of
where you maintain your family home. If
you do not have a regular or main place
of business because of the nature of
your work, then your tax home may be
the place where you regularly live. If
you do not have a regular or a main
place of business or post of duty and
there is no place where you regularly
live, you are considered an itinerant (a
transient) and your tax home is
wherever you work. As an itinerant, you
are never away from home and cannot
claim a travel expense deduction. For
more details on the definition of a tax
home, see Pub. 463.
Generally, you cannot deduct any
expenses for travel away from your tax
home for any period of temporary
employment of more than 1 year.
However, this 1-year rule does not
apply for a temporary period in which
you were a federal employee certified
by the Attorney General (or his or her
designee) as traveling in temporary
duty status for the U.S. government to
investigate or prosecute a federal crime
(or to provide support services for the
investigation or prosecution of a federal
crime).
Incidental expenses. The term
“incidental expenses” means:

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• Fees and tips given to porters,

baggage carriers, bellhops, hotel
maids, stewards or stewardesses and
others on ships, and hotel servants in
foreign countries;
• Transportation between places of
lodging or business and places where
meals are taken, if suitable meals can
be obtained at the temporary duty site;
and
• Mailing cost associated with filing
travel vouchers and payment of
employer-sponsored charge card
billings.
Incidental expenses do not include
expenses for laundry, cleaning and
pressing of clothing, lodging taxes, or
the costs of telegrams or telephone
calls.
You can use an optional method
(instead of actual cost) for deducting
incidental expenses only. The amount
of the deduction is $3 a day for
incidental expenses paid or incurred for
travel away from home in 2008. You
can use this method only if you did not
pay or incur any meal expenses. You
cannot use this method on any day you
use the standard meal allowance
(defined in the instructions for line 5 on
page 3).
Line 4. Enter other job-related
expenses not listed on any other line of
this form. Include expenses for
business gifts, education (tuition, fees,
and books), home office, trade
publications, etc. For details, including
limits, see Pub. 463 and Pub. 529.
If you are deducting home office
expenses, see Pub. 587 for special
instructions on how to report these
expenses.
If you are deducting depreciation or
claiming a section 179 deduction for a
cellular telephone or other similar
telecommunications equipment, a home
computer, etc., see Form 4562,
Depreciation and Amortization, to figure
the depreciation and section 179
deduction to enter on Form 2106,
line 4.
Do not include on line 4 any (a)
educator expenses you deducted on
Form 1040, line 23, or Form 1040NR,
line 24, or (b) tuition and fees you
deducted on Form 1040, line 34.
You may be able to take a credit

TIP for your educational expenses
instead of a deduction. See
Form 8863, Education Credits, for
details.
Do not include expenses for meals
and entertainment, taxes, or interest on
line 4. Deductible taxes are entered on
Schedule A (Form 1040), lines 5
through 9 (or Schedule A (Form
1040NR), lines 1 through 3).
Employees cannot deduct car loan
interest.

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Note. If line 4 is your only entry, do not
complete Form 2106 unless you are
claiming:
• Performing-arts-related business
expenses as a qualified performing
artist,
• Expenses for performing your job as
a fee-basis state or local government
official, or
• Impairment-related work expenses
as an individual with a disability.
See the line 10 instructions that
begin on this page for definitions. If you
are not required to file Form 2106,
enter your expenses directly on
Schedule A (Form 1040), line 21 (or
Schedule A (Form 1040NR), line 9).
Line 5. Enter your allowable meals
and entertainment expense. Include
meals while away from your tax home
overnight and other business meals
and entertainment.
Standard meal allowance. Instead
of actual cost, you may be able to claim
the standard meal allowance for your
daily meals and incidental expenses
(M&IE) while away from your tax home
overnight. Under this method, instead
of keeping records of your actual meal
expenses, you deduct a specified
amount, depending on where you
travel. However, you must still keep
records to prove the time, place, and
business purpose of your travel.
The standard meal allowance is the
federal M&IE rate. For most small
localities in the United States, the 2008
rate is $39 a day. Most major cities and
many other localities in the United
States qualify for higher rates. You can
find these rates on the Internet at www.
gsa.gov. At the GSA home page click
on “Per Diem Rates.” At the Domestic
Per Diem Rates page select “2008” for
the rates in effect for the period
January 1, 2008 – September 30, 2008.
Select “2009” for the period October 1,
2008 – December 31, 2008. However,
you can apply the rates in effect before
October 1, 2008, for expenses of all
travel within the United States for 2008
instead of the updated rates. For the
period October 1, 2008 – December 31,
2008, you must consistently use either
the rates for the first 9 months of 2008
or the updated rates.
For locations outside the continental
United States, the applicable rates are
published each month. You can find
these rates on the Internet at www.
state.gov/travelandbusiness/.
See Pub. 463 for details on how to
figure your deduction using the
standard meal allowance, including
special rules for partial days of travel
and transportation workers.

Step 2—Enter
Reimbursements Received
From Your Employer for
Expenses Listed in Step 1
Line 7. Enter reimbursements
received from your employer (or third
party) for expenses shown in Step 1
that were not reported to you in box 1
of your Form W-2. This includes
reimbursements reported under code
“L” in box 12 of Form W-2. Amounts
reported under code “L” are
reimbursements you received for
business expenses that were not
included as wages on Form W-2
because the expenses met specific IRS
substantiation requirements.
Generally, when your employer pays
for your expenses, the payments
should not be included in box 1 of your
Form W-2 if, within a reasonable period
of time, you:
• Accounted to your employer for the
expenses, and
• Were required to return, and did
return, any payment not spent (or
considered not spent) for business
expenses.
If these payments were incorrectly
included in box 1, ask your employer
for a corrected Form W-2.
Accounting to your employer.
This means that you gave your
employer documentary evidence and
an account book, diary, or similar
statement to verify the amount, time,
place, and business purpose of each
expense. You are also treated as
having accounted for your expenses if
either of the following applies.
• Your employer gave you a fixed
travel allowance that is similar in form
to the per diem allowance specified by
the Federal Government and you
verified the time, place, and business
purpose of the travel for that day.
• Your employer reimbursed you for
vehicle expenses at the standard
mileage rate or according to a flat rate
or stated schedule, and you verified the
date of each trip, mileage, and
business purpose of the vehicle use.
See Pub. 463 for more details.
Allocating your reimbursement. If
your employer paid you a single
amount that covers meals and
entertainment as well as other business
expenses, you must allocate the
reimbursement so that you know how
much to enter in Column A and Column
B of line 7. Use the following worksheet
to figure this allocation.

-3-

Reimbursement Allocation
Worksheet
(keep for your records)
1. Enter the total amount of
reimbursements your
employer gave you that were
not reported to you
in box 1 of Form W-2 . . . . . .
2. Enter the total amount of your
expenses for the periods
covered by this
reimbursement . . . . . . . . . .
3. Enter the part of the amount
on line 2 that was your total
expense for meals and
entertainment . . . . . . . . . . .
4. Divide line 3 by line 2.
Enter the result as a decimal
(rounded to three places) . . .

.

5. Multiply line 1 by line 4. Enter
the result here and
in Column B, line 7 . . . . . . .
6. Subtract line 5 from line 1.
Enter the result here and
in Column A, line 7 . . . . . . .

Step 3—Figure Expenses
To Deduct on Schedule A
(Form 1040 or Form 1040NR)
Line 9. Generally, you can deduct only
50% of your business meal and
entertainment expenses, including
meals incurred while away from home
on business. However, if you were an
employee subject to the DOT hours of
service limits, that percentage is
increased to 80% for business meals
consumed during, or incident to, any
period of duty for which those limits are
in effect.
Employees subject to the DOT hours
of service limits include certain air
transportation employees, such as
pilots, crew, dispatchers, mechanics,
and control tower operators; interstate
truck operators and interstate bus
drivers; certain railroad employees,
such as engineers, conductors, train
crews, dispatchers, and control
operations personnel; and certain
merchant mariners.
Line 10. If you are one of the
individuals discussed below, special
rules apply to deducting your employee
business expenses. Any part of the line
10 total that is not deducted according
to the special rules should be entered
on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 21 (or
Schedule A (Form 1040NR), line 9).
Ministers. Before entering your
total expenses on line 10, you must
reduce them by the amount allocable to
your tax-free allowance(s). See Pub.
517 for more information.

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Instructions for Form 2106

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Armed Forces reservist (member
of a reserve component). You are a
member of a reserve component of the
Armed Forces of the United States if
you are in the Army, Navy, Marine
Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard
Reserve; the Army National Guard of
the United States; the Air National
Guard of the United States; or the
Reserve Corps of the Public Health
Service.
If you qualify, include the part of the
line 10 amount attributable to the
expenses for travel more than 100
miles away from home in connection
with your performance of services as a
member of the reserves on Form 1040,
line 24, and attach Form 2106 to your
return. These reserve-related travel
expenses are deductible whether or not
you itemize deductions. See Pub. 463
for additional details on how to report
these expenses.
Fee-basis state or local
government official. You are a
qualifying fee-basis official if you are
employed by a state or political
subdivision of a state and are
compensated, in whole or in part, on a
fee basis.
If you qualify, include the part of the
line 10 amount attributable to the
expenses you incurred for services
performed in that job in the total on
Form 1040, line 24, and attach Form
2106 to your return. These employee
business expenses are deductible
whether or not you itemize deductions.
Qualified performing artist. You
are a qualified performing artist if you:
1. Performed services in the
performing arts as an employee for at
least two employers during the tax year,
2. Received from at least two of
those employers wages of $200 or
more per employer,
3. Had allowable business
expenses attributable to the performing
arts of more than 10% of gross income
from the performing arts, and
4. Had adjusted gross income of
$16,000 or less before deducting
expenses as a performing artist.
In addition, if you are married, you must
file a joint return unless you lived apart
from your spouse for all of 2008. If you
file a joint return, you must figure
requirements (1), (2), and (3)
separately for both you and your
spouse. However, requirement (4)
applies to the combined adjusted gross
income of both you and your spouse.
If you meet all the requirements,
include the part of the line 10 amount
attributable to performing-arts-related
expenses in the total on Form 1040,
line 24 (or Form 1040NR, line 34), and
attach Form 2106 to your return. Your
performing-arts-related business

expenses are deductible whether or not
you itemize deductions.
Disabled employee with
impairment-related work expenses.
Impairment-related work expenses are
the allowable expenses of an individual
with physical or mental disabilities for
attendant care at his or her place of
employment. They also include other
expenses in connection with the place
of employment that enable the
employee to work. See Pub. 463 for
more details.
If you qualify, enter the part of the
line 10 amount attributable to
impairment-related work expenses on
Schedule A (Form 1040), line 28 (or
Schedule A (Form 1040NR), line 16).
These expenses are not subject to the
2% limit that applies to most other
employee business expenses.

Part II—Vehicle
Expenses
There are two methods for computing
vehicle expenses — the standard
mileage rate and the actual expense
method. You can use the standard
mileage rate for 2008 only if:
• You owned the vehicle and used the
standard mileage rate for the first year
you placed the vehicle in service, or
• You leased the vehicle and are using
the standard mileage rate for the entire
lease period (except the period, if any,
before 1998).
You cannot use actual expenses for
a leased vehicle if you previously used
the standard mileage rate for that
vehicle.
If you have the option of using either
the standard mileage rate or actual
expense method, you should figure
your expenses both ways to find the
method most beneficial to you. But
when completing Form 2106, fill in only
the sections that apply to the method
you choose.
If you were a rural mail carrier and
received an equipment maintenance
allowance, see the line 1 instructions
on page 2.
For more information on the
standard mileage rate and actual
expenses, see Pub. 463.

Section A—General
Information
If you used two vehicles for business
during the year, use a separate column
in Sections A, C, and D for each
vehicle. If you used more than two
vehicles, complete and attach a second
Form 2106, page 2.
Line 11. Date placed in service is
generally the date you first start using
your vehicle. However, if you first start
using your vehicle for personal use and

-4-

later convert it to business use, the
vehicle is treated as placed in service
on the date you started using it for
business.
Line 12. Enter the total number of
miles you drove each vehicle during
2008.
Change from personal to
business use. If you converted your
vehicle during the year from personal to
business use (or vice versa) and you
do not have mileage records for the
time before the change to business
use, enter the total number of miles
driven after the change to business
use.
Line 13. Do not include commuting
miles on this line; commuting miles are
not considered business miles. See the
line 15 instructions below for the
definition of commuting.
Line 14. Divide line 13 by line 12 to
figure your business use percentage.
Change from personal to
business use. If you entered on line
12 the total number of miles driven after
the change to business use, multiply
the percentage you figured by the
number of months you drove the
vehicle for business and divide the
result by 12.
Line 15. Enter your average daily
round trip commuting distance. If you
went to more than one work location,
figure the average.
Commuting. Generally, commuting
is travel between your home and a
work location. However, travel that
meets any of the following conditions is
not commuting.
• You have at least one regular work
location away from your home and the
travel is to a temporary work location in
the same trade or business, regardless
of the distance. Generally, a temporary
work location is one where your
employment is expected to last 1 year
or less. See Pub. 463 for more details.
• The travel is to a temporary work
location outside the metropolitan area
where you live and normally work.
• Your home is your principal place of
business under section 280A(c)(1)(A)
(for purposes of deducting expenses for
business use of your home) and the
travel is to another work location in the
same trade or business, regardless of
whether that location is regular or
temporary and regardless of distance.
Line 16. If you do not know the total
actual miles you used your vehicle for
commuting during the year, figure the
amount to enter on line 16 by
multiplying the number of days during
the year that you used each vehicle for
commuting by the average daily round
trip commuting distance in miles.
However, if you converted your vehicle
during the year from personal to

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business use (or vice versa), enter your
commuting miles only for the period you
drove your vehicle for business.

Section B—Standard
Mileage Rate
You may be able to use the standard
mileage rate instead of actual expenses
to figure the deductible costs of
operating a passenger vehicle,
including a van, sport utility vehicle
(SUV), pickup, or panel truck.
If you want to use the standard
mileage rate for a vehicle you own, you
must do so in the first year you place
your vehicle in service. In later years,
you can deduct actual expenses
instead, but you must use straight line
depreciation.
If you lease your vehicle, you can
use the standard mileage rate, but only
if you use the rate for the entire lease
period (except for the period, if any,
before January 1, 1998).
If you use more than two vehicles,
complete and attach a second Form
2106, page 2, providing the information
requested in lines 11 through 22c. Be
sure to include the amount from line
22c of both pages in the total on Form
2106, line 1.
You can also deduct state and local
personal property taxes. Enter these
taxes on Schedule A (Form 1040), line
7. (Personal property taxes are not
deductible on Form 1040NR.)
If you are claiming the standard
mileage rate for mileage driven in more
than one business activity, you must
figure the deduction for each business
on a separate form or schedule (for
example, Form 2106 or Schedule C,
C-EZ, E, or F).

Section C—Actual Expenses
Line 23. Enter your total annual
expenses for gasoline, oil, repairs,
insurance, tires, license plates, and
similar items. Do not include state and
local personal property taxes or interest
expense you paid. Deduct state and
local personal property taxes on
Schedule A (Form 1040), line 7.
Employees cannot deduct car loan
interest.
Line 24a. If during 2008 you rented or
leased instead of using your own
vehicle, enter the cost of renting. Also,
include on this line any temporary
rentals, such as when your car was
being repaired, except for amounts
included on line 3.
Line 24b. If you leased a vehicle for a
term of 30 days or more, you may have
to reduce your deduction for vehicle
lease payments by an amount called
the inclusion amount. You may have an
inclusion amount for a passenger
automobile if:

Passenger Automobile
(Except Trucks and Vans)

The lease term
began in:

And the vehicle’s
fair market value on
the first day of the
lease exceeded:

2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $18,500
2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15,500

2005 or 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15,200

2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17,500

2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18,000

1999 through 2002 . . . . . . . . . .

15,500

1997 or 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15,800

If the lease term began before 1997, see
Pub. 463 to find out if you have an
inclusion amount.

You may have an inclusion amount
for a truck or van if:
Trucks and Vans

The lease term
began in:

And the vehicle’s
fair market value on
the first day of the
lease exceeded:

2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $19,000
2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16,400

2005 or 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16,700

2004

...................

18,000

2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18,500

See Pub. 463 to figure the inclusion
amount.
Line 25. If during 2008 your employer
provided a vehicle for your business
use and included 100% of its annual
lease value in box 1 of your Form W-2,
enter this amount on line 25. If less
than 100% of the annual lease value
was included in box 1 of your Form
W-2, skip line 25.
Line 28. If you completed Section D,
enter the amount from line 38. If you
used Form 4562 to figure your
depreciation deduction, enter the total
of the following amounts.
• Depreciation allocable to your
vehicle(s) (from Form 4562, line 28).
• Any section 179 deduction allocable
to your vehicle(s) (from Form 4562, line
29).

Section D—Depreciation of
Vehicles
Depreciation is an amount you can
deduct to recover the cost or other
basis of your vehicle over a certain

-5-

number of years. In some cases, you
can elect to claim a special depreciation
allowance or to expense, under section
179, part of the cost of your vehicle in
the year of purchase. For details, see
Pub. 463.
Vehicle trade-in. If you traded one
vehicle (the “old vehicle”) in on another
vehicle (the “new vehicle”) in 2008,
there are two ways you can treat the
transaction.
1. You can elect to treat the
transaction as a tax-free disposition of
the old vehicle and the purchase of the
new vehicle. If you make this election,
you treat the old vehicle as disposed of
at the time of the trade-in. The
depreciable basis of the new vehicle is
the adjusted basis of the old vehicle
(figured as if 100% of the vehicle’s use
had been for business purposes) plus
any additional amount you paid for the
new vehicle. You then figure your
depreciation deduction for the new
vehicle beginning with the date you
placed it in service. You make this
election by completing Form 2106, Part
II, Section D.
2. If you do not make the election
described in (1), you must figure
depreciation separately for the
remaining basis of the old vehicle and
for any additional amount you paid for
the new vehicle. You must apply two
depreciation limits. The limit that
applies to the remaining basis of the old
vehicle generally is the amount that
would have been allowed had you not
traded in the old vehicle. The limit that
applies to the additional amount you
paid for the new vehicle generally is the
limit that applies for the tax year it was
placed in service, reduced by the
depreciation allowance for the
remaining basis of the old vehicle. You
must use Form 4562 to compute your
depreciation deduction. You cannot use
Form 2106, Part II, Section D.
If you elect to use the method
described in (1), you must do so on a
timely filed tax return (including
extensions). Otherwise, you must use
the method described in (2).
Line 30. Enter the vehicle’s actual
cost or other basis. Do not reduce your
basis by any prior year’s depreciation.
However, you must reduce your basis
by any deductible casualty loss,
deduction for clean-fuel vehicle, gas
guzzler tax, alternative motor vehicle
credit, or qualified electric vehicle credit
you claimed. Increase your basis by
any sales tax paid (unless you
deducted sales taxes in the year you
purchased your vehicle) and any
substantial improvements to your
vehicle.

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If you traded in your vehicle, your
basis is the adjusted basis of the old
vehicle (reduced by depreciation
figured as if 100% of the vehicle’s use
had been for business purposes) plus
any additional amount you pay for the
new vehicle. See Pub. 463 for more
information.
If you converted the vehicle from
personal use to business use, your
basis for depreciation is the smaller of
the vehicle’s adjusted basis or its fair
market value on the date of conversion.
Line 31. Enter the amount of any
section 179 deduction and special
depreciation allowance claimed.
If you were affected by a

TIP federally declared disaster,
special rules apply with regard
to the section 179 deduction and the
special depreciation allowance. For
information, see:
• Pub. 4492-A, Information for
Taxpayers Affected by the May 4,
2007, Kansas Storms and Tornadoes;
• Pub. 4492-B, Information for Affected
Taxpayers in the Midwestern Disaster
Areas; and
• Pub. 946, How to Depreciate
Property, for other disasters.
Section 179 deduction. If 2008 is
the first year your vehicle was placed in
service and the percentage on line 14
is more than 50%, you can elect to
deduct as an expense a portion of the
cost (subject to a yearly limit). To
calculate this section 179 deduction,
multiply the part of the cost of the
vehicle that you choose to expense by
the percentage on line 14. The total of
your depreciation and section 179
deduction generally cannot be more
than the percentage on line 14
multiplied by the applicable limit
explained in the line 36 instructions
(beginning on page 7). Your section
179 deduction for the year cannot be
more than the income from your job
and any other active trade or business
on your Form 1040.
If you are claiming a section 179
deduction on other property, or
CAUTION you placed more than $800,000
of section 179 property in service
during the year, use Form 4562 to
figure your section 179 deduction. Enter
the amount of the section 179
deduction allocable to your vehicle
(from Form 4562, line 12) on Form
2106, line 31.

!

Note. For section 179 purposes,
the cost of the new vehicle does not
include the adjusted basis of the
vehicle you traded in.

Example.
Cost including taxes . . . . . . . .

$25,000

Adjusted basis of trade-in . . . .

− 3,000

Section 179 basis . . . . . . . . . .

$22,000

Limit on depreciation and
section 179 deduction . . . . . . . $10,960*
Smaller of:
Section 179 basis, or limit on
depreciation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$10,960

Percentage on line 14 . . . . . . .

× .75

Section 179 deduction . . . . . .

$ 8,220

*$2,960 if electing out of special depreciation
allowance or not qualified property.

Limit for sport utility and certain
other vehicles. For sport utility and
certain other vehicles placed in service
in 2008, the portion of vehicle’s cost
taken into account in figuring your
section 179 deduction is limited to
$25,000. This rule applies to any
4-wheeled vehicle primarily designed or
used to carry passengers over public
streets, roads, or highways, that is not
subject to any of the passenger
automobile limits explained in the line
36 instructions, and is rated at no more
than 14,000 pounds gross vehicle
weight. However, the $25,000 limit
does not apply to any vehicle:
• Designed to have a seating capacity
of more than nine persons behind the
driver’s seat, or
• Equipped with a cargo area of at
least 6 feet in interior length that is an
open area or is designed for use as an
open area but is enclosed by a cap and
is not readily accessible directly from
the passenger compartment, or
• That has an integral enclosure, fully
enclosing the driver compartment and
load carrying device, does not have
seating rearward of the driver’s seat,
and has no body section protruding
more than 30 inches ahead of the
leading edge of the windshield.
Special depreciation allowance.
You may be able to claim a special
depreciation allowance for your new
vehicle if:
• You purchased and placed it in
service in 2008, and
• The percentage on line 14 is more
than 50%.
The special allowance is an
additional first year depreciation
deduction of 50% of the depreciable
basis of your vehicle. However, your
total section 179 deduction, special
depreciation allowance, and regular
depreciation deduction cannot be more
than $10,960 for cars and $11,160 for
trucks and vans, multiplied by your
business use percentage on line 14.

-6-

See the line 36 instruction for
depreciation limits.
Election out. You can elect not to
claim the special depreciation
allowance for your vehicle. If you make
this election, it applies to all property in
the same class placed in service during
the year.
To make the election, attach a
statement to your timely filed return
(including extensions) indicating that
you are electing not to claim the special
depreciation allowance and the class of
property for which you are making the
election.
Use the worksheet below to figure
the amount of the special depreciation
allowance.
Worksheet for the Special
Depreciation Allowance
(keep for your records)
1. Enter the total amount from
line 30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. Multiply line 1 by the
percentage on Form 2106, line
14, and enter the result . . . . .
3. Enter any section 179
deduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. Subtract line 3 from line 2 . . .
5. Multiply line 4 by 50% (.50)
and enter the result . . . . . . . .
6. Multiply the applicable limit
explained in the line 36
instructions by the percentage
on Form 2106, line 14, and
enter the result. If line 36 limits
do not apply, skip lines 6 and
7, and enter the amount from
line 5 on line 8 . . . . . . . . . . .
7. Subtract line 3 from line 6 . . .
8. Enter the smaller of line 5 or
line 7. Add the result to any
section 179 deduction (line 3
above) and enter the total on
Form 2106, line 31 . . . . . . . .

More information. See Pub. 463,
chapter 4, for more information on the
special depreciation allowance.
Line 32. To figure the basis for
depreciation, multiply line 30 by the
percentage on line 14. From that result,
subtract the full amount of any section
179 deduction and special depreciation
allowance.
Line 33. If you used the standard
mileage rate in the first year the vehicle
was placed in service and now elect to
use the actual expense method, you
must use the straight line method of
depreciation for the vehicle’s estimated
useful life. Otherwise, use the
Depreciation Method and Percentage
Chart above to find the depreciation

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Depreciation Method and Percentage Chart — Line 33
(a)1

Date Placed in Service

(b)1

Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2008

200 DB

Jan. 1 – Sept. 30, 2008

200 DB

20.0

150 DB

15.0

SL

10.0

Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2007

200 DB

38.0

150 DB

28.88

SL

20.0

Jan. 1 – Sept. 30, 2007

200 DB

32.0

150 DB

25.5

SL

20.0

Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2006

200 DB

22.8

150 DB

20.21

SL

20.0

Jan. 1 – Sept. 30, 2006

200 DB

19.2

150 DB

17.85

SL

20.0

Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2005

200 DB

13.68

150 DB

16.4

SL

20.0

Jan. 1 – Sept. 30, 2005

200 DB

11.52

150 DB

16.66

SL

20.0

Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2004

200 DB

10.94

150 DB

16.41

SL

20.0

Jan. 1 – Sept. 30, 2004

200 DB

11.52

150 DB

16.66

SL

20.0

Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2003

200 DB

9.58

150 DB

14.35

SL

17.5

Jan. 1 – Sept. 30, 2003

200 DB

5.76

150 DB

8.33

SL

10.0

Prior to

5.0 %

150 DB

(c)
3.75%

SL

2.5%

20032

1You

can use this column only if the business use of your car is more than 50%.
your car was subject to the maximum limits for depreciation and you have unrecovered basis in the car, you can continue to claim depreciation.
See Pub. 463 for more information.
2If

method and percentage to enter on line
33.
To use the chart, first find the date
you placed the vehicle in service (line
11). Then, select the depreciation
method and percentage from column
(a), (b), or (c). For example, if you
placed a car in service on July 1, 2008,
and you use the method in column (a),
enter “200 DB 20%” on line 33.
For vehicles placed in service before
2008, use the same method you used
on last year’s return unless a decline in
your business use requires a change to
the straight line method. For vehicles
placed in service during 2008, select
the depreciation method and
percentage after reading the
explanation for each column.
Column (a) — 200% declining
balance method. You can use
column (a) only if the business use
percentage on line 14 is more than
50%. Of the three depreciation
methods, the 200% declining balance
method may give you the largest
depreciation deduction for the first 3
years (after considering the
depreciation limit for your vehicle). See
the depreciation limit tables on page 8.
Column (b) — 150% declining
balance method. You can use
column (b) only if the business use
percentage on line 14 is more than
50%. The 150% declining balance
method may give you a smaller
depreciation deduction than in column
(a) for the first 3 years. However, you
will not have a “depreciation
adjustment” on this vehicle for the
alternative minimum tax. This may

result in a smaller tax liability if you
must file Form 6251, Alternative
Minimum Tax — Individuals.
Column (c) — straight line method.
You must use column (c) if the
business use percentage on line 14 is
50% or less. The method for these
vehicles is the straight line method over
5 years. The use of this column is
optional for these vehicles if the
business use percentage on line 14 is
more than 50%.
Note. If your vehicle was used more
than 50% for business in the year it
was placed in service and used 50% or
less in a later year, part of the
depreciation and section 179 deduction
previously claimed may have to be
added back to your income in the later
year. Figure the amount to be included
in income in Part IV of Form 4797,
Sales of Business Property.
More information. For more
information on depreciating your
vehicle, see Pub. 463.
If you placed other business
property in service in the same
CAUTION year you placed your vehicle in
service or you used your vehicle mainly
within an Indian reservation, you may
not be able to use the chart. See Pub.
946 to figure your depreciation.

!

Line 34. If you sold or exchanged your
vehicle during the year, use the
following instructions to figure the
amount to enter on line 34.
If your vehicle was placed in
service:

-7-

1. Before 2003, enter the result of
multiplying line 32 by the percentage on
line 33;
2. After 2002, from January 1
through September 30, enter the
amount figured by multiplying the result
in (1) by 50%; or
3. After 2002, from October 1
through December 31, enter the
amount figured by multiplying the result
in (1) by the percentage shown below
for the month you disposed of the
vehicle.
Month

Percentage

Jan., Feb., March . . . . . . . .

12.5%

April, May, June . . . . . . . . .

37.5%

July, Aug., Sept. . . . . . . . . .

62.5%

Oct., Nov., Dec. . . . . . . . . .

87.5%

Line 36. Using the applicable chart for
your type of vehicle, find the date you
placed your vehicle in service. Then,
enter on line 36 the corresponding
amount from the “Limit” column. Before
using the charts, please read the
following definitions.
• A passenger automobile is a
4-wheeled vehicle manufactured
primarily for use on public roads that is
rated at 6,000 pounds unloaded gross
vehicle weight or less. Certain vehicles,
such as ambulances, hearses, and
taxicabs, are not considered passenger
automobiles and are not subject to the
line 36 limits. See Pub. 463 for more
details.
• A truck or van is a passenger
automobile that is classified by the

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Instructions for Form 2106

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manufacturer as a truck or van, and
that is rated at 6,000 pounds gross
vehicle weight or less.
If your vehicle is not subject to any of
the line 36 limits, skip lines 36 and 37,
and enter the amount from line 35 on
line 38.
Limits for Passenger Automobiles
(Except Trucks and Vans)
Date Vehicle Was
Placed in Service
Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2008 . . . . .

Limit
$10,960*

Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2007 . . . . .

4,900

Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2006 . . . . .

2,850

Jan. 1, 2004 – Dec. 31, 2005

1,675

Jan. 1, 1995 – Dec. 31, 2003

1,775

Paperwork Reduction Act Notice.
We ask for the information on this form
to carry out the Internal Revenue laws
of the United States. You are required
to give us the information. We need it to
ensure that you are complying with
these laws and to allow us to figure and
collect the right amount of tax.
You are not required to provide the
information requested on a form that is
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act
unless the form displays a valid OMB
control number. Books or records
relating to a form or its instructions
must be retained as long as their
contents may become material in the

* If you elect not to claim the special
depreciation allowance for the vehicle or the
vehicle is not qualified property, the limit is
$2,960.

Limits for Trucks and Vans
Date Vehicle Was
Placed in Service
Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2008 . . . . .

Limit
$11,160*

Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2007 . . . . .

5,200

Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2006 . . . . .

3,150

Jan. 1, 2004 – Dec. 31, 2005

1,875

Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2003 . . . . .

1,975

Jan. 1, 1995 – Dec. 31, 2002

1,775

* If you elect not to claim the special
depreciation allowance for the vehicle or the
vehicle is not qualified property, the limit is
$3,160.

-8-

administration of any Internal Revenue
law. Generally, tax returns and return
information are confidential, as required
by section 6103.
The average time and expenses
required to complete and file this form
will vary depending on individual
circumstances. For the estimated
averages, see the instructions for your
income tax return.
If you have suggestions for making
this form simpler, we would be happy to
hear from you. See the instructions for
your income tax return.