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Can You Write Off an Extended Warranty for a Business Vehicle?

Featured image by Marlene Bitzer from Pixabay 

In these trying times, many businesses are trying to be frugal. Many of them have vehicles to assist with their transactions and deliveries. If you’re a business owner, you probably want to know if you could write off the extended warranty for the vehicle or vehicles you use for business.

Below is useful information that can help you gain a better understanding of the topic.

What You Can Do If You Received Reimbursement

Buying a car for business use with its used car warranty can help your business. Since you also bought the extended protection, can you write off the entire amount of the warranty for taxes? The answer is no.

Getting a car with an extended warranty means that you called the warranty provider for reimbursement every time your business vehicle needed repairs. Since you have already received full reimbursement for your vehicle, you cannot write off the extended warranty anymore.

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A client of yours may have caused some damage to your vehicle. Your client offered to reimburse you for the total cost of repairing the vehicle. But you cannot write off the repair costs if you received full reimbursement for it. It is reportable income if the reimbursement is higher than the actual repair cost. However, you can claim the difference if the reimbursement is lower than the actual repair cost. The same applies if you get reimbursement from the car insurance or extended warranty company.

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You can write off replacement parts or repairs covered by a guarantee or warranty if they are part of the purchase price of a rebuilt car part like an engine or transmission. An extended car warranty that covers unexpected repair costs is not taxable either.

What You Can Do If You Did Not Receive Reimbursement

You can write off your car expenses as part of several car-related costs. But only specific people can claim a tax deduction associated with this spending. For example, armed forces reservists, government officials who use a car for transaction purposes, and self-employed workers like business owners can claim such deductions.

The armed forces reservists are included if they travel up to 100 miles away from their residence. Performing artists can also write off car expenses.

Is an Extended Car Warranty Taxable?

You cannot depreciate the total cost of your gap insurance and extended car warranty. Instead, you can deduct them based on the percentage of use your business vehicle has. An extended car warranty is taxable. Contacts like this include prepayments for services to personal property.

What Are the Tax-Deductible Car Expenses?

You can deduct your car expenses if you use your car for business. You can do this by adding up the car expenses or as a mileage deduction. For example, typical deductibles are car insurance, registration fees, depreciation, and car repairs.

Some business owners use the mileage deduction method instead. Choosing this route means deducting $0.585 per mile of business use for 2022 taxes. Seeing how many miles you drove using your business vehicle is important. You can then write off the total number of miles if the vehicle is purely for business only.

Using the vehicle for business and personal use means that you must figure out how often you use it for business. Look at the number of miles you drove. If 70% of the total miles were for business purposes, you can write off 70% of the actual car expenses.

Why Should You Get an Extended Car Warranty for Your Business Vehicle?

Having your own business means you must maximize your resources. Learning about each aspect of your business is important.

Your business vehicle is one component you should focus on, especially when tax season is close. This vehicle is necessary for you or your employees in performing tasks for the company. Caring for it is a priority. Below are the reasons for getting an extended car warranty for your business vehicle.

1.    An Extended Warranty Helps with Car Repair Payments

Maintaining a budget is a major foundation of businesses. A sudden car repair expense can be devastating to your business if you don’t have a reliable way to pay for it. That is why investing in an extended car warranty is a wise move. It can take care of the car repair costs after an accident or a sudden breakdown.

You can buy an extended warranty when you purchase a used vehicle. You can also buy it from a third-party company after the manufacturer’s warranty ends. Having this protection can ease your worry about unexpected, extensive repairs for your business car.

2.    It Allows You to Save Money on Auto Repairs

It will be a financial nightmare for any business owner if the business vehicle experiences major engine or transmission damage. Without an extended warranty, you will need to pay out-of-pocket for the extensive repairs. But getting a comprehensive extended car warranty means you will not need to pay for the repairs on your own. Once the warranty provider approves the repairs, direct payment will go to the mechanic. This is a good way to save money for future business needs.

3.    An Extended Warranty Prevents Delays in Transactions

A business vehicle must be reliable and in top shape all the time. It is common for many businesses to delay repairs because of budget constraints. This often results in worse car problems. Then, delays in business transactions happen.

Getting an extended car warranty for your company car allows you to bring your vehicle in as soon as you notice a problem. This prevents the issue from worsening. It even helps extend the life of your business vehicle.

The Bottom Line: Save Money During Tax Season With Your Extended Car Warranty

Your extended car warranty can help cut down the costs of your car repairs. It can also cut down the taxes you pay for your business as long as you know how to write it off properly. Lowering your tax payables can help your business grow even more. This only proves that an extended car warranty is not a luxury for your business. It is a necessity if you want to keep your costs down while staying competitive.

For more ideas and inspiration about setting your business up to win even in challenging times, bookmark our blog and come back often.