Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS)

Definition of "Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS)"

Term given to two depreciation systems defined by the Internal Revenue Service:

  1. The main system is called the General Depreciation System (GDS). Under GDS, most property is assigned to eight property classes based on their class lives. These property classes provide the recovery period to be used by establishing the number of years over which the basis of an item in a class is recovered.
  2. The Alternative Depreciation System (ADS) generally provides for a longer recovery period and uses only the straight line method of depreciation to figure your tax deduction.


Both systems establish conventions determining how many months property can be depreciated in the first year it is placed in service and in the year of disposition.

  1. 20-year property. This class includes property such as farm buildings.
  2. Residential rental property. This class is comprised of rental buildings or structures for which 80% or more of the gross rental income is from dwelling units. Examples are living in a house or apartment. It excludes hotels and motels. Residential rental property is depreciated over 27.5 years.
  3. Nonresidential real property. This class includes real property that is not residential rental property. This property is depreciated over 31.5 years.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

As a suburban nation with the majority of Americans living in the suburbs, the actual classification of suburbs had long been expected. Still, recently, three academic approaches for ...

Legal action of a landlord to remove a tenant.The tenant may have violated the lease agreement such as for the tenant's failure to pay the rent. ...

Balcony or low ceiling overhang just above the main floor and between the next story. In a theater, a mezzanine is the first balcony above the stage. ...

The definition of emblements in real estate is very simple: emblements are the crops grown on a piece of property leased to a tenant. Legally, the crops are the property of the person who ...

Form used to record information about a credit applicant's ability to meet his obligations in connection with a real estate purchase. ...

The angle of a roof in relation to its horizontal axis expressed as a ratio of inches (cmm) per foot of horizontal distance. The sloping of ground, such as sloping ground away from the ...

The definition of the term “demise” covers more spectrums than just real estate related. Most commonly the term demise is used to talk about someone’s death. It is also ...

Decision rendered by a court of law. ...

A home seller and a home buyer agreed upon a fair market value and the deal is off to closing the sale. One of the next steps is running a title search. But what is a title ...

Popular Real Estate Questions