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

unfinished access space below the first floor having less height than a full story. An individual must crawl through the crawl hole to gain access. Any interior passage of limited ...

Another residence in addition to the main residence where a person or family resides. An example is a second home out of the city used on weekends and during vacations. Interest and real ...

Designation given to members of the American Society of Real Estate Counselors (ASREC). A prerequisite for membership is professional experience and ethical conduct. ...

Figure or value which is the starting point in computing gain or loss, depreciation, depletion, and amortization. ...

Appraisal by summation is an Alias for Replacement Cost A.K.A. Cost Approach, which is one of the approaches an Appraiser can go through in order to assign a Market Value to a ...

The direction in which a community is growing. Directional growth is measured over time, and its path strongly influences current and future market values of those properties clearly in ...

(1) Sudden and dramatic increase in activity or prices. (2) Rapid economic prosperity. ...

The right to possess, exclusively occupy, enjoy, control, and dispose of real estate. Ownership rights to realty are granted by the ownership of a title to real property. ...

The deposit given by a buyer of property is delivered to the escrow agent, who retains it for the seller. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions