179D and Its Benefits for the Construction Industry

Oct 23, 2014

You probably have encountered section 179 and the accelerated depreciation benefits it provides. However, we have found the familiarity with section 179D to be greatly limited. This is discouraging considering the substantial benefits it can provide to those in the construction industry. Let’s take a brief look at 179D and highlight its advantages.

What is Section 179D? It is a provision for energy efficient commercial buildings built or upgraded with energy efficient improvements after 12/31/2005. The maximum deduction available is $1.80 per square foot and acts as an accelerated depreciation deduction. The calculation for the deduction (up to the maximum) is based upon the interior lighting, HVAC, building envelope costs and efficiencies. This is certainly a nice benefit for building owners. However, the greatest tax savings are obtained by those in the construction industry, including engineers and architects.

Permanent tax benefit As I eluded to earlier, the 179D deduction is inherently an acceleration of depreciation. Nevertheless, this deduction becomes more than an accelerated deduction for those in the construction industry. Why? The IRS realizes that governmental entities cannot benefit from this deduction due to their tax-exempt status and allows them to allocate (essentially transfer) the deduction to the responsible party for designing the property. This means that this deduction is a permanent benefit (once transferred) that would not otherwise be attainable by the designer. It is a method that reduces the tax burden on each governmental project and increases the after tax earnings for those firms that choose to take advantage of this opportunity.

Please contact your William Vaughan Company representative for further information and for guidance on the facilitation of this deduction.

By: Nate Bernath, C

Categories: Construction & Real Estate