Tax Year Prior to 2020: Equipment expenditure

[ton777]

I am the owner of a sole-proprietor LLC with no revenue in 2018. During the same year I incurred equipment expenses.

Can I deduct the equipment purchase in my 2018 return even if I had no revenue?  

[KarenL]

Yes, you can if you actually "started" the business in 2018.  That mean that you were ready to receive revenue, even if you didn't yet.  Remember, most equipment will be treated as an Asset and not a direct deduction.  Since you didn't have revenue in 2018, it may make sense to depreciate it over it's useful life so you benefit from some of the cost in 2019 and later years, when you do have revenue.  The TurboTax software will walk you though the process.