Since you are wanting to depreciate your new guitar, I am going to assume you are claiming it against self-employment income (such as gig money, teaching income, or session work reported on a Schedul...
See more...
Since you are wanting to depreciate your new guitar, I am going to assume you are claiming it against self-employment income (such as gig money, teaching income, or session work reported on a Schedule C).
IRS officially classifies musical instruments as 7-year property under the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS).
Here is how to categorize and set up the depreciation in TurboTax:
To spread the deduction out over time, you must enter the guitar in the Business Assets section of your Schedule C profile.
Navigate to your specific self-employment business profile.
Scroll down to the Assets section and select Start or Update.
When TurboTax asks "Describe This Asset" or asks for the category, select Tools, Machinery, Equipment, Furniture.
On the sub-category screen, select Other tools and equipment (or select Musical Instruments if your specific version of the software provides that explicit dropdown option).
Enter a description (e.g., "Fender Stratocaster"), the date you started using it for business in 2025, and the exact cost.
Opt-out of the upfront deductions: When the software asks if you want to take a "special depreciation allowance" or "deduct the full cost this year," select No.
TurboTax will then automatically default to the standard MACRS 200% declining balance method. This will spread the tax deduction over 7 years (technically 8 tax years, because the IRS only allows a half-year of depreciation in the year you buy it).