topic Re: rental appliance replace - expense or depreciate? in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

rental appliance replace - expense or depreciate?

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 11:49:41 GMT

Hi, I rented out my house last year and the fridge broke down and I bought a new one for around $1200. Can I expense the whole amount or do I need to depreciate it for 5 years? Thank you!

Re: rental appliance replace - expense or depreciate?

TeresaM — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 00:30:57 GMT

It depends, you should have several options, depending on the category of the purchase.

You will want to enter it as an asset, so check the box for Improvements, furnishings, and other assets

and then add an asset

Check Rental Real Estate Property to describe asset

Check appliance box

After you answer questions, it will offer you choices for how to handle the expense of the refrigerator.

Re: rental appliance replace - expense or depreciate?

Anonymous_ — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 01:06:03 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

...the fridge broke down and I bought a new one for around $1200. Can I expense the whole amount or do I need to depreciate it for 5 years?

You can expense the entire amount by using the de minimis safe harbor election. Check the "Yes" box in the screen in the screenshot below and then deduct the $1,200 as a miscellaneous expense (Other expenses).

See https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/tangible-property-final-regulations#Ademinimis