we bought our clean vehicle on 9/23/25, but it is saying we are not eligible because purchases after 9/30/25 are not eligible???? but we are before that date

[Vanessa A]

If you purchased the vehicle on 9/23/25 and put it in service on the same date, you would be eligible (assuming it meets the other criteria) to claim the credit.

Please go back and double check your entries to be sure you did enter 9/23/25 for both dates.  

Below is more information on the credit to verify that you otherwise qualify. 

If you bought  an EV that is on this list  prior to September 30, 2025 you may qualify for the NEW EV  credit. If eligible, you will get credit for it on  your 2025 taxes filed in 2026. In order to receive credit for the EV on your 2025 return, you would need to have bought  it prior to September 30, 2025 as the credit was terminated after that date. 

Things to remember about this credit: 

• It is worth UP to $7,500 depending on the vehicle you purchase. The credit varies per vehicle 

• It is a nonrefundable credit. This means it will reduce your tax liability by up to $7,500 but will not result in a  negative number or a tax refund of money you did not pay in or have withheld. 

• The credit cannot be carried forward 

• You can use your income for the year you take delivery or the prior year if your income in the previous year was  below the threshold if it is above the threshold in the current year.  

• In order to qualify your AGI must be less than: 

○ $300,000 if Married Filing Joint 

○ $225,000 if Head of Household 

○ $150,000 if single or Married Filing Separate 

• Vehicle Qualifications are as follows: 

○ Vans, SUVS, and Pickup Trucks my have an MSRP of no more than $80,000 

○ Other vehicles must have an MSRP of no more than $55,000 

The MSRP does not include destination charges, options added by the deal (seal coating, extended  

▪warranty, etc.) taxes, fees, or manufacturer discounts or incentives. Basically, it does not matter if you  strike a good deal on the vehicle if the Manufacturer says it is worth more than the limit, it does not  qualify. 

○ Final Assembly must be in North America 

○ Click here to enter your VIN to see if your vehicle qualifies 

This credit is reported on form 8936 (Clean Vehicles Credits) and flows to Schedule 3 Line 6 which then flows to line 19 of your Form 1040. 

[lz7rdg]

Vanessa, you answer is not complete.

IRS uses the term 'acquired' (not purchased), and they define acquired as a binding contract with a deposit paid.  IRS instructions for form 8936 clearly states this and that the vehicle must be put in service during the tax year (not before 9/30), so when the vehicle was 'acquired' before 9/30 and put in service before the end of the tax year, it qualifies.  TurboTax instructions for this form also says the same thing but the software does not operate according to those instructions.  If I enter data in TT for a vehicle 'acquired' before 9/30 and put in service after 9/30 but before the end of the tax year, TT issues the following message:

You cannot claim the energy efficient vehicle credit for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025. Vehicles placed in service after this date are no longer eligible for the credit.

Both statements in the message are wrong.  First of all, the vehicle was acquired before 9/30.  Second, vehicles can be placed in service after 9/30 if they fit the definition of 'acquired' - that is a binding contract was entered in to with a deposit paid.  This is stated in TT and IRS documentation

Please see that TT software is corrected to allow the credit under these circumstances.

[user17691990447]

This is an issue that I and others reported to Turbotax over two weeks ago. At least as of yesterday, the software is still incorrectly basing eligibility on placed in service date, not when the vehicle was acquired. I didn't get any response to a direct question regarding when this will be fixed. In addition, it appears that when new threads are started regarding this problem, Intuit employees are responding as if they are unaware that this is a known issue. By just simply informing users that this is a known issue, Intuit would be helping users avoid significant confusion and frustration.

[Tarek33]

I have the same issue and reported it last week and I got the answer Turbotax that they are aware of the issue and I need to check back for software updates. As of today, no update for this issue still ongoing.

[AnnetteB6]

The program update to be released by February 21st is expected to address any remaining issues.

@lz7rdg 

[user17712702127]

I got it to work as of 2/21 with a purchase date before 9-30 and delivery in 10-21-25. However, I just went to the form directly and put in the dates. TT accepted this method.