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New Member
posted Mar 31, 2020 8:30:25 PM

How to enter a loss on a business vehicle due to impound?

I am partially self-employed and use my personal vehicle for business purposes. My business vehicle was towed and impounded last fall, and the impound lot auctioned it and recovered a couple hundred dollars. I ended up still owing $1200 in fees to the city and impound lot. How do I record this loss in TurboTax?

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2 Replies
New Member
Mar 31, 2020 8:34:08 PM

For now, I've entered the "Sale Price" as $220 and the "Expense of Sale" section as $1200 (x.1 for both, since I used the vehicle about 1/10 for self-employment and 9/10 commuting for my and my partner's other W2 employment)

Expert Alumni
Apr 1, 2020 12:46:24 PM

You cannot deduct the $1,200 on your return. Local fines and penalties are deductible only to the extent they don't arise from a violation of any law. Your car was towed because it violated local law statutes. You cannot claim the impound fee as an expense of sale. 

 

Because you only used the vehicle 1/10 of the time for business, only 1/10 of the sale income should be used to calculate the gain (loss) on the sale of the vehicle.