Farmer's Tax Guide›2025 Returns›5. Soil and Water Conservation Expenses›! conservation expenses, you must in
Assessment by Conservation District
2025 Publ 225 (PDF) · 2026-10-03 edition · updated 2026-10-04 · United States
In some localities, a soil or water conservation or drainage district incurs expenses for soil or water conservation and levies an assessment against the farmers who benefit from the expenses. You can deduct as a conservation expense amounts you pay or incur for the part of an assessment that:
Covers expenses you could deduct if you had paid them directly, or
Covers expenses for depreciable property used in the district’s business.
A water or drainage district assessment for repairs or maintenance of district property or for interest paid by the district for a loan to buy property may qualify as a business deduction. See Regulations section 1.164-4(b)(1).
Property
You can generally deduct as a conservation expense amounts you pay or incur for the part of a conservation or drainage district assessment that covers expenses for depreciable property. This includes items such as pumps, locks, concrete structures (including dams and weir gates), draglines, and similar equipment. The depreciable property must be used in the district’s soil and water conservation activities. However, the following limits apply to these assessments.
The total assessment limit.
The yearly assessment limit.
After you apply these limits, the amount you can deduct is added to your other conservation expenses for the year. The total for these expenses is then subject to the 25% of gross income from farming limit on the deduction, discussed later. See Table 5-1 for a brief summary of these limits.
• The total assessment against all members of the district for the depreciable property.
• Your deductible share of the cost to the district for the depreciable property.
• Your gross income from farming.
Total assessment limit. You can’t deduct more than 10% of the total amount assessed to all members of the conservation or drainage district for the depreciable property. This applies whether you pay the assessment in one payment or in installments. If your assessment is more than 10% of the total amount assessed, both the following rules apply.
The amount over 10% is a capital expense and is added to the basis of your land.
If the assessment is paid in installments, each payment must be prorated between
the conservation expense and the capital expense.
Yearly assessment limit. The maximum amount you can deduct in any 1 year is the total of 10% of your deductible share of the cost as explained earlier, plus $500. If the amount you pay or incur is equal to or less than the maximum amount, you can deduct it in the year it is paid or incurred. If the amount you pay or incur is more, you can deduct in that year only 10% of your deductible share of the cost. You can deduct the remainder in equal amounts over the next 9 tax years. Your total conservation expense deduction for each year is also subject to the 25% of gross income from farming limit on the deduction, discussed later.
Example 1. This year, the soil conservation district levies, and you pay an assessment of $2,400 against your farm. Of the assessment, $1,500 is for digging drainage ditches. You can deduct this part as a soil or conservation expense as if you had paid it directly. The remaining $900 is for depreciable equipment to be used in the district’s irrigation activities. The total amount assessed by the district against all its members for the depreciable equipment is $7,000.
The total amount you can deduct for the depreciable equipment is limited to 10% of the total amount assessed by the district against all its members for depreciable equipment, or $700. The $200 excess ($900 − $700) is a capital expense you must add to the basis of your farm.
To figure the maximum amount you can deduct for the depreciable equipment this year, multiply your deductible share of the total assessment ($700) by 10% (0.10). Add $500 to the result for a total of $570. Your deductible share, $700, is greater than the maximum amount deductible in 1 year, so you can deduct only $70 of the amount you paid or incurred for depreciable property this year (10% of $700). You can deduct the balance at the rate of $70 a year over the next 9 years.
You add $70 to the $1,500 portion of the assessment for drainage ditches. You can deduct $1,570 of the $2,400 assessment as a soil and water conservation expense this year, subject to the 25% of gross income from farming limit on the deduction, discussed later.
Example 2. Assume the same facts as in Example 1 except that $1,850 of the $2,400 assessment is for digging drainage ditches and $550 is for depreciable equipment. The total amount assessed by the district against all its members for depreciable equipment is $5,500. The total amount you can deduct for the depreciable equipment is limited to 10% of this amount, or $550.
The maximum amount you can deduct this year for the depreciable equipment is $555 (10% of your deductible share of the total assessment, $55, plus $500). Since your deductible share is less than the maximum amount deductible in 1 year, you can deduct the entire $550 this year. You can deduct the entire assessment, $2,400, as a soil and water conservation expense this year, subject to the 25% of gross income from farming limit on the deduction, discussed below.
TIP
To ensure your deduction is within the deduction limits, keep records to show the following.
Publication 225 (2025) Chapter 5 Soil and Water Conservation Expenses 31
Sale or other disposal of land during 9-year period. If you dispose of the land during the 9-year period for deducting conservation expenses subject to the yearly limit, any amounts you have not yet deducted because of this limit are added to the basis of the property.
Death of farmer during 9-year period. If a farmer dies during the 9-year period, any remaining amounts not yet deducted are deducted in the year of death.
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