Placed in Service

You place property in service when it is ready and available for a specific use, whether in a business activity, an income-producing activity, a tax-exempt activity, or a personal activity. Even if you are not using the property, it is in service when it is ready and available for its specific use.

Example 1. You bought a machine for your business. The machine was delivered last year. However, it was not installed and operational until this year. It is considered placed in service this year. If the machine had been ready and available for use when it was delivered, it would be considered placed in service last year even if it was not actually used until this year.

Example 2. On April 6, Sue Thorn bought a house to use as residential rental property. Sue made several repairs and had it ready for rent on July 5. At that time, Sue began to advertise it for rent in the local newspaper. The house is considered placed in service in July when it was ready and available for rent. Sue can begin to depreciate it in July.

Example 3. James Elm is a building contractor who specializes in constructing office buildings. James bought a truck last year that had to be modified to lift materials to second-story levels. The installation of the lifting equipment was completed and James accepted delivery of the modified truck on January 10 of this year. The truck was placed in service on January 10, the date it was ready and available to perform the function for which it was bought.

6 Chapter 1 Overview of Depreciation Publication 946 (2025)

Conversion to business use. If you place property in service in a personal activity, you cannot claim depreciation. However, if you change the property’s use to use in a business or income-producing activity, then you can begin to depreciate it at the time of the change. You place the property in service in the business or income-producing activity on the date of the change.

Example. You bought a home and used it as your personal home several years before you converted it to rental property. Although its specific use was personal and no depreciation was allowable, you placed the home in service when you began using it as your home. You can begin to claim depreciation in the year you converted it to rental property because its use changed to an income-producing use at that time.