Updated . Educational only — not tax, legal, or lending advice. Confirm figures with your CPA, the state revenue department, and a lender before you close.
Ownership’s 2026 Tax Rule Is Not a Lease Analysis
Bonus depreciation at 100% for qualified property acquired after January 19, 2025 makes ownership more interesting for a profitable business than it was during the phase-down years. It does not tell you whether to lease. A lessor who can use the deduction may price it into a lease. A lessee who cannot use it gets nothing from a deduction they do not claim.
Compare three cash streams, after a CPA tells you who gets the deduction:
- Loan: down payment, sales tax, payment, insurance, maintenance, and a residual you actually believe. Use the calculator for the debt piece only.
- Lease: payments, reserves, per-hour charges, return-condition exposure, and no residual unless an option says so.
- The tax difference your CPA will sign, not the difference a brochure printed.
Schools should use the school-specific page. Everyone else can use how to line up the calculator. Rates context is here.
Questions buyers actually ask
Does 100% bonus depreciation end leasing?
No. Lessees who want the residual risk on someone else’s books, or who cannot use the deduction, still lease.
Is a lease a way to avoid sales tax?
Sometimes the tax is on the lease payments instead of the purchase. It is not automatically zero. Ask the state.