Claiming the Correct Amount of Depreciation(p11)

You should claim the correct amount of depreciation each tax year. If you did not claim all the depreciation you were entitled to deduct, you must still reduce your basis in the property by the full amount of depreciation that you could have deducted. For more information, see Depreciation under Decreases to Basis in Publication 551.

If you deducted an incorrect amount of depreciation for property in any year, you may be able to make a correction by filing Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. If you are not allowed to make the correction on an amended return, you can change your accounting method to claim the correct amount of depreciation.

You can file an amended return to correct the amount of depreciation claimed for any property in any of the following situations.

• You claimed the incorrect amount because of a mathematical error made in any year.
• You claimed the incorrect amount because of a posting error made in any year.
• You have not adopted a method of accounting for property placed in service by you in tax years ending after December 29, 2003.
• You claimed the incorrect amount on property placed in service by you in tax years ending before December 30, 2003.

Generally, you adopt a method of accounting for depreciation by using a permissible method of determining depreciation when you file your first tax return for the property used in your rental activity. This also occurs when you use the same impermissible method of determining depreciation (for example, using the wrong MACRS recovery period) in two or more consecutively filed tax returns.

If an amended return is allowed, you must file it by the later of the following dates.

• 3 years from the date you filed your original return for the year in which you did not deduct the correct amount. A return filed before an unextended due date is considered filed on that due date.
• 2 years from the time you paid your tax for that year.

To change your accounting method, you generally must file Form 3115, Application for Change in Accounting Method, to get the consent of the IRS. In some instances, that consent is automatic. For more information, see Changing Your Accounting Method in Publication 946,  
chapter 1.