Updated October 28, 2026. Quick answer: The Depreciation Worksheet at the end of the Form 4562 instructions is a record-keeping grid, not a calculation with numbered lines: eleven columns per asset, from the description and date placed in service to the depreciation deduction. The IRS says to keep it for your records.
On records for a one-person business: equipment and depreciation on Form 4562.
Form 982, part by part: Form 982 Part II (lines 4 to 13, reduction of tax attributes) and Form 982 Part III (corporation basis consent).
Pub 946 worksheet walk-throughs: Pub 946 Inclusion Amount Worksheet.
IRS worksheet walk-throughs: Pub 946 MACRS Worksheet, depreciation line by line.
What this worksheet is for
“Except for Part V (relating to listed property), the IRS does not require you to submit detailed information with your return on the depreciation of assets placed in service in previous tax years.” The worksheet is the IRS’s suggested way to keep what it asks you to retain: “the information needed to compute your depreciation deduction (basis, method, etc.) must be part of your permanent records.”
The eleven columns, in the IRS’s order
| Column | Heading as printed |
|---|---|
| 1 | “Description of Property” |
| 2 | “Date Placed in Service” |
| 3 | “Cost or Other Basis” |
| 4 | “Business/Investment Use %” |
| 5 | “Section 179 Special Allowance, and Other Basis Reductions” |
| 6 | “Depreciation Prior Years” |
| 7 | “Basis for Depreciation” |
| 8 | “Method/Convention” |
| 9 | “Recovery Period” |
| 10 | “Rate or Table %” |
| 11 | “Depreciation Deduction” |
How to use it
The IRS’s tip is “You may use the Depreciation Worksheet, later, to assist you in maintaining depreciation records.” “However, the worksheet is designed only for federal income tax purposes.” The columns that carry numbers come from the rest of the Form 4562 pages: see Form 4562 and lines 14 to 20 on special depreciation and MACRS. A separate worksheet exists for cars: Publication 946 says “You can use the Depreciation Worksheet for Passenger Automobiles on the next page to figure your depreciation deduction using the percentage tables.”
Figures in the 2025 instructions that feed the allowance columns
| Column feed | What the instructions say |
|---|---|
| Section 179 maximum, 2025 | “Generally, the maximum section 179 expense deduction is $2,500,000 for section 179 property” |
| Section 179 reduction threshold, 2025 | “This amount is reduced if the cost of all section 179 property placed in service in 2025 is more than $4,000,000.” |
| Special allowance, qualified property acquired after January 19, 2025 | “reinstated the 100% special depreciation allowance for certain qualified property acquired and placed in service after January 19, 2025” |
| Election for the first tax year ending after that date | “you can elect to take a 40% special depreciation allowance (60% for long production period property and certain aircraft)” |
What the grid does not do
It has no formulas. Each row is one asset, and the last column is the deduction you worked out with the method, convention, recovery period and rate or table percentage in the columns before it. The rate or table percentage column is where the MACRS percentage tables in the instructions are used.
Edition
This page reads the Instructions for Form 4562 (2025), the current file irs.gov served on 2026-10-28 (sha256 in the kit data). The Depreciation Worksheet in it is for the tax year 2025 return, filed in 2026. Check the tax year printed on the worksheet in your own copy and use that year’s line numbers and dollar amounts, because a different year’s worksheet can word its lines differently.
Common mistakes
- Treating the grid as something to file. The instructions say it is for your records.
- Dropping the business/investment use percentage. It is column 4 of the grid, between the cost or other basis and the section 179 and other basis reductions.
- Using it for state books. The IRS notes it is designed for federal income tax purposes only.
Related: Form 4562, Form 4562 lines 14 to 20, and Publication 946.
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Answer againSources
- Instructions for Form 4562 (2025): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i4562.pdf
- Publication 946 (2025), How To Depreciate Property: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p946.pdf
Read from the IRS documents linked above on October 28, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer, the account provider or the IRS is the right place to confirm anything consequential.