[racunniff]

I'm using Turbo Tax, and it was not really obvious how to claim this - and it's a pretty decent credit, so it's worth digging.

According to the IRS, you can claim "A new plug-in conversion credit of 10% of the cost of converting any motor vehicle (new or used) to a qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicle. The maximum credit is $4,000 per vehicle. This credit is claimed on Form 8910, Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit, and applies to property placed in service after February 17, 2009."

So, you need to go to the forms view in TurboTax and search for Form 8910. Fill in the worksheet (I put the complete itemization in just to have redundancy for the records) - say "yes" to item 2 ("Did you convert your motor vehicle to a qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicle and place it in service after Feb 17 2009?"), fill in the date on line 2A, and the cost in line 2B, and it puts everything else where it should go. I did not attempt to manually deduct any of the expenses, so line 2C was zero.

 

[Mo_Bandy]

Worked for me.. added 967 dollars to my return.

MO

 

[PatricioIN]

Congrats that's wonderful. If I had known that I wouldn't have "put my ev in service" in December of 08!! Verdammt.

 

[EV-propulsion.com]

Has anyone seen a mention that the vehicle has to be newer than 2004? Someone has told me their accountant told them this- I haven't seen that anywhere-I'm thinking they were possibly using the form for low speed EVs......
Mike
www.EV-propulsion.com

 

[racunniff]

Has anyone seen a mention that the vehicle has to be newer than 2004? Someone has told me their accountant told them this- I haven't seen that anywhere-I'm thinking they were possibly using the form for low speed EVs......
Mike
www.EV-propulsion.com

If you don't pay very close attention, you can get diverted into the "bought a new alternative fuel car" or "bought a new plug-in electric vehicle" forms. Those do require them to be newer vehicles. However, the "converted a car to plug-in" does not have such a restriction. But you have to dig for it...

 

[jpinnow]

Any thoughts as to whether you can claim the cost of the vehicle itself?
Thanks!

 

[dtbaker]

Any thoughts as to whether you can claim the cost of the vehicle itself?
Thanks!

I would say yes, using the value of the Donor at the time it is put in service as an electric car, since the Donor is just a 'component' of the finished product. I just plugged this into my return and added the text '-100% electric conversion' to the slot for the model so it would make sense to an auditor knowing there where no electric suzuki swifts in 1997 .


I do however have a question on the exact form that is best to use.... when i went thru Turbo Tax, it picked Form 8834, not 8910 .... and I am not seeing any clear indicator as to which is more correct for a conversion....

 

[dtbaker]

bad news.... I e-filed, and the fed form kicked back because the year of my swift was entered as 1997.... so I am going to try showing the year as 2009 since that was year it was put in service as a conversion.

anyone else solve this issue some other way?

 

[racunniff]

bad news.... I e-filed, and the fed form kicked back because the year of my swift was entered as 1997.... so I am going to try showing the year as 2009 since that was year it was put in service as a conversion.

anyone else solve this issue some other way?

If you used form 8834, you used the wrong form. That, I think, is the form for buying a *new* plug-in EV (like the Nissan Leaf, or a NEV).

You really have to dig and get form 8910 - search for it by name, don't just let Turbo Tax guide you.

All that said, I still have not received my refund...

 

[jpinnow]

Dan: I think that's why form 8910 is the one to use.

Attached is a snapshot of the worksheet for my 8910. Note the second question relating to converting a car (as opposed to the first question, for new car buyers), where you enter when the vehicle was "placed in service" (this is the date the DMV decreed my 1963 VW was an electric vehicle), and also the whole "Skip Part II" bit (as that's where folks who've purchased hybrids make their picks).

One last little caution: based on my experience, calling the IRS itself to ask advice won't be fruitful. I spoke with 2 agents, both of whom knew nothing about tax credits for electric conversions....

Good luck!

 

[tomofreno]

Any thoughts as to whether you can claim the cost of the vehicle itself?

Form 8910 line 4 states "...Otherwise, enter the cost of converting the vehicle to a qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicle...)" Italics added. I would say Cost of converting does not include the cost of the vehicle converted. Kind of like saying the cost of washing a vehicle includes its purchase price because you couldn't wash it if you didn't purchase it.

bad news.... I e-filed, and the fed form kicked back because the year of my swift was entered as 1997

Sounds like you got diverted to the part for a "qualified hybrid vehicle" purchased from a manufacturer. There is a list of such qualified vehicles with their "credit allowable" in the instructions for form 8910. This credit (line 3) is added to line 9, the lower of 10% of the cost of conversion or $4000. I don't see anything on the form 8910 or its instructions that states a constraint on model year of the vehicle converted, but the vehicle must be in the list, or certified by the manufacturer, to get the "credit allowable".
Several people reported successfully using turbotax to file for this, so I think you may have used the wrong form. If all else fails, go to the irs website and read the instructions.

 

[dtbaker]

ok, I have re-filed with 8910.... we'll see if this goes.

 

[racunniff]

FWIW - my rebate showed up in my direct deposit yesterday, with the expected amount, so maybe I did it all correctly.

Disclaimer: I am neither a tax accountant nor an attorney, consult your own experts for all tax matters...

 

[ron2215]

Does it matter how long it takes to buy your parts? In other words, do all of the purchases have to be made in the year that you're filing for? My project may take a year or longer to complete. So my receipts for purchases may span more than 12 months of time.

 

[dtbaker]

Does it matter how long it takes to buy your parts? In other words, do all of the purchases have to be made in the year that you're filing for? My project may take a year or longer to complete. So my receipts for purchases may span more than 12 months of time.

only matters when you 'put it in service'... which for me was when I re-registered as an electric vehicle.