Federal 2011: Rental Property/Business Located Outside the U.S. (Prior Year Assets)
Taxpayers who have rental properties or businesses in foreign countries have a different way to depreciate those associated assets than the methods for US properties.
Assets located in the U.S. may use accelerated methods of depreciation, whereas assets located outside the U.S. must use a slower Alternative Depreciation System (ADS).
Certain customers, who purchased and placed assets into service for rental properties or businesses in a foreign country in a year before 2011, may have filed an incorrect tax return.
TurboTax has fixed this issue.
How to tell if you may be impacted
You may be affected if ALL of the following are true:
- You filed a 2011 Federal Income Tax Return prior to April 26, 2012; AND
- You previously used TurboTax to file a 2010 federal tax return with Schedule E rental property or a business; AND
- You transferred your 2010 federal tax return information to your 2011 return; AND
- You had rental or business property you owned outside of the United States; AND
- You entered an asset for that property that was placed in service in a year before 2011.
If you are affected, you may have underpaid your taxes. You may need to amend your federal tax return and if your state return is affected, you may need to amend your state tax return also.
Amend Instructions
Use the following to correctly report your foreign assets placed in service before 2011:
If you placed foreign assets in service before 2010, or before 2011 if you have already filed your 2011 tax return, click here and follow the instructions.
