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Cash for Clunkers: Don't Overlook Sales Tax Break

Written by a TurboTax Expert • Reviewed by a TurboTax CPAUpdated for Tax Year 2009 • August 21, 2024 2:57 PM
OVERVIEW

The popular Cash for Clunkers program came to a screeching halt on Aug. 24. If you bought a new vehicle under the government's economic-stimulus program, you could get yet another stimulus benefit when you file your 2009 federal tax return.

 

Note: This tax credit was only valid for 2009 taxes.

 

The credit described in this article was part of the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) and was only available for your 2009 tax return. The information below is provided for reference, but does not apply to your 2010 or later returns.

Many new car buyers could qualify for a tax break on vehicle sales tax

The clunkers program, created to re-invigorate the auto industry and to put more drivers in energy-efficient cars, proved overwhelmingly popular in the weeks it ran between July 1 and Aug. 24.

Consumers who traded in gas-guzzling older cars, SUVs and trucks for new vehicles with better mileage, received credits worth $3,500 or $4,500 toward a purchase or lease. All told, the program gave out about $2.8 billion in credits for some 700,000 new vehicles.

If you bought one of those vehicles, you should know that the credit doesn’t count as income and you don’t have to include it on your tax return.

But you’ll probably want to report the sales tax you paid on your new gas-sipping vehicle, when you file your 2009 taxes.

Thanks to the federal Stimulus Package, Cash for Clunkers buyers—and non-clunker buyers alike—can deduct the sales taxes they pay on new vehicles purchased between February 17 and December 31, 2009.

And you can take this tax break even if you claim the Standard Deduction, as most taxpayers do, rather than itemizing deductions on your tax return.

Some states have included the amount of the clunker credit in the total vehicle price when applying state sales taxes. For buyers in those states, the new tax deduction could help remove the sting.

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The above article is intended to provide generalized financial information designed to educate a broad segment of the public; it does not give personalized tax, investment, legal, or other business and professional advice. Before taking any action, you should always seek the assistance of a professional who knows your particular situation for advice on taxes, your investments, the law, or any other business and professional matters that affect you and/or your business.

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  • Fastest Refund Possible: Get your tax refund from the IRS as fast as possible by e-filing and choosing to receive your refund by direct deposit. Tax refund time frames will vary. The IRS issues more than 9 out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days.

  • Average Refund Amount: $3,207 is the average refund amount American taxpayers received in the 2024 filing season based upon IRS data as of February 16, 2024 and may not reflect actual refund amount received.

  • TurboTax Technical Support: Customer service and technical support hours and options vary by time of year.

  • Deduct From Your Federal Refund: Individual taxes only. Subject to eligibility requirements. Additional terms apply. A $40 Refund Processing Service fee applies to this payment. method. Prices are subject to change without notice.

  • Data Import: Imports financial data from participating companies; Requires Intuit Account. Quicken and QuickBooks import not available with TurboTax installed on a Mac. Imports from Quicken (2022 and higher) and QuickBooks Desktop (2023 and higher); both Windows only. Quicken import not available for TurboTax Desktop Business. Quicken products provided by Quicken Inc., Quicken import subject to change.

  • Live Tax Advice: Access to tax experts to obtain answers to tax questions and to assist with tax year 2024 return(s) prepared with TurboTax Desktop software. Additional fees apply. Must be purchased and used by October 31, 2025. Excludes TurboTax Desktop Business. See License Agreement for details.

  • Audit Defense: Audit Defense is a third-party add-on service provided, for a fee, by TaxResources, Inc., dba Tax Audit. See Membership Agreements at https://turbotax.intuit.com/corp/softwarelicense/ for service terms and conditions.

All features, services, support, prices, offers, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice.

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