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The Daily Insight

Can a business write off lease payments?

Author

Emma Jordan

Published Feb 10, 2026

You can only deduct the part of your lease payments that are for the business use of the vehicle. When you choose the actual expense method, you may also be able to deduct other vehicle-related costs, such as depreciation, maintenance, repairs, gas, insurance and registration fees.

How do I write off my car lease as a business expense?

If you lease a car that you use in your business, you can deduct your car expenses using the standard mileage rate or the actual expense method. If you use the standard mileage rate, you get to deduct 57.5 cents for every business mile you drove in 2020. You may also deduct parking and tolls.

Are lease payments deductible for tax purposes?

For operating and capital leases, only the lease payments paid during the year are deductible for tax purposes. This fact will impact the decision on whether the lease or purchase option provides the lowest overall cost.

How do I write off a new car for my business?

You can get a tax benefit from buying a new or “new to you” car or truck for your business by taking a section 179 deduction. This special deduction allows you to deduct a big part of the entire cost of the vehicle in the first year you use it if you are using it primarily for business purposes.

How much can you write off car lease?

You can deduct the business percentage of your lease payments. For leased vehicles, the limit on the monthly lease payment that you can deduct is $800 per month plus HST, which works out to a maximum of $9,600 in expenses that are tax-deductible annually.

Can you write off a car lease for your business?

Deducting a portion of your car lease lowers your business’s taxable income. A car lease deduction is just one of many small business tax deductions that can bring down your tax bill. How much of a car lease can you write off?

Are there any tax deductions for lease payments?

If you use the standard mileage rate, you get to deduct 57.5 cents for every business mile you drove in 2020. You may also deduct parking and tolls. You can’t deduct any portion of your lease payments if you use the standard mileage rate.

How does the tax treatment of a lease work?

The tax treatment of a lease depends on whether it is an operating lease or a capital lease. With an operating lease, the equipment goes back to the leasing company at the end of the lease.

How does a tax write off work for a small business?

You take the amount of the expense and subtract that from your taxable income. Essentially, tax write-offs allow you to pay a smaller tax bill. But the expense has to fit the IRS criteria of a tax deduction.