Expensing


Expenses

Costs of living or doing business. Examples of personal expenses include the mortgage payment, groceries, and gas for the car. Examples of business expenses include the cost of materials, employee salaries, and other overhead. Expenses also include unusual costs like medical bills or employee bonuses. Businesses attempt to keep costs to the lowest possible amount without sacrificing revenue. This maximizes profit. Likewise, households generally attempt (and in many cases must) keep expenses lower than household income. While business expenses are generally tax deductible, most personal expenses are not.

Expensing

This term is used when a taxpayer claims the section 179 expense deduction, defined elsewhere in this glossary, or currently deducts certain other expenditures that would ordinarily be required to be capitalized.