Form 8834

Department of the Treasury

Internal Revenue Service

Qualified Electric Vehicle Credit OMB No. 1545-1374

Attachment

Sequence No. 111

 Attach to your tax return.

Part I

Part II

Name(s) shown on return Identifying number

Tentative Credit

Cost of vehicle

Section 179 expense deduction (see instructions)

Subtract line 3 from line 2

For a vehicle placed in service before 2004, multiply

line 4 by 10% (.10). For a vehicle placed in service in

2004, multiply line 4 by 7.5% (.075) (see instructions).

Maximum credit per vehicle. For a vehicle placed in

service before 2004, enter $4,000. For a vehicle placed

in service in 2004, enter $3,000 (see instructions)

Enter the smaller of line 5 or line 6

Add columns (a) through (c) on line 7

Passive activity credits included on line 10 (see instructions)

Subtract line 11 from line 10

Passive activity credits allowed for 2003 (see instructions)

Tentative qualified electric vehicle credit. Add lines 12 and 13 

Allowable Credit

Regular tax before credits.

● Individuals. Enter the amount from Form 1040, line 41.

● Corporations. Enter the amount from Form 1120, Schedule J, line 3.

● Other filers. Enter the regular tax before credits from your return.

Credits that reduce regular tax before the qualified electric vehicle credit:

Credit for child and dependent care expenses (Form 2441, line 11)

Credit for the elderly or the disabled (Schedule R (Form 1040), line 24)

Mortgage interest credit (Form 8396, line 11)

Foreign tax credit

Credit for fuel from a nonconventional source

Add lines 16a through 16k

Net regular tax. Subtract line 16l from line 15. If zero or less, do not file this form; you cannot

claim this credit

Tentative minimum tax (see instructions).

● Individuals. Enter the amount from Form 6251, line 33.

● Corporations. Enter the amount from Form 4626, line 12.

● Estates and trusts. Enter the amount from Form 1041, Schedule I, line 54.

Subtract line 18 from line 17. If zero or less, do not file this form; you cannot claim this credit

Qualified electric vehicle credit. Enter the smaller of line 14 or 19 here and on Form 1040,

line 52; Form 1120, Schedule J, line 6c; Form 1041, Schedule G, line 2b; or the appropriate line

of your return. If line 19 is smaller than line 14, see instructions 

2

3

4

5

6

7

10

11

12

13

14

15

a

b

c

g

i

j

16

17

18

19

2

3

4

5

6

10

11

12

13



15

16a

16b

16c

16g

16i

16l

17

18

19

20

(a) (b) (c)

Cat. No. 14953G Form 8834 (2003)

16h

Possessions tax credit (Form 5735, line 17 or 27)

h

If you are a: Then enter the total electric vehicle credits from:

Shareholder Schedule K-1 (Form 1120S), lines 12d through 13

8

9 Qualified electric vehicle credits from pass-through entities:

Add lines 8 and 9

9

8



 See instructions on back.

Partner Schedule K-1 (Form 1065), lines 12c through 13

For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see back of form.



Use a separate column for each vehicle. If you need more columns,

use additional Forms 8834 and include the total on line 8.

d

Adoption credit (Form 8839, line 18)

e

District of Columbia first-time homebuyer credit (Form 8859, line 11)

16d

16e

Education credits (Form 8863, line 18)

Credit for qualified retirement savings contributions (Form 8880, line 14)

k

l

16j

16k

1 Enter date vehicle placed in service (MM/DD/YYYY) 1 // // //

14

20

7

f Child tax credit (Form 1040, line 49) 16f

2003
Qualified Electric Vehicle

A qualified electric vehicle is any motor vehicle that is:

● Manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads,

and highways, and has at least four wheels;

● Powered primarily by an electric motor drawing current

from rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, or other portable

sources of electrical current;

● Originally used by you; and

● Acquired for your own use and not for resale.

Exceptions. The qualified electric vehicle credit does not

apply to vehicles that are:

● Used primarily outside the United States,

● Used by a governmental unit or agency or any foreign

person or entity, or

● Used by a tax-exempt organization (other than a section

521 farmers’ cooperative) unless the property is used

mainly in an unrelated trade or business taxed under

section 511.

See section 50(b) for details and other exceptions that may

apply.

Form 8834 (2003) Page 2

Recapture of Credit

If the vehicle no longer qualifies for the credit within 3 years

of the date you placed it in service, you must recapture part

or all of the credit. Generally, no recapture occurs on the sale

or other disposition of the vehicle (including a disposition

resulting from an accident or other casualty). However, if the

vehicle will be modified after you dispose of it so that it no

Specific Instructions

Line 3

Line 11

Line 13

Line 18

● Operated exclusively on a rail or rails,

Unless you elect not to take the credit, you must reduce the

basis of each vehicle by the amount of the credit entered on

line 7 for that vehicle.

Enter the amount of any credits included on line 10 that are

from a passive activity. Generally, a passive activity is a

business activity in which you did not materially participate.

Rental activities are generally passive activities, whether or

not you materially participate. See Form 8582-CR, Passive

Activity Credit Limitations, or Form 8810, Corporate Passive

Activity Loss and Credit Limitations, for details.

Enter the qualified electric vehicle passive activity credits

allowed for 2003 from Form 8582-CR or Form 8810. See the

instructions for the applicable form for more information.

Although you may not owe alternative minimum tax (AMT),

you generally must still figure the tentative minimum tax

(TMT) to figure your credit. For a small corporation exempt

from the AMT under section 55(e), enter zero. Otherwise,

complete and attach the applicable AMT form or schedule

and enter the TMT on line 18.

General Instructions

Section references are to the Internal Revenue Code.

Purpose of Form

Use Form 8834 to figure the credit for qualified electric

vehicles placed in service during the tax year.

Paperwork Reduction Act Notice. We ask for the

information on this form to carry out the Internal Revenue

laws of the United States. You are required to give us the

information. We need it to ensure that you are complying

with these laws and to allow us to figure and collect the right

amount of tax.

The time needed to complete and file this form will vary

depending on individual circumstances. The estimated

average time is:

If you have comments concerning the accuracy of these

time estimates or suggestions for making this form simpler,

we would be happy to hear from you. See the instructions

for the tax return with which this form is filed.

Line 20

If you cannot use part of the credit because of the tax

liability limit, the unused credit is lost. The unused or excess

credit cannot be carried back or forward to other tax years.

You are not required to provide the information requested

on a form that is subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act

unless the form displays a valid OMB control number. Books

or records relating to a form or its instructions must be

retained as long as their contents may become material in

the administration of any Internal Revenue law. Generally, tax

returns and return information are confidential, as required by

section 6103.

Amount of Credit

Basis Reduction

Enter any section 179 expense deduction you claimed for

this vehicle from Part I of Form 4562, Depreciation and

Amortization.

Recordkeeping 7 hr., 39 min.

Learning about the law or the form 30 min.

Preparing, copying, assembling, and

sending the form to the IRS 39 min.

Caution: Gasoline/electric hybrid vehicles that are not

powered primarily by an electric motor are not qualified

electric vehicles. These hybrid vehicles include the Honda

Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Toyota Prius. However, part

of the cost of these vehicles (up to $2,000 for a vehicle with

a gross vehicle weight rating that does not exceed 10,000

pounds) may qualify for the deduction for clean-fuel vehicles,

even if you do not use the vehicle for business purposes. For

hybrid vehicles placed in service in 2004, the maximum

clean-fuel vehicle deduction is reduced to $1,500. See Pub.

535, Business Expenses, for more details.

The credit for each qualified electric vehicle is:

A Change To Note

For qualified electric vehicles placed in service in 2004, the

credit is reduced by 25%.

● 10% of the vehicle’s cost reduced by any section 179

deduction, up to a maximum credit of $4,000, for each

qualified electric vehicle placed in service before 2004, and

● 7.5% of the vehicle’s cost reduced by any section 179

deduction, up to a maximum credit of $3,000, for each

qualified electric vehicle placed in service in 2004.

Lines 5 and 6

Do not claim the credit for a vehicle placed in service in 2004

unless you are a fiscal year taxpayer who placed the vehicle

in service before the end of your 2003-2004 fiscal year.

longer qualifies for the credit, the credit may be subject to

recapture. See Pub. 535 for details.