What all would qualify as "install" on the tax credits?

[tickbitty]

Sorry to start a new one on this.
Will be getting a stove soonish. Pretty clear on Stove, liner, and "install" qualifying on the tax thing. Presumably, if one gets a new stove and the dealer will do install, one could get it all on one receipt etc. and that should work.

I am looking at lower end stoves (Englander etc) from the box stores and have found good deals online for liner, stove board, etc. Installers do NOT come easy in this area. I have a friend with a handyman business who I am sure could probably do it. I would really like to have him do some hearth revisions as part of the install. (Cut out my wood floor under hearth, replace with micore etc, and tile a larger area.) Do you suppose such hearth revisions (with paid receipt to handyman that it was for installation of the woodstove) would also fall under the tax credit category?

I'm not talking about redecorating the room or doing anything that's just for style, just the basic revisions to make the hearth non-combustible so I wouldn't have to be putting hearth board all over the place.

 

[cycloxer]

Yes. If he puts in the stove and charges you for installation, then you can claim it on your taxes and take the 30% discount. Just make sure you get an invoice and keep it with your tax records.

 

[BrotherBart]

What happened with the 24-JC?

 

[tickbitty]

Thanks guys. That helps. If I can make that part of the install I am WAY more likely to do it.

Oh BBart, loooooong story, guess you missed my "I am a miserable failure" threads. The 24JC has come and gone. It is a GREAT stove and exactly what I was looking for. But that little notation in the manual diagram showing the stove raised on 6" hearth was confirmed by Englander to be not an "R-rating" issue, but that they really wanted it raised by 6" minimum. (Never did hear from ESW but got it on the phone via 800 number.) The guy on the phone was stymied and kept telling me that he thought it must be a typo, but then he asked someone else and they confirmed it should be up to be installed the way they consider correct. So, we considered raising the stove on cinderblocks. That would have been OK, but would have meant a pretty ugly set up, with cinderblocks, stove board in front, the surround raised up 6" so we would have to put something on the bottom of that... also the mantel clearances etc then would have been 6" closer, (more mantel shield) and then there was still the matter of the liner which apparently for a one story house should really have been 8" as opposed to 6" for this stove to draft right... didn't want to get the 8" liner and THEN decide that the whole setup was too cobbled together... so anyway we talked about it and decided this must not be the right stove for us. Put it back on CL and had it sold in a few days for $125 more than I paid for it. Should have asked more for how fast people were clamoring for it!

And I am now back in the market noticing how everything else on CL stinks. So the 24JC was awesome, but I guess my hearth is not, so away she went.

 

[EJL923]

I believe i saw somewhere, although i cannot track it down, that install counts as "anything needed to safely operate the stove" Safely meaning up to code. If the area you are putting it in is already up to code, it probably wouldnt qualify. Just make sure you keep a paper trail in the event uncle sam comes knocking on your door.

 

[cycloxer]

If the cost incurred is part of the original installation of the property, then it is allowed. If you buy a new stove and you want to put in a new hearth, then that is allowed. The new hearth is part of the original installation of that new stove. If you need to purchase certain components to make that stove work, then you can count those costs as well. If you pay somebody to put in a stove then you can count that cost too. It's not that hard to figure out and there is a certain amount of leeway in how you interpret the wording. Just save your receipts so that you have paper evidence of your costs.

 

[tickbitty]

Thank you guys. I think it is definitely within reason to think that this is a "safely install" issue. It is basically what I would be doing instead of a patchwork of stove board sitting on and next to the hearth, etc. I'm not trying to refloor the room or the wall or anything, it's fairly minimal and just trying to get the fabric of the house ready for something other than the old fireplace. Thanks much.

 

[cycloxer]

I would definitely take advantage of the tax credit and prepare the hearth in a safe way. It is unlikely that the IRS will come hunt you down looking for 100 bucks. Document your project and save your receipts. Take a few photos if it makes you feel better. That way if for some bizarre reason you do happen to get audited you have a paper trail to explain your story. If the costs are reasonable, then your position is defendable.

I interpret their wording to include any material or labor directly related to the installation of the stove. If you need some stove pipe, some brick, some mortar, a heat shield, a block-off plate, a liner, a top cap, some screws, insulation, sealant - any of this would qualify. Things that you probably shouldn't include would be a new Makita drill, a chainsaw, hearth decorations, hearth tools, firewood - none of this is directly related to the installation.

As for the labor, anybody who charges you for their time to install that stove and can provide a receipt will do. This could include a handy man. The installation doesn't need to come from the stove shop who sold you the stove, nor does it need to be from a professional chimney sweep or installer. There is nothing in the wording that stipulates that requirement.