For RV owners, there are RV tax deductions that may save you some money on your taxes. Here’s a summary of the primary deductions available for RV owners in the 2025 tax season.
RV Tax Deduction 2025
| Deduction Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Mortgage Interest Deduction | If the RV qualifies as a primary or secondary residence (with sleeping, cooking, and bathroom facilities), the interest paid on the RV loan is deductible. |
| Sales Tax Deduction | In the year of purchase, you may deduct the sales tax paid on the RV instead of state income taxes (but not both). This is beneficial in states with no income tax or where the sales tax is higher. |
| Business Use Deduction | If the RV is used for business, expenses such as depreciation, maintenance, and operational costs may be deductible. Detailed records of business use are required. |
Is Your RV Considered a Home?
The first thing to ask yourself when looking for RV tax deductions is whether the RV can be considered a home. If it can, you may be entitled to a deduction.
RV as a Primary Residence
What if your RV is where you live full-time? In that case, you can claim the RV home as your primary residence even if it does not have a permanent location, as long as it contains the required facilities. These include a place to sleep, a way to cook, and a place to use the restroom.
Why would you want to be able to claim your RV as your primary residence? If you have a qualified loan on your RV and your RV is where you live, you can actually claim the home mortgage deduction and deduct the amount you paid in interest on your RV loan over the course of the year.
RV as a Second Home
Yes, the mortgage interest deduction can be taken on your primary home, but you can also deduct interest paid on a second home. As long as you spend the greater of 14 days or 10% of the days that the RV was rented out to others in the rig, it qualifies as a second home. In this case, you can deduct the interest on your RV loan just as you would if your RV was your primary residence.
Solar Tax Credit
If your RV counts as your primary residence or second home, there is a credit you might qualify for. If you installed solar panels on the rig in 2024, you might also qualify for the Solar Tax Credit. This is valid through 2032 and gives you 30% of the total cost of your solar installation in the form of a refundable tax credit.
Notes About Claiming Your RV as a Home
While you can deduct interest paid on a motorhome or trailer, you cannot claim interest paid on your tow vehicle (truck, SUV, etc). Basically, if you don’t sleep, eat, and bathe in the vehicle, it cannot be considered a home.
RV Sales Tax by State
Those who bought their RVs this year also might be eligible for the RV sales tax deduction. This is a write-off that allows you to deduct the amount you paid in sales tax when you purchased your rig. It can only be claimed the year you buy your RV, and it will only benefit you if your state is one of the 45 that assess vehicle sales tax.
If you purchased your RV in one of the following states, sales tax was not charged and this deduction does not apply to you:
- Alaska
- Delaware
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- Oregon
Note: Sales tax rates vary from state to state (and some don’t charge sales tax at all), so be sure to find information on your state to know what to expect.
Home Office Write-Off
If you use any art of your RV as your office space, there is another write-off you might want to look into: the home office write-off.
You see, most people who travel full time are working from their home-on-wheels, and many of these individuals have a dedicated office space. In some cases, these tiny workspaces could allow RVers to deduct a portion of home expenses as business expenses.
Your RV workspace may qualify for the home office tax write-off if it meets the following criteria:
- You are self-employed or a contract worker (not an employee).
- The office is used regularly and exclusively as a place of business.
- The office is your principal place of business.
Do you have an RV home office that is used regularly and exclusively as your principal place of business, but your RV isn’t your primary residence? You might still qualify for this deduction, so be sure to look into it.
RV Tax Write-Off for Business Travel
Another way you might find tax write-offs through your RV? If you ever use your rig for business travel, you might be eligible to claim campground fees and other travel expenses on your Schedule C.
In this case, you’d also be able to write off your business mileage at a rate of 70 cents per mile for miles driven between January 1st, 2025 and December 31st, 2025. All that said, you will want to make sure any miles claimed were driven strictly for business. On top of that, if you live in your RV full time and your RV is your principal place of business, you will only be able to claim miles driven from the RV to carry out business, not miles driven from one campground to the next.
In any case, if you choose to write off business mileage, it is important to keep detailed records of where you went, when you went there, and how it relates to your business in case of an audit.
RV Tax Benefits for Your Rental Business
Do you rent your RV out? If so, you might just have some more RV-related write-offs to include on your Schedule C. These deductions can include things like the cost of the RV itself, insurance payments, repairs, and anything else related to running your RV business, but not all of these can always be claimed.
If your RV is only used as a rental and not for personal use, RV rental business deductions are very straightforward, as you can claim everything you spend on the care and keeping of your RV. That said, if you use the RV for family getaways from time to time, things get a little more confusing. In this case, only expenses related directly to the RV’s role as a business asset are deductible.
It’s best to hire a professional if you aren’t sure what to deduct, as RV rental business taxes can get pretty confusing pretty quickly.
Standard Tax Deduction for the 2025 Tax Season
Business expenses related to business RV travel and an RV rental business will be listed on a Schedule C and you always want to deduct these. That said, sales tax deductions and RV loan interest write-offs must be listed as itemized deductions. In some cases, itemizing your deductions is great. However, there are many people who will save more by taking the standard deduction. The only way to know which option is best for you? Do the math.
First, it is important to know that the standard deduction for 2025 is $15,750 for an individual and $31,500 for a couple filing jointly. Add up any itemized deductions you might be able to take. If these will be less than the standard deduction, it’s better to save yourself the trouble and some money by taking the standard deduction.
As you can see, there is a lot to know when it comes to RV tax deductions. Because of this, it’s almost always a good idea to hire a tax professional rather than trying to figure out complicated tax deductions yourself.
Yes, an RV can be considered a second home and therefore score a mortgage interest deduction. However, the RV has to meet specifications laid out by the IRS, including that you eat, sleep, and bathe there. That means that small travel trailers or camper vans that don’t have kitchen and bathroom facilities do not qualify. If your RV is towable, any interest you pay on you tow vehicle doesn’t qualify, either.
While they’re not automatically, they can be if you are able to claim your RV as your primary or secondary home. To do so, the RV must have sleeping, cooking and bathing facilities onboard, and the loan must be secured by the RV as collateral (rather than being, for example, an unsecured personal loan).
Provided the travel expenses are “ordinary and necessary” to the business operation and are clearly distinct from personal travel, yes, business owners can deduct expenses related to RV travel. Along with campground fees, food, and other expenses, you’d also be able to write off your business mileage at a rate of 70 cents per mile for miles driven between January 1st, 2025 and December 31st, 2025.
It depends on what kind of RV tax deductions you’re trying to claim. For example, if you’re trying to get a mortgage interest deduction on your RV as a primary or secondary home, the IRS stipulates that it must have permanent facilities for eating, sleeping, and bathing on board, and also that the loan must be secured with the RV as collateral. If you’re trying to claim business deductions, the IRS rules that govern such deductions apply.
As with all tax deductions, you must keep meticulous records of receipts, travel logs, monthly payments (including interest), and all other matters related to the deductions you want to claim. Basically, if in doubt, keep the receipt, and chat with a qualified tax advisor about any official forms you may be required to fill out depending on your strategy.
