UNICAP is an abbreviation for "Uniform Capitalization," a tax concept governed by United States Internal Revenue Code § 263A (IRC § 263A).
The "uniform capitalization rules" or UNICAP rules were essentially a codification of the result of case of Commissioner v. Idaho Power Co., 418 U.S. 1 (1974) The UNICAP rules require a taxpayer to capitalize all direct and indirect costs that they incur in the production of real or tangible personal property that are allocable to that property.
The UNICAP rules generally apply to: Not included in this definition is stock in trade of the taxpayer or other property of a kind which would properly be included in the inventory of the taxpayer if on hand at the close of the taxable year, or property held by the taxpayer primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of his or her trade or business, i.e. inventory property.
[1][2] For the purpose of UNICAP, direct costs include direct material costs (the costs of those materials that become an integral part of specific property and those materials that are consumed in the ordinary course of production) and direct labor costs (labor includes full-time and part-time employees, as well as contract employees and independent contractors and, overtime pay, vacation pay, payroll taxes, among other items.
These exceptions include: taxpayers with $29,000,000 (adjusted for inflation) or less average annual gross receipts for the past three years; personal use property; timber and certain ornamental trees, and; free lance authors, photographers, and artists.