The half-year convention for depreciation is the depreciation schedule that treats all property acquired during the year as being acquired exactly in the middle of the year. This means that only half of the full-year depreciation is allowed in the first year, while the remaining balance is deducted in the final year of the depreciation schedule, or the year that the property is sold. The half-year convention for depreciation applies to both modified accelerated cost recovery systems and straight-line depreciation schedules.