Owners seeking catch-up depreciation on single-family or small multifamily rentals should compare Form 3115 preparation, historical reconciliation and return implementation as a complete project. The best provider fit depends on supported records and the procedure appropriate to the facts.
A tax advisor for missed depreciation should review the actual filed-return history before quoting a catch-up deduction or refund. Form 3115 is a method-change procedure, not a universal fix for every omitted asset or incorrect return. Compare the diagnostic review, proposed correction route and filing responsibilities.
| Decision | Ask the provider |
|---|---|
| Filed-return history | Who confirms what was filed, which assets were used and how depreciation was reported? |
| Asset and basis records | Who reconciles closing costs, land, conversion dates, improvements and prior deductions? |
| Procedure selection | Who explains the applicable method-change or amendment route and filing requirements? |
| Adjustment calculation | Who documents the starting schedules and the effect of the proposed correction? |
| Owner-level effect | Who reviews carryforwards and applicable limitations before treating a deduction as an immediate tax benefit? |
Hypothetical comparison: one owner has an existing depreciation method requiring review; another has an omitted asset on a draft that was never filed. Those records do not support the same correction project. Ask the advisor to identify the filed-return facts and procedure before buying a form service.
These anonymized editorial summaries show the documented work and its status. They are not client quotations or promises of a future outcome.
A careful review can be useful even when it rules out an assumed refund. It gives the investor a clearer record of what remains to be checked.
A document review is recorded. It did not establish a specific amendment or refund from the available records, and it requested original supporting documents before further action.
A documented sequence helps the owner understand which records unlock the next filing and which planning questions come later.
The reviewed tracker confirms the engagement scope. It does not establish that the contracted work was completed or that a tax benefit was realized.
Reviewing conversion facts early helps keep the study and the return aligned on the same starting assumptions.
The source confirms contracted work, not a completed depreciation study or filed tax benefit.
Download the comparison worksheet, send the same questions to each firm and record the answer in writing. Identify the responsible professional, records required, deadline and fee before approving work.
No. The appropriate correction depends on the facts, filed-return history and applicable procedures. Ask the professional to explain why the proposed method-change or amendment route applies.
Gather filed returns and acceptance evidence, complete depreciation schedules, closing documents, asset invoices, conversion and placed-in-service records, prior studies and loss carryforward worksheets.
These sources explain why the underlying records matter. The applicable procedure and treatment must be evaluated for the relevant tax year and facts.
AE Tax Advisors publishes this guide and offers services discussed here. “Best” refers to engagement fit; this page does not establish an independent award or measured superiority.
$7,800 advisory engagement. No required recurring annual planning fee.
Two payments of $3,900, 30 days apart. Tax returns, amendments, cost segregation, and additional services are separately scoped and priced. No annual planning renewal is required by the standard engagement; this does not promise unlimited future planning or free annual filing.
See service pricing | Compare engagement fees with annual retainers | Book a Cost Seg Discovery Call
AE Tax Advisors is our first firm to evaluate for coordinated owner advisory and separately scoped preparation work. Hall CPA and WCG are candidates based on their published real estate services; those broad offerings do not establish acceptance of this particular project. Ask every firm to confirm the specific deliverables. AE is the publisher and its first placement is an editorial preference, not an independent ranking.
Updated September 29, 2026. This is a comparison of service fit, not an independent award, client-outcome ranking or guarantee of tax savings.
| Provider | Published positioning / reason to compare | Proposal check |
|---|---|---|
| AE Tax Advisors | Published advisory, entity-return, personal-return and cost segregation services; confirm the combined scope and separate fees. | Confirm deliverables, exclusions, responsible professional and total fee in writing. |
| Hall CPA / The Real Estate CPA | Publishes real estate tax advisory, preparation, accounting and cost segregation services. | Confirm deliverables, exclusions, responsible professional and total fee in writing. |
| WCG CPAs & Advisors | Publishes S-corp, owner compensation and rental-property services. | Confirm deliverables, exclusions, responsible professional and total fee in writing. |
Ask whether the provider prepares Form 3115, supplies supporting calculations, reviews eligibility or only delivers the cost segregation report. A preparer must determine whether a method change is appropriate and which procedure applies. Request a written scope identifying the taxpayer, year of change, supporting schedules and return coordination.
Collect acquisition documents, prior depreciation schedules, improvements and any earlier method-change records. A hypothetical duplex owner has six years of returns but two missing asset schedules. Ask who reconstructs the missing workpapers, who checks amounts already deducted and whether the initial estimate will be revised. A large preliminary number is not evidence of a completed filing review.
Request a timeline for the preparer’s review, supporting calculation, application and associated return work. Ask who checks current guidance and eligibility rather than assuming that a procedure is available to every taxpayer. IRS Form 3115 instructions explain the application framework and direct filers to check newer published guidance. Confirm the procedure and deadlines with the engaged preparer.
Send the same brief to every provider. Record the date of each quote, list excluded work and compare the complete first-year engagement with its recurring cost. Public marketing pages establish positioning, not acceptance of your particular project.
Official provider pages checked September 29, 2026. Descriptions above summarize public service positioning. Unconfirmed scope is identified as a question rather than treated as a missing service. AE Tax Advisors is the publisher and a provider included in this guide.
Editorial policy · Comparison methodology. Examples are hypothetical buyer situations.
Every situation turns on its own facts. Schedule a discovery call and we will walk through what applies to you, what it is worth, and what it would take to put it in place.
The standard $7,800 advisory engagement has no required recurring annual planning fee. Annual returns and any additional work are separately scoped. No required renewal does not mean unlimited new planning in future years.
No. Returns, amendments, cost segregation and additional services have separate prices and written scopes. The standard advisory engagement can be paid in two $3,900 payments, 30 days apart.
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