Most real estate owners leave tens of thousands on the table every year. A cost segregation study fixes that, and the IRS expects you to use it.
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The IRS lets you reclassify parts of your building, flooring, cabinetry, landscaping, electrical, plumbing, into shorter depreciation lives (5, 7, or 15 years instead of 27.5 or 39). That means bigger deductions now, not decades from now.
With bonus depreciation, you can often write off 60-100% of reclassified components in year one. Most property owners save $25,000 to $150,000+ per property.
Tell us about your property. We'll run a quick estimate on the spot, no paperwork needed.
We'll show you exactly how much you could save, broken down by asset class and depreciation schedule.
Our team produces an IRS-compliant cost segregation report. Your CPA files it with your return, or we handle that too.
10 minutes. No obligation. We'll tell you exactly what your property is worth in deductions.
Personal property is recaptured as ordinary income under Section 1245 to the extent of gain, and building depreciation is subject to unrecaptured Section 1250 gain taxed at up to 25%. A 1031 exchange defers it, and holding until death eliminates it through the basis step-up under Section 1014.
The IRS Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide identifies the detailed engineering approach as the most reliable method. Rule-of-thumb allocations without site work or construction document review are the first thing challenged on examination, particularly for specialty systems and site improvements.
A cost segregation study is an engineering-based analysis that separates a building's purchase or construction cost into its components and reassigns them from the default 27.5-year or 39-year recovery period to their correct 5-year, 7-year, and 15-year MACRS classifications. Because those shorter-life categories qualify for bonus depreciation, the reclassified amount is generally deductible in the first year.
It depends on the asset class. Office and warehouse properties commonly reclassify 15% to 25% of depreciable basis, multifamily 20% to 35%, restaurants and self-storage 30% to 40%, and hotels 30% to 45%. Furnished short-term rentals usually land between 25% and 35%.
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