Precision is a process, not a guess.
Cost segregation isn't a loophole — it's the correct application of depreciation law, done with engineering rigor. Here's exactly what that means and how we do it.
A building is many assets on different clocks.
By default the IRS makes you depreciate a commercial building over 39 years (27.5 for residential rental) in one slow, straight line. But the law also recognizes that much of what's inside doesn't last that long — and shouldn't be depreciated as if it did.
A cost segregation study separates the property into its strata: the fast-life components that qualify for 5-, 7-, or 15-year schedules, and the long-life shell that stays on 27.5 or 39. Accelerating the fast layers pulls deductions forward — and with bonus depreciation, often into year one.
Four measured steps.
Feasibility
We review your property, basis, and tax position and tell you — free — whether a study makes financial sense before you commit a dollar.
Site & data study
Engineering analysis of plans, cost records, and the property itself to identify and value every qualifying component.
Engineered report
A defensible, audit-ready report allocating costs across 5-, 7-, 15-, and standard-life categories with full documentation.
You & your CPA file
Your tax professional applies the results — including a 481(a) catch-up for prior-year assets, typically with no amended returns.
Two ideas that change the math.
You haven't missed the window.
Own the property already? A look-back study recovers the accelerated depreciation you should have claimed in prior years and lets you take it now via a 481(a) adjustment — no need to amend old returns.
We model the downside honestly.
Accelerated depreciation can be partly recaptured when you sell. We show that trade-off up front — and for most owners the time-value of cash today still wins, with tools like 1031 exchanges to defer it.
Want the numbers for your property?
A free feasibility analysis turns all of this into a real, specific estimate for your building.