Own a rental or building? See what you could save.

Start by tracking eligible rental expenses and claiming depreciation correctly. Cost segregation may help you deduct some property costs sooner. Compare the estimate with the study fee, then ask your CPA which deductions you can use.

Eligible expenses can include mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance, repairs and management fees. Improvements usually have different treatment and may need to be depreciated. Keep records and separate any personal use.

Standard rental home, Airbnb and condo studies start at $1,595 for properties purchased below $300,000. Select your property type and purchase price in the calculator for an instant quote. Complex properties and portfolios need a custom scope.

Yes. Choose your property type and purchase price to see the study fee for a standard property. Send the short form for a written proposal. No payment or card is required.

Not necessarily. California and federal depreciation rules differ, including bonus depreciation. Our calculator estimates federal savings only. Your CPA calculates any California adjustment separately.

We accept rental and commercial property requests throughout California, including the Bay Area, Sacramento, Central Valley, Central Coast, Los Angeles, Orange County, Inland Empire and San Diego. Your proposal confirms the study scope and any visit arrangements.

It separates parts of a rental or business property that can be written off faster, such as qualifying flooring, appliances and site improvements. Taking those deductions sooner may lower your taxes now.

Regular depreciation spreads building deductions over many years. Cost segregation identifies parts that qualify for shorter schedules and, when eligible, bonus depreciation. The calculator compares estimated Year 1 federal tax savings both ways.

No. The portion that remains classified as the building generally stays on its regular real property schedule. A study identifies supported components that may use shorter recovery periods and provides schedules for your CPA to apply.

Supported components may use shorter recovery periods and may qualify for bonus depreciation under the rules for their placed in service date. That can move more depreciation into Year 1, but your CPA must confirm eligibility and how much you can use.

The supported basis that remains classified as residential rental or nonresidential real property generally stays on the applicable building recovery schedule. Land is excluded, and shorter life components follow their supported classifications.

No. Land is not depreciable and must be excluded from depreciable basis before comparing regular and accelerated schedules. A study does not turn land into depreciable property.

It depends on the property and your tax situation. Use the purchase price and tax rate sliders to see an estimate. Extra tax savings equals the extra Year 1 deduction multiplied by your tax rate, assuming you can use the full deduction.

No. A deduction reduces the income you are taxed on. Tax savings is the resulting reduction in tax. The main calculator compares tax savings. Open How it’s calculated to see the underlying deductions.

It may be worthwhile when the deductions you can use outweigh the study cost. Start with the calculator, get a free quote, and have your CPA compare the fee with your potential benefit.

There is no single purchase price that works for every owner. Compare the supported depreciable basis, deductions you can actually use, study fee, holding period and potential sale consequences. The calculator and a written quote give your CPA the starting numbers.

Keep them separate. Review the calculator’s estimated federal Year 1 tax savings, the written study fee and whether your return can use the deductions now. Your CPA should also consider later depreciation and a possible sale before you decide.

Possibly, but the current cash benefit may be delayed. Passive-activity, basis and at-risk limits can suspend deductions for later use. Have your CPA compare current and carried-forward benefits with the study fee and your plans for the property.

Sale timing can change the decision. Earlier depreciation may affect adjusted basis and depreciation recapture when the property is sold. Ask your CPA to compare the near-term deduction with the expected sale treatment before ordering a study.

It is a planning screen, not the final decision. Use it to compare regular and accelerated federal Year 1 estimates, then confirm the property facts, written study fee, deduction usability and sale timing with your CPA.

A property used for rental activity may qualify. Personal use and your tax situation can affect the deductions you can claim. Send the property details for a review.

Yes. A lookback review may identify missed depreciation using the rules that applied when the property entered service. Your CPA determines whether Form 3115 and a catch up adjustment are appropriate. It does not create new basis or automatically require amending every prior return.

No. Your quote is free. You receive the study scope, price and timing before deciding whether to move forward. No card is required.

Just the full property address, property type, purchase price or construction cost, and your contact details. Add any other properties or questions in the optional note. We will ask for anything else needed.

Yes. Put the first property in the form and list the others in the note. We can review them together for a portfolio proposal.

ChatGPT can help you understand the basics and prepare questions. A property study and your CPA establish the facts and tax treatment for your return. To get started with us, use the free quote form and select ChatGPT if that is how you found us.

Under the usual federal system, residential rental buildings use 27.5 years and commercial buildings use 39 years. Divide the depreciable building basis, excluding land, by that period for a full year estimate. The first year is prorated. Special rules can change the schedule.

Owners of rental homes, apartments, storage, retail, office or industrial property may benefit if there are qualifying assets and usable deductions that justify the fee. Passive loss limits can delay the benefit. A personal residence alone does not qualify.

The quoted service is an engineering based cost segregation report with asset classifications, depreciation schedules and supporting calculations. Your proposal identifies the review scope and deliverables. Your CPA confirms eligibility and handles tax return filing.

Many standard properties can be reviewed using purchase records, plans and property photos, with a remote walkthrough when needed. Complex layouts, incomplete records or specialized assets may require additional review or a site visit and a custom quote.

Technical audit support addresses questions about the study methodology and supporting calculations with your CPA. The written proposal confirms the included support and its duration. No study guarantees IRS acceptance or a particular tax result.

Portfolios, complex ownership or exchanges, major renovations with multiple service dates, specialized assets and extensive missing records can need extra work. We explain the scope and final price before you pay. An older purchase alone does not automatically mean a higher fee.

It gives an initial estimate using your inputs and broad property type assumptions. It does not inspect your property or price its individual components. Actual results can differ because of land value, condition, improvements, service dates and usable deductions.

People sometimes use cost segmentation when they mean cost segregation. This tool estimates how faster depreciation could affect your federal taxes and helps you decide whether to request a study quote.

Use it to discuss the opportunity with your CPA. The completed study provides the property specific classifications and supporting schedules needed for tax preparation. A calculator result alone is not a completed study.

Keep your closing statement, existing depreciation schedule, improvement invoices, available plans and property photos together. We confirm the exact records needed in your scope, so you do not have to gather everything just to request a quote.

Operating expenses generally relate to earning and maintaining rental income. Cost segregation addresses capitalized property basis by identifying supported components that may use shorter depreciation periods. It does not convert every improvement into a current expense.

No. It generally changes when eligible depreciation is claimed by moving supported basis into shorter recovery periods. Earlier deductions can improve timing, but later depreciation and potential sale consequences still matter.

Yes. A technically valid depreciation deduction may not produce a current cash-tax benefit if passive-activity, at-risk or other limits apply. Your CPA should test usable deductions before you rely on an estimate.

No. A study may accelerate supported depreciation, but the current tax effect depends on taxable income, passive-activity limits, basis, at-risk limits and other return-level facts. Your CPA determines how much is usable now.

It is generally the amount by which deductions from passive activities exceed income from passive activities. Rental real estate is generally passive unless an exception applies. The IRS rules determine how much of the loss is allowed this year.

Generally, disallowed passive losses are carried forward and tested again in later years. A fully taxable disposition of the entire interest can affect their release, but the disposition and related-party rules are fact specific.

No. The status has specific tests, and material participation is generally evaluated for the relevant rental activities. Other limits can still apply. A cost segregation study does not establish either status or participation.

Yes, as a planning screen. It compares potential Year 1 federal tax savings under stated assumptions, not the amount your return will necessarily allow. Share the estimate and your passive-loss records with your CPA before ordering a study.

California generally does not conform to federal bonus-depreciation rules, so separate state adjustments and schedules are commonly required. Your CPA should confirm the filing-year treatment.

Federal law may allow eligible shorter-life property to receive bonus depreciation, while California commonly requires a different depreciation calculation. Your CPA should track the federal and California schedules separately.

Usually one property-specific study supplies the supported asset classifications. Your CPA then applies the federal and California rules and maintains the separate depreciation schedules required for the return.

Not necessarily. A federal and California difference is often a timing and schedule difference, but the state basis and recovery period must be tracked correctly. Your CPA should calculate the filing-year adjustment and later depreciation.

The calculator models a federal Year 1 comparison under its stated assumptions. California does not simply follow the federal bonus-depreciation result, so a California estimate requires a separate schedule prepared from the property and taxpayer facts.

For the study, organize the closing statement, current depreciation schedule, support for land value, improvement invoices, available plans and property photos. The written scope confirms which records are actually needed for your property.

No. Start with the full property address, property type, purchase price or construction cost, and your contact details. We will identify any additional records after reviewing the request.

It shows which property costs are already being depreciated, the dates and methods used, and separately listed assets. Reconciliation helps avoid counting the same basis twice and gives your CPA a clear starting point.

Tell us what is missing instead of guessing. Other supported property records may help define the scope, but incomplete documentation can require extra review or a custom quote.