In one paragraph
Maven Cost Segregation and Cost Seg Smart both produce engineered cost segregation studies aligned with the IRS Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide; ours classify components under MACRS per Rev. Proc. 87-56 using public government construction cost data. Maven is a tax-advisory firm founded by a registered CPA, whose in-house engineering team inspects every property. Every Maven study is a detailed engineering study with an on-site inspection. Maven publishes price ranges ($2,500 to $4,000 for smaller properties and $5,000 to $10,000+ for large or complex properties on its services page; its FAQ says $850 to $1,500 for small to mid-sized properties) and says most studies are completed a few weeks after the site inspection. Cost Seg Smart's studies are automated and done for you from satellite imagery, county assessor records, and structured property data, with quality checks, delivered in 1–2 business days, starting at $495. Maven may be the better fit when you want a CPA-founded firm, or an on-site study of a larger or unusual property. Cost Seg Smart may be the better fit for residential, STR, small multifamily, and small commercial where speed and study cost decide the ROI.
Disclosure: Cost Seg Smart operates this comparison and is one of the firms compared here. See the methodology page for our standalone documentation.
Cost Seg Smart in brief
- Cost Seg Smart is an engineered cost segregation provider for residential, short-term-rental, multifamily and commercial property, with residential studies from $495 and commercial from $995.
- Cost Seg Smart delivers most residential studies in 1–2 business days, remotely, using remote observation together with public government construction cost data.
- Cost Seg Smart classifies components under MACRS per Rev. Proc. 87-56 and documents every study against the 13 quality elements of the IRS Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide (Pub 5653), including Form 3115 §481(a) catch-up schedules for properties owned two or more years.
- Cost Seg Smart prices a sub-$300K residential study at $495 and delivers it in 1–2 business days; Maven Cost Segregation says most of its studies are completed within 30 days of the site visit.
Maven Cost Segregation: overview
Maven Cost Segregation (mavencostseg.com) positions itself as a tax-advisory firm. It was founded by a registered CPA, describes itself as CPA-backed, and says its in-house engineering team inspects every property, with engineering professionals on every detailed study. Maven sells one study format, a detailed engineering study that includes an on-site inspection of the property; its site no longer lists a condensed, no-site-visit option. It publishes its prices: $2,500 to $4,000 for smaller properties (smaller office, multifamily rentals, light industrial) and $5,000 to $10,000+ for large or complex properties and portfolios, plus Form 3115 preparation at a $995 flat rate. Most studies are completed within 30 days of the site visit, and audit defense is included. Maven describes its methodology as compliant with the IRS Audit Techniques Guide, the same framework Cost Seg Smart documents against. The differences are turnaround, the labor model, and study cost.
At a glance
| Dimension | Cost Seg Smart | Maven Cost Segregation |
|---|---|---|
| Study fee | From $495 | Published general ranges: $2,500–$4,000 for smaller properties; $5,000–$10,000+ for large or complex properties and portfolios. Its FAQ says $850–$1,500 for small to mid-sized properties and $3k and up for larger commercialSource, checked Nov 2, 2026: mavencostseg.com/our-services/detailed-engineering-cost-segregation-studies, mavencostseg.com/faq. Conditions: General ranges, not fixed quotes; final pricing depends on property type, size, complexity, location, records, portfolio scope and requested timing. $2,500–$4,000: smaller office, multifamily rentals, light industrial, and includes site inspection, component analysis, detailed reporting and audit protection. $5,000–$10,000+: hotels, apartment communities, industrial, multi-property engagements. The FAQ figure is for small to mid-sized properties and does not say what is included. |
| Turnaround | 1–2 business days (simple residential) | A few weeks after records and the site inspection (study page); within 30 days of the site visit (homepage)Source, checked Nov 2, 2026: mavencostseg.com/our-services/detailed-engineering-cost-segregation-studies, mavencostseg.com. |
| Site visit | Every study is priced as a remote study, and when a walkthrough would improve it, we do it with you on a video call at no charge. For commercial and 5+ unit property, an in-person site visit is available as an add-on for $895, travel included, throughout the contiguous United States and Washington, DC, for buildings up to 20,000 sq ft. Residential rentals (1–4 units): an in-person visit by an independent field data collector, $595 throughout the contiguous United States and Washington, DC, travel included. Larger buildings, Alaska and Hawaii are by quote. | Yes, an on-site inspection on every studySource, checked Nov 2, 2026: mavencostseg.com/our-services/detailed-engineering-cost-segregation-studies. |
| Who does the work | Automated pipeline + quality checks | In-house engineering and tax team; firm founded by a registered CPASource, checked Nov 2, 2026: mavencostseg.com/our-services/detailed-engineering-cost-segregation-studies, mavencostseg.com/about. |
| Methodology | Public government construction cost data + MACRS per Rev. Proc. 87-56 | Detailed engineering study following the IRS Audit Techniques Guide (per Maven; cost data source not named on its site)Source, checked Nov 2, 2026: mavencostseg.com/our-services/detailed-engineering-cost-segregation-studies. |
| Form 3115 lookback | Included | $995 flat-rate Form 3115 preparationSource, checked Nov 2, 2026: mavencostseg.com/our-services/irs-form-3115-preparation. Conditions: Covers consultation through final follow-up; a cost segregation study, if needed, is scoped separately. |
| Best fit | Residential / STR / small MF / small commercial | Per Maven: properties of about $500,000 or more benefit most; owners who want an on-site studySource, checked Nov 2, 2026: mavencostseg.com/faq. |
| Free revision policy | Free for 12 months after first delivery (36 months for your CPA's requests), then $195 per round; corrections of our errors always free (original scope of the study) | Not publishedSource, checked Nov 2, 2026: mavencostseg.com/our-services/detailed-engineering-cost-segregation-studies, mavencostseg.com/faq. |
| CPA coordination | Included: written answers, and calls or meetings with your CPA as needed | Works with your existing CPA (per Maven)Source, checked Nov 2, 2026: mavencostseg.com. |
Maven’s price ranges, turnaround and Form 3115 fee are as published on mavencostseg.com, checked on 2026-11-02. Its own pages differ: the FAQ says small to mid-sized studies typically range from $850 to $1,500, while its detailed-study services page gives $2,500 to $4,000 for smaller properties. Confirm current pricing and scope directly with Maven.
Methodology overlap (both firms)
Both firms work inside the same IRS framework:
- Component-level cost basis. Cost Seg Smart uses public government construction cost data with regional multipliers, calibrated to the property's market; Maven does not name its cost data source on its site.
- MACRS classification per Rev. Proc. 87-56, the asset class lives that determine 5-, 7-, 15-, 27.5-, or 39-year recovery periods (incorporated into IRS Pub. 946 Appendix B).
- IRS Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide (Pub 5653), the 13-element quality framework. Maven cites the 13 principal elements on its site; Cost Seg Smart documents every study against them.
- Form 3115 §481(a) lookback support, for properties owned 2+ years without a prior study: included at Cost Seg Smart, a $995 flat-rate service at Maven.
- A checked deliverable: Maven says its in-house engineering and tax team completes every study, at a CPA-founded firm; every Cost Seg Smart study is quality-checked before delivery, and one that fails a check is held rather than sent.
When Cost Seg Smart may be the better choice
- Residential and small-commercial properties where speed and study cost decide the ROI. On a $400K STR, a 1–2 business day study from $495 preserves more of the Year-1 benefit than a $2,500+ on-site engagement.
- Speed-sensitive filings. If your CPA needs the schedule for a return already in extension, a 1–2 business day turnaround in most cases beats a cycle of up to 30 days that starts after a site visit is scheduled.
- Self-serve, no scheduling. No engineer visit to coordinate; upload closing docs and photos online.
When Maven Cost Segregation may be the better choice
- You want a CPA-founded firm and an on-site inspection. Maven was founded by a registered CPA and says its in-house engineering team inspects every property.
- Larger or unusual properties. Every Maven study includes an on-site inspection, which can add accuracy where construction is unusual or not fully reflected in public data.
- You want published prices for an on-site study. Maven publishes its price ranges and a $995 flat Form 3115 fee, so you can budget an engineered on-site study before asking for a quote.
Questions worth asking Maven and us
Whichever firm you choose, these questions show what a study covers. Each answer below is what a Cost Seg Smart study does today.
- Where does the land value come from, and does the report say which source was used? Cost Seg Smart: We set land from your own documents or from public county records where they exist, check assessor figures for reliability, and the report names the source we used.
- Does it read your closing statement, or do you type the numbers in yourself? Cost Seg Smart: Upload your settlement statement and any itemized invoices or cost schedules and we read them: capitalizable closing costs go into your basis, documented costs are classified line by line, and a cost document we cannot read holds the study for review instead of being skipped.
- On a condo, does it count your share of the shared outdoor site improvements, or only the unit? Cost Seg Smart: Where a residential condo unit includes an ownership interest in the common elements, the study may allocate a conservative portion of the unit's existing basis to the shared outdoor improvements it identifies, such as parking, landscaping and fencing, as 15-year property. It reallocates basis you already have; it does not add any. Pools, clubhouses, gyms and other building amenities are not included. Condominium law normally gives each unit an undivided interest in the common elements, so the share is included even if you did not know you held one.
- Does the schedule reconcile to your depreciable basis, and what happens if it does not? Cost Seg Smart: Every component schedule adds up to your depreciable basis to the cent, and a study that does not is automatically blocked before delivery.
- What is checked before the report reaches you, and what happens when a check fails? Cost Seg Smart: Every study is automatically quality-checked before delivery, and a study that fails a check is held rather than sent.
How to decide
Three questions, in order:
- Is the property large or unusual enough that on-site engineering judgment changes the schedule? Then Maven's on-site study is worth it.
- Do you specifically want an on-site inspection from a CPA-founded firm? Then Maven.
- Otherwise (residential, STR, small MF, small commercial, speed-sensitive)? Then Cost Seg Smart: same methodology, lower study fee, faster turnaround.
To see the math on a specific property, our free calculator gives a Year-1 estimate in 30 seconds. Methodology details are at /methodology/; pricing tiers at /cheap-cost-segregation/; the full firm landscape at best cost segregation companies.
Last updated: November 2, 2026. Every Maven cell in the table above names its source page on mavencostseg.com, checked on 2026-11-02. Maintained by the Cost Seg Smart Editorial Team. Maven Cost Segregation is a trademark of its respective holder. No affiliation. This comparison is informational; both firms produce IRS ATG-aligned engineered cost segregation studies. Confirm pricing and scope directly with each vendor.