Worked example · Single-Family Rental

Cost segregation on a $400K Single-Family Rental reclassifies $64,000 into accelerated depreciation.

Engineering-based study using industry-standard 2026 construction cost data and IRS Audit Techniques Guide methodology. Numbers below are computed from the same formula our production studies use — adjust for your actual property with the calculator at the bottom.

Accelerated depreciation
$64,000
20% of $320,000 basis
Year-1 federal tax savings
$23,680
at 37% marginal bracket
Return on study cost
26×
study fee $895
MACRS class breakdown

How the $64,000 splits across 5-, 7-, and 15-year property.

These percentages are illustrative for a single-family rental of this size and age. Your study reports component-level detail so your CPA can place each item on the correct depreciation schedule.

60%
10%
30%

5-year property

$38,400

Personal property: appliances, carpet, FF&E, decorative finishes. Fully bonus-eligible at 100% under OBBBA (2025+).

7-year property

$6,400

Office furniture, certain equipment, specialty fixtures. Also bonus-eligible.

15-year property

$19,200

Land improvements: driveways, fencing, landscaping, site lighting. Bonus-eligible.

Year-1 deduction comparison

Without a study vs. with one.

Standard depreciation
320,000 ÷ 27.5 years
$11,636
Year-1 deduction (no study)
With cost seg + 100% bonus
5/7/15-yr accelerated
$64,000
Year-1 deduction
Difference
+$52,364 pulled forward into Year 1

At a 37% federal bracket, that's $23,680 in cash you keep instead of paying — a 26× return on the $895 study. Run it on your actual property below.

What $64,000 is worth to you

The $400K single-family rental at four federal brackets.

The headline figure assumes the top 37% bracket. Most owners are not in it, so here is the same $64,000 Year-1 deduction valued at other federal rates, before and after the $895 study fee. State income tax comes on top where your state conforms to federal bonus depreciation.

Federal bracketYear-1 tax valueAfter the $895 fee
24%$15,360$14,465
32%$20,480$19,585
35%$22,400$21,505
37%$23,680$22,785

A $400K purchase price falls in the $300K–$700K band of our Single-family / STR / Condo / ADU pricing, a flat $895. At $700,000 and above the next band applies ($995). See the full pricing table.

The first five years

Depreciation on a $320,000 basis, with and without the study.

The Year-1 reclassification of $64,000 equals about 5.5 years of standard 27.5-year depreciation on this property. After Year 1 the study's annual deduction is smaller, because the reclassified $64,000 has already been taken and only the $256,000 remaining building basis is still depreciating. Full years shown; the purchase year is shorter under the mid-month convention.

YearNo studyWith studyCumulative extra deduction
Year 1$11,636$73,309$61,673
Year 2$11,636$9,309$59,345
Year 3$11,636$9,309$57,018
Year 4$11,636$9,309$54,691
Year 5$11,636$9,309$52,364

The cumulative gap narrows by $2,327 a year and closes over the recovery period; cost segregation changes when you deduct, not how much. Depreciation taken is generally recaptured on a taxable sale.

Nearby examples
Run your numbers

Your property is probably not exactly $400K.

Plug in your actual purchase price, property type, age, and finish level on the homepage calculator. It uses the same engine — no signup, results in 60 seconds.

If the math works for your property

Order your cost segregation study for $895.

40+ page engineering-based PDF · delivered in 1–2 business days · CPA-Ready Guarantee