Worked example · Airbnb / Short-Term Rental

Cost segregation on a $700K Airbnb / Short-Term Rental reclassifies $168,000 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
$168,000
30% of $560,000 basis
Year-1 federal tax savings
$62,160
at 37% marginal bracket
Return on study cost
62×
study fee $995
MACRS class breakdown

How the $168,000 splits across 5-, 7-, and 15-year property.

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

70%
8%
22%

5-year property

$117,600

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

7-year property

$13,440

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

15-year property

$36,960

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

Year-1 deduction comparison

Without a study vs. with one.

Standard depreciation
560,000 ÷ 27.5 years
$20,364
Year-1 deduction (no study)
With cost seg + 100% bonus
5/7/15-yr accelerated
$168,000
Year-1 deduction
Difference
+$147,636 pulled forward into Year 1

At a 37% federal bracket, that's $62,160 in cash you keep instead of paying — a 62× return on the $995 study. Run it on your actual property below.

What $168,000 is worth to you

The $700K airbnb / short-term rental at four federal brackets.

The headline figure assumes the top 37% bracket. Most owners are not in it, so here is the same $168,000 Year-1 deduction valued at other federal rates, before and after the $995 study fee. State income tax comes on top where your state conforms to federal bonus depreciation.

Federal bracketYear-1 tax valueAfter the $995 fee
24%$40,320$39,325
32%$53,760$52,765
35%$58,800$57,805
37%$62,160$61,165

A $700K purchase price falls in the $700K–$1M band of our Single-family / STR / Condo / ADU pricing, a flat $995. At $1,000,000 and above the next band applies ($1,295). See the full pricing table.

The first five years

Depreciation on a $560,000 basis, with and without the study.

The Year-1 reclassification of $168,000 equals about 8.3 years of standard 27.5-year depreciation on this property. After Year 1 the study's annual deduction is smaller, because the reclassified $168,000 has already been taken and only the $392,000 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$20,364$182,255$161,891
Year 2$20,364$14,255$155,782
Year 3$20,364$14,255$149,673
Year 4$20,364$14,255$143,564
Year 5$20,364$14,255$137,455

The cumulative gap narrows by $6,109 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
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