Worked example · Airbnb / Short-Term Rental

Cost segregation on a $800K Airbnb / Short-Term Rental reclassifies $192,000 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
$192,000
30% of $640,000 basis
Year-1 federal tax savings
$71,040
at 37% marginal bracket
Return on study cost
71×
study fee $995
MACRS class breakdown

How the $192,000 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

$134,400

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

7-year property

$15,360

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

15-year property

$42,240

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

Year-1 deduction comparison

Without a study vs. with one.

Standard depreciation
640,000 ÷ 27.5 years
$23,273
Year-1 deduction (no study)
With cost seg + 100% bonus
5/7/15-yr accelerated
$192,000
Year-1 deduction
Difference
+$168,727 pulled forward into Year 1

At a 37% federal bracket, that's $71,040 in cash you keep instead of paying — a 71× return on the $995 study. Run it on your actual property below.

What $192,000 is worth to you

The $800K 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 $192,000 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%$46,080$45,085
32%$61,440$60,445
35%$67,200$66,205
37%$71,040$70,045

A $800K 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 $640,000 basis, with and without the study.

The Year-1 reclassification of $192,000 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 $192,000 has already been taken and only the $448,000 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$23,273$208,291$185,018
Year 2$23,273$16,291$178,036
Year 3$23,273$16,291$171,055
Year 4$23,273$16,291$164,073
Year 5$23,273$16,291$157,091

The cumulative gap narrows by $6,982 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 $800K.

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 $995.

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