For wealth managers & advisors

Add cost segregation to your client tax conversations.

The 30-second answer

Wealth managers and financial advisors are increasingly the first to see a client's real estate. Cost segregation can unlock $50K to $200K+ in Year-1 tax savings per property, but most advisors lack the engineering to spot or quantify it. Cost Seg Smart is the full-service, IRS-defensible engineering provider behind the scenes: you screen the opportunity and frame it in the client review, we produce the engineered study (optionally under your brand), and the client's CPA files it. You add value without practicing tax or engineering.

Tax-aware advisory is becoming table stakes. When a client holds rental property, a short-term rental, or commercial real estate, a cost segregation study is one of the largest and most reliable tax levers available, and it is one most advisors never raise because it sits between engineering and tax prep. Cost Seg Smart closes that gap.

A full-service partner, not a referral you lose control of

You are not handing your client off and hoping. Cost Seg Smart runs the entire engineered study, and partners get a branded portal to order and track studies for their book of business.

Cost Seg Smart partner portal sign-in screen, branded and encrypted
The partner portal: order and manage every client study in one place, optionally under your own brand. Encrypted in transit, U.S.-based infrastructure, client data never sold or shared. See the partner portal.

How it works for your practice

  1. Screen. Identify clients with rental, STR, or commercial real estate. Use our free calculator to put an estimated Year-1 number in front of the client in 30 seconds.
  2. Frame the opportunity. Raise it in the client review as a tax-optimization idea worth exploring with their CPA. This is an educational screening, not a tax recommendation.
  3. We engineer the study. Order through your branded portal. We produce the full engineered report (IRS ATG-aligned, from $495, delivered in under an hour for simple residential).
  4. Their CPA files it. The CPA-ready report drops into the client's return; we include audit support and Form 3115 lookback where applicable.

Why advisors use this

  • Differentiate on proactive tax planning. Surfacing a $50K to $200K+ opportunity a client did not know they had is the kind of value that earns referrals and retention.
  • No new liability. You are not preparing returns or giving tax advice. You screen and refer; the CPA files. Established compliance lane.
  • Works with the client's existing CPA. We complement the CPA relationship rather than replacing it, which keeps everyone comfortable.
  • White-label optional. Present the engineered study under your firm's brand if you want a seamless client experience.

Get started

Email partners@costsegsmart.com with your firm name and a rough count of clients holding real estate, and we will set you up with a portal and walk through a sample client screening. Prefer to see the product first? Run a property through the calculator or read a real report example.

A note on scope: Cost Seg Smart is not a CPA firm and does not provide tax, legal, or investment advice. Reports are engineering-based estimates for educational purposes. Your client should engage their CPA for tax planning, return filing, and audit positions.

Frequently asked

How do wealth managers use cost segregation with clients?

As a proactive tax-optimization idea. When a client holds rental, short-term rental, or commercial real estate, the advisor screens the opportunity (often with a quick calculator estimate), raises it in the client review, and orders an engineered study through Cost Seg Smart. The client's CPA then files the resulting depreciation. The advisor adds value without preparing returns or giving tax advice.

Is this giving tax advice?

No. Cost Seg Smart is not a CPA firm and does not provide tax advice, and the advisor's role is to screen and educate, not to recommend a tax position. Reports are engineering-based estimates; the client's CPA reviews and files them. This keeps the advisor in an established, low-liability lane.

Can the study be white-labeled under my firm's brand?

Yes. Partners can present the engineered study and the ordering portal under their own brand. The portal lets you order and track every client study in one place, with client data encrypted in transit and never sold or shared.

How much does it cost and who pays?

Engineered studies start at $495 and scale by property value. Partners order at a wholesale discount; how you structure that with the client is up to you. There is no upfront cost to become a partner.

Does this replace the client's CPA?

No. It complements the CPA. Cost Seg Smart produces the engineered report; the CPA reviews it and files the depreciation schedule into the client's return. We include audit support and a Form 3115 lookback where applicable to make the CPA's job straightforward.

Ready to act on this?

Estimate your year-1 benefit.

Free calculator. No signup. From $495 if you proceed.