Cost Segregation Studies Delivered in Under an Hour

Real data from real studies. The average delivery is 47 minutes, the fastest was 12, and the slowest — a complex mixed-use property — took 2 hours 18 minutes.

What's the fastest way to get a cost segregation study? A software-driven study that uses property data and engineering cost models instead of on-site inspections. Cost Seg Smart's average delivery is 47 minutes; traditional engineering firms take 4–8 weeks. The IRS accepts either approach as long as the methodology is documented per Publication 5653 (Audit Techniques Guide).
47 min
Average delivery
12 min
Fastest on record
2h 18m
Slowest (complex case)
$795
Starting price (no rush fee)

Why turnaround actually matters

Cost segregation is often described as "nice to have fast." In practice, there are three scenarios where the difference between 47 minutes and 6 weeks is the difference between claiming the deduction and missing it entirely.

The first is the April 15 filing deadline. If you close on a property in Q4 or Q1 and want the cost segregation deduction on your current-year return, a traditional firm's 4–8 week turnaround means you're filing an extension — or worse, filing without the study and trying to amend later.

The second is the 1031 exchange 45-day identification window. If you're planning to defer gain into a new property and want to model depreciation outcomes across replacement candidates, a 6-week study timeline kills your decision window.

The third is extension deadlines. You filed for an extension in April, it's now September, your CPA still doesn't have the cost seg study, and the final deadline is approaching. A 47-minute turnaround solves this in one afternoon.

For everyone else, speed is a convenience. For those three groups, speed is the product.

What the industry actually delivers

Here's how quickly the main cost segregation providers turn around a standard residential study. Traditional firms can be faster than this for urgent work — but their default timeline is what most customers experience.

Traditional firms
KBKG, CSSI, Capstan
4–8 weeks
28–56 days
Mid-market firms
RE Cost Seg, Seneca
1–4 weeks
7–28 days
Online DIY
DIYCostSeg, CostSegEZ
Hours
~1 day
Cost Seg Smart
This site
<1 hr
47 minutes

What happens in those 47 minutes

The timestamps below are from a real recent study — an $850K short-term rental in Scottsdale, Arizona. If you want the engineering details behind each step, the AI cost segregation methodology page walks through the how.

00:00

Order submitted

Property address, purchase price, and year placed in service entered. Payment processed.

00:08

Property data fetched

County assessor records, satellite imagery, and OSM building data pulled.

00:23

Cost model applied

RSMeans 2024 construction costs allocated across 214 components, adjusted for the Scottsdale market and 2012 year built.

00:41

Components classified

Each component assigned a MACRS recovery period per Rev. Proc. 87-56. Quality gate runs on all allocations.

00:47

Report emailed

35-page PDF delivered to the customer. Depreciation schedules formatted for Form 4562. Your CPA can file from here.

Why traditional firms take 6 weeks (and it isn't the engineering)

The 4–8 week timeline at traditional firms is not driven by the engineering analysis. The actual MACRS classification work takes a skilled engineer a few days. What eats the other five-plus weeks is:

None of that adds IRS defensibility. It adds overhead, billable hours, and customer wait time. The methodology — the part the IRS actually cares about — is a small fraction of those six weeks.

how we classify building components →

Nobody writes "scheduling challenges" into their cost segregation methodology appendix. Nobody gets audited and loses because the engineer showed up on a Tuesday instead of a Thursday.

Real case: $850K Scottsdale STR — ordered Monday, filed Wednesday

This is an actual recent customer. The order came in on a Monday afternoon. The report went out the same day. The CPA incorporated it into the return by Wednesday morning.

Scottsdale Arizona short-term rental property

The timeline

Monday 3:00pm — Customer orders through the site. A 2012 Scottsdale rental, 4BR/3BA, fully furnished for STR use, purchased in 2024.

our STR guide →

Monday 3:08pm — Engine pulls Maricopa County assessor data. Travel time from a traditional firm's Phoenix office to this address would have been the same.

Monday 3:47pm — 35-page PDF emailed. Executive summary shows $145,000 in Year-1 accelerated depreciation on the $850K purchase.

Monday 6:12pm — Customer forwards the report to their CPA.

Tuesday 11:30am — CPA reviews the MACRS breakdown, confirms the schedule works for Form 4562.

Wednesday 9:45am — Return filed with cost seg deduction included.

For reference, a traditional firm quoted this same customer $6,200 and a 5-week turnaround. They would have been filing an extension. (If you want to see the 35-page PDF this process produces, the sample report page has full examples across property types.)

Scottsdale STR — the numbers

Purchase price$850,000
Land value$212,500
Building basis$637,500
Yr-1 accelerated depreciation$145,000
Study cost$795
Delivery time47 minutes
Order → filed< 48 hours

When 1-hour delivery actually saves a deduction

Three concrete scenarios where speed isn't convenience — it's the difference between claiming the deduction and filing without it.

Scenario 1: Late-year property close, April 15 filing

You close on a $600K STR on December 28. You want the cost segregation deduction on your current-year return. A traditional firm quotes 6 weeks — which means the report arrives mid-February at best, and your CPA is scrambling to incorporate it before April 15. With a 47-minute turnaround, the study is in your CPA's hands in early January. If it's a short-term rental with material participation, the deduction offsets W-2 income directly.

Deduction claimed on time — no extension

Scenario 2: 1031 exchange, 45-day identification window

You sold a rental and are inside the 45-day window to identify replacement properties. You're comparing three candidates and want to model the cost segregation benefit on each before committing. Three 6-week studies from a traditional firm is impossible; the deadline passes. Three 47-minute studies is a Tuesday afternoon.

Better 1031 decision with real data

Scenario 3: Extension deadline looming

You filed for a Form 4868 extension in April. It's now September and your CPA is asking where the cost seg study is. The traditional firm you ordered from in June is still three weeks out. The October 15 final deadline is approaching. A 47-minute delivery resolves this in one afternoon.

Extension deadline met

What customers actually say about the speed

This is an STR owner reviewing their experience with a same-day cost segregation study. Unedited.

STR owner — on getting a cost seg study before the end of the day

When we're not the fast option

Honesty matters here. A 47-minute study is not universally better than a 6-week study. For one specific category of property, we refer customers to traditional engineering firms.

Complex commercial over $5M with specialized equipment

Manufacturing facilities with process equipment, medical offices with imaging suites, industrial kitchens with specialized HVAC, large mixed-use properties with non-standard construction — these have asset classes that benefit from a human engineer on-site. Satellite imagery doesn't see custom process piping or commercial-grade equipment specifications. For those properties, the $5,000–$15,000 traditional firm study is worth the wait. If you submit an order and the property fits this category, we'll reach out directly and refer you to a firm that's a better match. We'd rather send you elsewhere than ship a study that undervalues your actual assets.

Pricing — speed is included

There's no rush tier, no priority upcharge, no "same-day delivery" fee. The 47-minute turnaround is the base price. If you want to compare what other providers charge, CostSegregationReviews.com has a sortable pricing comparison across 25 firms.

Property typePrice
Single-family rental, short-term rental, condo$795–$1,495
Multifamily (2–4 units)$995–$1,695
Multifamily (5+ units) & commercial$1,495–$2,995

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I order at 11pm?▾
The order is processed automatically — the engine runs 24/7. If you order at 11pm, the report is usually in your inbox before 11:45pm. If a quality gate flags something for human review, it goes into the overnight queue and comes back first thing the next business morning.
Is there a rush fee for fast delivery?▾
No. The speed is the default. A standard residential study is $795 delivered in under an hour. There's no priority tier, no expedited option, no upcharge. If it takes longer than an hour, that's our cost to bear — you still pay $795.
Can I get a study in time for my April 15 deadline?▾
Yes. Orders placed through April 14 are delivered the same day. Your CPA can have the depreciation schedule in hand and incorporated into Form 4562 the same afternoon. If you're coming down to the wire, prioritize ordering before April 14 — April 15 itself is a high-volume day for every CPA.
What if it takes more than an hour?▾
Roughly 1 in 12 studies hit the quality gate for human review, typically because the property has unusual characteristics (historic building, mixed-use, unusual lot configuration). Those cases are resolved within the next business day. The price doesn't change and we don't charge extra for the review — it's built into the methodology.
Can I cancel if the study doesn't meet my needs?▾
Yes. The CPA-Ready Guarantee covers this: if your CPA identifies an issue with the report, we revise at no cost. If we can't resolve it, you get a full refund. Cancellations before delivery are also honored.
Do weekends affect turnaround?▾
No. The engine runs continuously — weekdays, weekends, holidays. The average 47-minute delivery is the same regardless of when you order. Human review of flagged studies happens during business days, so a Saturday order that gets flagged may land in Monday's queue.

Related reading

How it works

AI cost segregation methodology

The engineering behind the 47 minutes. Data sources, RSMeans classification, Rev. Proc. 87-56 compliance.
Output

See a sample report

A real 35-page cost segregation study example. What the PDF looks like and what your CPA actually files against.
Use case

STR cost segregation

Why furnished short-term rentals get the biggest accelerated depreciation — and how W-2 offset works.
Strategy

W-2 income offset guide

When and how short-term rental losses can offset your salary income under the 7-day material participation rule.
Pricing

Why costs range $795–$15K

Same engineering output. Wildly different prices. What the premium actually pays for (hint: it's mostly travel).
Comparison

Pricing across 25 providers

Independent pricing comparison on CostSegregationReviews.com. Sort by price, turnaround, or rating.

Start your 47-minute study

The same methodology traditional firms use. Delivered before your coffee gets cold.

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