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UnlockTaxSavings

For property owners

Your building is already paying you back. Faster than your CPA is depreciating it.

A cost segregation study reclassifies part of your purchase price into 5-, 7-, and 15-year assets — pulling deductions forward into the years you actually need them. Engineering-based, IRS-aligned, and estimated free before you commit.

No cost to estimate. No obligation. Your CPA files the return.

Deal math

24-unit multifamily

Acquired 2024 · placed in service same year

Purchase price
$4,200,000
Reclassified to short-life assets
$1,092,000
Year-one deduction
$1,092,000
Share of basis accelerated26%
5 / 7 / 15-year lives39 or 27.5-year remainder

Estimated tax savings

$404,040on $4.2M

Illustrative example. Actual results depend on your basis, placed-in-service date, and tax position.

Backed by an engineering-based firm

Verify at www.cssiservices.com
Studies completed nationwide
20,000+Studies completed nationwide
In accelerated deductions identified
$1.5B+In accelerated deductions identified
Engineering-based, IRS-aligned methodology
100%Engineering-based, IRS-aligned methodology
States served
All 50States served

What it looks like

The same property, classified correctly

Nothing here changes what you own or what you paid. It changes which depreciation schedule each component legally belongs on — and that pulls real money into year one.

Deal math

Retail strip center

Acquired 2025 · 8,400 sq ft

Purchase price
$1,850,000
Reclassified to short-life assets
$407,000
Year-one deduction
$407,000
Share of basis accelerated22%
5 / 7 / 15-year lives39 or 27.5-year remainder

Estimated tax savings

$150,590on $1.85M

Illustrative example. Actual results depend on your basis, placed-in-service date, and tax position.

Deal math

Self-storage facility

Acquired 2024 · 320 units

Purchase price
$3,100,000
Reclassified to short-life assets
$961,000
Year-one deduction
$961,000
Share of basis accelerated31%
5 / 7 / 15-year lives39 or 27.5-year remainder

Estimated tax savings

$355,570on $3.1M

Illustrative example. Actual results depend on your basis, placed-in-service date, and tax position.

How it works

Three steps, and your CPA stays in control

  1. Free benefit estimate

    Send the property address, purchase price, and placed-in-service date. You get a no-cost projection of the deduction and fee — before anything is signed.

  2. Engineering study

    CSSI engineers analyze the property and its cost detail, then classify components into 5-, 7-, 15-, and long-life categories with documentation for each.

  3. Report to your CPA

    You and your CPA receive the full study, the depreciation schedules, and the §481(a) detail when a look-back applies. Your CPA files it.

The questions owners actually ask

Straight answers, including the parts that don't flatter the pitch.

Isn’t this just deferring tax I’ll pay later anyway?

Largely yes — and that’s the point. A dollar deducted today is worth more than a dollar deducted in year 27, because you redeploy it now. Many owners also offset the eventual recapture by exchanging, refinancing, or holding through a step-up. Your CPA models the exit; we supply the engineering.

My CPA already depreciates the property. What changes?

Standard practice puts the whole building on a 27.5- or 39-year line. A cost segregation study breaks out the components that legally belong on 5-, 7-, and 15-year lives — flooring, fixtures, dedicated wiring, site work — with an engineering basis behind each one. Same property, correctly classified.

Will this raise my audit risk?

An engineering-based study performed to IRS Audit Technique Guide standards is the documented method. The risk sits with unsupported rule-of-thumb allocations, not with a study that shows its work. Every study comes with the documentation your CPA would need.

What does it cost, and when does it pay for itself?

Fees are quoted per property based on type, size, and basis — no percentage of savings. We only recommend a study when the projected benefit clears the fee by a wide margin, and you see that math in the free estimate before you commit.

How long does the study take?

Typically three to six weeks from engagement to delivered report, depending on property type and document availability. Look-back studies on prior-year acquisitions follow the same timeline.

No cost, no obligation

Find out what your property would produce

Send the address, purchase price, and placed-in-service date. You'll get a projected deduction and a flat fee quote — before anything is signed.

Prefer to talk it through? (855) 620-2774