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Bonus Depreciation Available Through 2026

Cost Segregation Built for
Short-Term Rental Investors

Unlock $20K–$80K in first-year tax deductions on your rental property. Engineering-based cost segregation with FF&E analysis — designed specifically for STR investors. IRS-defensible. CPA-ready.

Calculate Your Potential Savings → See How It Works
< 24h
Report Delivery
50+
States Served
15–30%
Typical Acceleration
100%
IRS Audit-Defensible

Three Steps to Accelerated Depreciation

No site visits. No weeks of waiting. Engineering-based results delivered digitally.

1

Enter Your Property Details

Address, purchase price, square footage, year built, and a few details about features. Takes about 5 minutes. Photos optional.

2

Engineering Analysis

Our engine identifies every building component — including furniture, fixtures, and equipment — classifies each by IRS asset life, and calculates your accelerated depreciation using engineering-grade cost data.

3

Get Your Report

Receive a professional, IRS-compliant PDF report with full component breakdown, depreciation schedules, and audit documentation. Hand it to your CPA and start saving.

Why Cost Seg Smart?

See how we stack up against traditional cost segregation firms.

Feature Traditional Firms Budget DIY Tools Cost Seg Smart
Price $2,500 – $15,000+ $495 – $1,295 $895 – $4,995
Turnaround 4 – 8 weeks Instant (low quality) Under 24 hours
Engineering-Based Analysis (rule of thumb)
Audit Protection Varies Included
Detailed Component Breakdown Limited Full Report
Commercial Properties Limited / None Full Support

STR Case Study: $750K Vacation Rental

See how a typical short-term rental investor accelerates depreciation with Cost Seg Smart.

Property Details

Property4BR/3BA Vacation Rental — Scottsdale, AZ
Purchase Price$750,000
Year Built2018
Furnishing Cost$45,000 (included in basis)
Study TierSTR Residential + FF&E ($1,195)

This investor purchased a fully furnished vacation rental and elected STR + FF&E analysis. The study reclassified building components and all furniture, electronics, and hospitality items into accelerated depreciation categories — resulting in over $42,000 in first-year deductions beyond standard straight-line depreciation.

Total Accelerated Deductions (Year 1)
$42,300
beyond standard straight-line depreciation
$15,651
Est. Tax Savings (37%)
13x
ROI on Study Cost
24.1%
Basis Reclassified
8
FF&E Categories Identified

What Is FF&E — and Why STR Investors Need It

Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment is often the biggest missed depreciation opportunity for short-term rental owners.

If you furnished your STR with beds, couches, TVs, kitchenware, linens, and decor, those items are 5-year depreciable property — not part of the 27.5-year building. Most generic cost segregation firms don't break out FF&E. We do.

Our STR + FF&E tier identifies and classifies every hospitality-related asset in your property, giving you a separate depreciation schedule your CPA can use immediately. With bonus depreciation, these items can be 100% deducted in Year 1.

STR investors typically spend $20K–$80K on furnishings.
Without FF&E analysis, those deductions are spread over 27.5 years instead of taken in Year 1.

FF&E Categories We Identify

5yr Bedroom Furniture (beds, dressers, nightstands)
5yr Living Area Furniture (sofas, tables, chairs)
5yr Televisions & Electronics
5yr Linens, Bedding & Towels
5yr Kitchen Smallwares & Cookware
5yr Dining Furniture & Outdoor Furniture
7yr Decorative Items & Artwork

Engineering-Based. IRS-Defensible. CPA-Ready.

Our methodology mirrors the technical framework used by traditional engineering firms — delivered through a streamlined digital workflow.

📝

Component-Level Analysis

Every building system identified and classified by IRS asset life

⚖️

IRS ATG Compliance

Aligned with the IRS Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide

📊

MACRS Schedules

Full depreciation schedules formatted for CPA integration

🛡️

Audit Defense Documentation

Supporting documentation and engineering narratives included

We recommend all clients coordinate with their CPA prior to filing.

STR-Focused Pricing. No Surprises.

Prepared in accordance with the IRS Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide. Every study includes CPA-ready documentation.

STR / Residential
Commercial & Multi-Family
STR Residential
$895/study
Properties under $1.5M
  • Engineering-based cost segregation study
  • 5-year + 15-year reclassification
  • Bonus depreciation modeling (2025/2026)
  • MACRS schedules + NPV analysis
  • CPA-ready PDF report
  • Email support
Commercial Standard
$1,495/study
Properties under $5M
  • Office, retail, industrial, multi-family 5+
  • Commercial component database
  • 39-year property analysis
  • Full depreciation + NPV analysis
  • Dedicated support
  • Audit documentation package
Commercial Enterprise
$4,995/study
Properties $15M+
  • All Commercial Plus features
  • Premium component granularity (100+ items)
  • Multiple building/phase support
  • Dedicated account manager
  • Custom report formatting
  • Full audit defense with representation

Volume discounts available for 3+ properties. All studies prepared using engineering-based methodology.

What We Need From You

Just a few details about your property — our engine handles the rest. No site visit required.

📋 Property Information

  • Property address (street, city, state, zip) Required
  • Property type (SFR, STR, duplex, office, etc.) Required
  • Purchase price Required
  • Date of acquisition Required
  • Total square footage Required
  • Year built Required
  • Bedrooms / bathrooms (residential) Required
  • Number of stories Optional

📸 Property Photos

  • Exterior: front, back, sides Optional
  • Kitchen & appliances Optional
  • Bathrooms Optional
  • Living areas / bedrooms Optional
  • HVAC system / water heater Optional
  • Special features (pool, deck, solar, etc.) Optional
  • Landscaping / exterior improvements Optional

Features & Renovations

  • Property features checklist (pool, fence, deck, solar, elevator, etc.) Required
  • Any renovations since purchase? Required
  • If renovated: year, cost, description If applicable

📄 Supporting Documents

  • Closing statement / HUD-1 Optional
  • Property tax assessment Optional
  • Floor plans Optional
  • Previous appraisal Optional

These help us refine land value estimates and verify property details, but are not required.

How Your Report Gets Generated

📝
Submit Form
5 minutes
💳
Payment
Stripe checkout
🔍
Data Enrichment
Auto-pull records
⚙️
Engine Analysis
~2 minutes
📊
PDF Report
Auto-generated
📧
Delivered
To your inbox

Your engineering-based report is prepared after payment and delivered to your inbox.
We recommend having your CPA review the report before filing — they'll appreciate the detail.

Free Cost Segregation Estimate

See how much you could save in 60 seconds. No payment required.

Your Estimated First-Year Tax Savings

$0
Estimated additional deductions through cost segregation

Property Cost Allocation

Purchase Price-
Land Value (not depreciable)-
Depreciable Basis-
5-Year Property-
15-Year Property-
27.5/39-Year Property-

Tax Impact Summary

Without Cost Seg (Year 1)-
With Cost Seg (Year 1)-
Additional Deduction-
Est. Tax Savings (37% bracket)-
ROI on Study-

Component Breakdown

Asset Category IRS Life Allocated Cost % of Basis Year 1 Deduction

Ready for Your Full IRS-Compliant Report?

This estimate is just the beginning. Get a detailed cost segregation study with audit protection, ready for your CPA.

Order Your Full Study — $895

What Investors Are Saying

From vacation rentals to commercial portfolios — our reports deliver.

★★★★★

"I own three vacation rental properties and was able to accelerate over $80,000 in deductions across all of them. The FF&E breakdown alone justified the study cost. My accountant was impressed with the level of detail."

MR
Marcus R.
Short-Term Rental Investor, Austin TX
★★★★★

"My CPA recommended a cost segregation study but the traditional quotes were $3,500+. Cost Seg Smart delivered a professional, engineering-based report overnight. The component-level detail is exactly what my CPA needed."

SL
Sarah L.
Rental Property Investor, Denver CO
★★★★★

"We had a $12M office building and their report was just as thorough as the $15K quote from our usual engineering firm. Our CPA confirmed everything checked out. Incredible value for the level of detail."

DP
David P.
Commercial Real Estate Investor, Dallas TX

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a cost segregation study?
A cost segregation study breaks down the components of your property into different IRS asset categories. Instead of depreciating your entire building over 27.5 or 39 years, certain components (like appliances, cabinetry, flooring, fencing, and landscaping) can be depreciated over 5, 7, or 15 years. With 100% bonus depreciation now available, you can deduct these reclassified amounts entirely in Year 1, dramatically reducing your taxable income.
What information do I need to provide?
Just the basics: property address, purchase price, acquisition date, square footage, and year built. Our smart intake form guides you through everything — it takes about 5 minutes. No site visit required. You can optionally upload property photos, your closing statement, and tax assessment for even more accurate results.
Will this hold up in an IRS audit?
Yes. Our studies follow the IRS Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide and include all 13 principal elements the IRS looks for. We use the same engineering-based methodology and cost databases as traditional firms. We recommend having your CPA review the report, and we include full audit defense documentation with every study.
How fast will I get my report?
Reports are prepared after you submit your property details and payment. STR and residential studies are typically delivered within hours. Commercial studies may take up to 24 hours for larger or more complex properties. Compare that to the 4-8 week turnaround from traditional cost segregation firms.
What is FF&E and why does it matter for my STR?
FF&E stands for Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment. For STR investors, this includes beds, couches, dining tables, TVs, rugs, wall art, coffee machines, patio furniture, linens, and small appliances. These are typically 5-year depreciable property (some items are 7-year), and with bonus depreciation they can be 100% deducted in Year 1. STR investors often spend $20K–$80K furnishing a property — our FF&E analysis ensures you capture those deductions instead of spreading them over 27.5 years.
Can STR losses offset my W-2 income?
It depends on your participation. If you materially participate in your STR (the IRS uses a 100-hour / 750-hour test for short-term rentals), your rental activity is not treated as passive — meaning the losses can offset your W-2 or other active income. This is one of the most powerful tax strategies for STR investors. We recommend discussing material participation with your CPA, and our reports include the depreciation schedules your CPA needs to apply these deductions correctly.
Can I use this for a property I bought years ago?
Absolutely. You can perform a "lookback" cost segregation study on any property you currently own, regardless of when you purchased it. The IRS allows you to catch up on missed depreciation deductions through a Form 3115 change in accounting method — and you don't even need to amend prior returns.
What's the ROI on a cost segregation study?
Typical ROI is 10x to 30x the cost of the study. For example, a $750,000 STR property might yield $40,000+ in accelerated deductions, resulting in $15,000+ in actual tax savings (at a 37% tax rate). Against an $895 study fee, that's an ROI of over 15x. With FF&E analysis ($1,195), the returns are even higher because furniture and equipment deductions are captured in Year 1.

Your Properties Are Depreciating.
Make Sure the IRS Knows It.

Join real estate investors across 50 states who are accelerating depreciation with engineering-based cost segregation.

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