How can Cost Segregation Study LLC help you?

At Cost Segregation Study LLC, our approach is goal-oriented.  We create value for our clients, and do not interfere with current business relationships.  We are willing to work with your existing accountant to help you r company realize the value our service can provide.

Our construction engineering and tax specialists examine real estate holdings to determine which costs can be segregated and depreciated over a much shorter recovery period, rather than over a 39-year depreciable life.

  • Our experts are trained in this technical are of taxation and engineering-based approach of constructing your facility.
  • Our consultants have researched all the highly technical court cases, IRS rulings and procedures as they relate to cost segregation.
  • Our professionals can read and interpret blueprints and specifications.
  • Our team has performed thousands of studies ranging from warehouses to highly automated processing plants.
  • We build strategic alliances with CPA firms with engineering support to complete outsourcing.
  • We have experience in dealing with IRS audits as it pertains to asset allocations.


           We've saved millions of dollars
                               for businesses like yours!


WHAT IS COST SEGREGATION?

Cost segregation is not new; on the contrary, it has been in existence since 1954 when the IRS allowed for certain personal assets to be accelerated into a shorter life class. However, it wasn’t until Hospital Corporation of America sued the IRS in 1997 and won that the IRS revisited the issue of accelerated depreciation. Subsequently, after the Tax Act of 2004, the IRS’ chief counsel issued a memo stating that “…cost segregation, for it to be properly applied, had to involve those with competencies in architecture, engineering or construction and/or construction techniques, in order for personal property assets to be accurately identified and segregated.” Therefore, a typical study is one where the building owner can increase the amount of depreciation taken on their commercial property…more specifically, the “personal” property assets which are those non-structural in nature. Consequently, cost segregation is the process to identify personal property assets that often get buried or lumped together within the real property asset.  Our engineers reclassify those assets to the shortest possible depreciable life to enable the real estate owner to maximize their tax depreciation deduction, thereby reducing current income tax obligations.
If you, as a business owner, are undertaking construction, renovation or the purchase of a building, you quite probably are eligible for substantial federal and state tax savings.

Certain assets related to the project may qualify for accelerated depreciation, meaning you can take larger tax deductions over a shorter period. The benefits of larger tax deductions include increased cash flow, a reduction in real estate taxes, reduction in insurance costs, and lower cost of capital in the first few years following a project or purchase.

A cost segregation study, conducted by our qualified professionals at Cost Segregation Study, LLC, can help you identify opportunities to claim accelerated depreciation.

Substantial tax savings for your business may lie in the floor beneath your feet, within the walls around you or even in the shrubs outside your building...but only a cost segregation study, performed by a qualified engineer, can tell you for sure.


WHAT IS IT FOR?

A cost segregation study is a highly detailed and strategic analysis that allows companies that have constructed, bought, expanded or remodeled real estate to increase their cash flows by accelerating deductions on short-life assets.  To do so, the study identified, segregates and reclassifies property costs currently being depreciated over the typical 39-year depreciable period to shorter depreciable periods of 15, 7, or even 5 years.

This means you can enjoy tax deductions right now that you’d otherwise have to wait years to receive.  So, not only do you increase the net present value of current tax savings, but also boost cash flow as well.

The truth is, the IRS actually requires property assets to be categorized appropriately according to it’s asset life class which is why they recommend using those with competencies in engineering or architecture. While the IRS does not widely enforce this provision, it is nevertheless mandated. Of course, for those business owners who do apply it properly, there are many rewards…and more and more, the small business person especially is becoming aware of this seldom-used opportunity.   

A cost segregation study may be a particularly wise move if you’re:
  • Building a new facility
  • Acquiring an existing building,
  • Improving, renovating or expanding an existing building, or
  • Conducting leasehold or tenant improvements on your current facility. 
The analysis works most efficiently for new buildings under construction, but it can uncover retroactive deductions for any age building as long as it was acquired by the current owner since 1/1/87. Otherwise, any building purchased or built since January 1987 will qualify for a cost segregation study.

WHOS IS INVOLVED?

A cost segregation study is not a mere depreciation analysis.  It calls for far more than just classifying line items from construction invoices.  The process requires a team of experts well-versed in accounting regulations and tax laws, as well as engineering and construction principles.  Our engineer plays a starring role by quantifying building components and estimating the costs of those components utilizing IRS guidelines.  The team may also include a CPA, contractor, construction estimator and/or architect. 

Together, they’ll analyze detailed working drawings, mechanical and electrical plans, and blueprints to segregate the structural, electrical and mechanical components from those linked to personal property.  The study will also allocate “soft costs,” such as architect and engineering fees, utility/easement fees, surveyor’s fees, and permit costs to all components.

HOW MUCH CAN YOU SAVE?


Property owners often view building components as parts of the entire structure and depreciate everything over 39 years.  However, many expenditures fall into categories with much shorter depreciable lives.

For instance, assets such as the parking lot, landscaping, fencing, tire stops, and signage can typically be reclassified as 15-year property.  Carpeting, decorative trim, certain lighting and fixtures, sprinkler heads, and much more can be accelerated into a 5- or 7-year life class.

Also, the current Section 179 expensing rules still apply for depreciation if you operate your business as a limited liability company and hold your building in that entity.  And perhaps best of all, the fee for the cost segregation study that brings about these savings is generally only 10% to 20% of the resulting cash flow increase and often is even less.

So, how much can you save? Typically, 15% or more of your property’s tax-basis qualifies for accelerated benefits. If you own a million dollar property, you would potentially see an additional $150,000 in accelerated depreciation, and, of course, your tax bracket would dictate your actual after-tax cash benefit. Speak with your tax professional to know for sure.

WHO BENEFITS?

Any property owner who is profitable and whose property’s tax-basis is at least $300,000 or your tenant/leasehold improvements are $100,000 or more. Typical property types that qualify, though not limited to this list, are:

  • Apartment Complexes
  • Automobile Dealerships
  • Banks
  • Casinos
  • Doctor's Offices
  • Distribution Centers
  • Fast Food Restaurants 
  • Food Processing Facilities 
  • Funeral Homes
  • Hotels/Motels 
  • Hospital/Medical Center
  • Manufacturing Plants 
  • Nursing Homes 
  • Office Buildings 
  • Rental Houses
  • Retail Shops
  • Restaurants
  • Shopping Malls 
  • Sports Stadiums 
  • Supermarkets
INVESTMENT ELIGIBILITY
  • All post-1986 real estate construction, building acquisitions or improvements 
  • New buildings under construction 
  • Existing property constructed anytime, but placed in service beginning 1/1/87
  • Existing buildings undergoing renovation or expansion 
  • Tenant/leaseholds improvements and build-outs
Our dedicated cost segregation engineers have completed over 4,000 cost segregation studies for clients throughout the United States ranging in size from $235,000 to over $200,000,000 in property value. Tax enactments by President Bush in 2002 have amplified the need for cost segregation with the right team of qualified engineers, appraisers/estimators and CPAs.  As laws become more complicated and seemingly more anti-business, it now becomes imperative to have your real estate portfolio reviewed to determine those assets qualifying for shorter life classes once hidden in your property.
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