Cost Segregation Case Study
The best way to illustrate the direct financial benefits of a Cost Segregation Study is through the following KBKG case study:
What is a Cost Segregation Study & How Does it Work?
When a property is purchased, not only does it include a building structure, but it also includes all of its interior and exterior components. On average, 20% to 40% of those components fall into tax categories that can be written off much quicker than the building structure. A Cost Segregation study dissects the construction cost or purchase price of the property that would otherwise be depreciated over 27 ½ or 39 years. The primary goal of a Cost Segregation study is to identify all property-related costs that can be depreciated over 5, 7 and 15 years. For example, certain electrical outlets that are dedicated to equipment such as appliances or computers should be depreciated over 5 years.
KBKG goes beyond a traditional Cost Segregation study and will also separate all of the different building structural components (such as the roof, windows or HVAC units) so when they are replaced, a loss deduction can be claimed on them. For leased property, we also separate tenant leasehold improvements.
Cost Segregation of an Apartment Building Construction
A taxpayer completes a $5 million construction of an apartment building. $500,000 of the construction costs are initially identified by the taxpayer as furniture and equipment related (i.e. stoves, dishwashers and other appliances). The remaining $4.5 million of project costs are classified as building real property and depreciated over a 27.5-year class life by the taxpayer. The taxpayer appropriately decides to conduct a Cost Segregation Study in the tax year the project was completed and placed-into-service.
After the thorough analysis of the $4.5 million building real property by a Certified Cost Segregation Specialist, certain costs are identified as tangible personal property and land improvements. The results of the analysis are as follows:
- 17% of the $4.5 million identified as personal property (5-year depreciable class life)
- 8% of the $4.5 million identified as land improvements (15-year depreciable class life)
- 75% of the $4.5 million remains as structural real property (27.5-year depreciable class life)
Tax Benefits & Present Value Savings as a Result of the Cost Segregation:
The following chart depicts the difference between total depreciation deductions of the apartment building for the first five years with and without a Cost Segregation Study:
Depending on when this building was placed in service, bonus depreciation rules may further accelerate the timing of these deductions.
The potential tax saving benefits derived from a Cost Segregation Study can be significant based on the cost basis of the project and type of property. Typically capital improvement projects larger than $500,000 or greater can benefit from cost segregation.
» Download the Cost Segregation present value savings analysis for an apartment building
Cost Segregation Case Study by Building Type
Do You Qualify for a Cost Segregation?
KBKG can help you identify if you are an ideal candidate for this and other lucrative studies.
Cost Segregation Tax Insights

100% Bonus Depreciation Making a Comeback?
03/17/2025By Amar Patel | Principal, Cost Segregation In a speech to a joint session of Congress, President Trump outlined priority tax legislation expected later this year to restore provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”), which includes “providing 100% expensing, retroactive to January 20, 2025”. This leads many to believe that 100% Bonus Depreciation … Read More

Six Ways Cost Segregation Remains Valuable as Bonus Depreciation Declines
11/12/2024Thought leadership provided by Eddie Price | Principal – Cost Segregation For a long time, the concept of cost segregation has been a powerful tax-saving strategy for real estate investors, enabling property owners to significantly increase their cash flow by accelerating depreciation on certain assets. With the phasing down of bonus depreciation — from 100% … Read More

Senate Votes on Tax Relief Bill for IRC 174 R&E Expenditures, Bonus Depreciation and Section 163(j)
08/01/2024By Jonathan Tucker | Principal, Research & Development Tax Credits In a significant move after months of waiting, the Senate voted on the highly anticipated tax relief for American Families and Workers Act, aimed at easing the financial burden on millions of Americans. Championed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to bring a vote in … Read More

KBKG Tax Insight: Leverage Section 179 to Offset Declining Bonus Rates
07/30/2024By Eddie Price & Amar Patel | Principals – Cost Segregation After years of 100% bonus depreciation, rates have recently fallen to 80% for 2023 and 60% for 2024, which has motivated some real estate investors to look for additional strategies to offset taxable income. Section 179 of the tax code offers taxpayers the opportunity … Read More

Addressing Misconceptions Surrounding Transferable Tax Credits
07/29/2024With the renewable energy market continuing to expand, the popularity of transferable tax credits for funding projects and reducing corporate tax liabilities is becoming increasingly common. The signing of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 has further fueled interest among both developers and investors in this space, which has resulted in increased fraud that the … Read More

KBKG Tax Insight: IRS Issues Warning on Scams Involving Energy Tax Credit Transfers
07/19/2024By Amar Patel, CPA, CSSP | Principal – Cost Segregation The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently published an article issuing a warning about a new scam involving the misrepresentation of rules surrounding the transferability of clean energy tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). KBKG Insight: The market for transferable clean energy credits, notably … Read More

How the Inflation Reduction Act Expanded Transferable Tax Credits Eligibility
07/15/2024The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) significantly altered the landscape of federal clean energy tax credits, offering new opportunities for monetization and strategic financial planning. For solar developers, these changes present a unique chance to optimize tax benefits through expanded options for investment and production tax credits in renewable energy projects. A New Paradigm for Tax … Read More

Final Regulations Released on Transferability of Clean Energy Tax Credits
05/08/2024By Mike Cornell | Senior Manager, Cost Segregation On Thursday, April 25, the Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service issued final regulations regarding the transferability of certain clean energy tax credits in a taxable year, including specific rules for partnerships and S corporations. The Inflation Reduction Act added Section 6418 to the tax code, … Read More

KBKG Tax Insight: Overcoming Passive Losses from Self-Rental Property Using the Grouping Election
02/27/2024KBKG Tax Insight: Overcoming Passive Losses from Self-Rental Property Using the Grouping Election By Eddie Price & Amar Patel | Principals – Cost Segregation When business owners acquire a building that they intend to use primarily to operate their business, they often set up a separate LLC to hold the building and land asset that … Read More

KBKG Tax Alert: Proposed Bill Fixes 174 Capitalization and Cuts Off New ERC Claims
01/16/2024KBKG Tax Alert: House passes proposed bill to Fix 174 Capitalization, Extend 100% bonus depreciation, and Cut Off New ERC Claims, now in Senate consideration. Proposal Aims to Boost Businesses with Immediate Deductions for Domestic Research and Experimental (R&E) Expenditures and Capital Investments on qualified property while reining in the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). The … Read More