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Could a Cost Segregation Study Help You Accelerate Depreciation Deductions?

Businesses that acquire, construct or substantially improve a building — or did so in previous years — should consider a cost segregation study. It may allow you to accelerate depreciation deductions, thus reducing taxes and boosting cash flow. And the potential benefits are now even greater due to enhancements to certain depreciation-related breaks under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

Real property vs. tangible personal property

IRS rules generally allow you to depreciate commercial buildings over 39 years (27½ years for residential properties). Most times, you’ll depreciate a building’s structural components — such as walls, windows, HVAC systems, elevators, plumbing and wiring — along with the building. Personal property — such as equipment, machinery, furniture and fixtures — is eligible for accelerated depreciation, usually over five or seven years. And land improvements — fences, outdoor lighting and parking lots, for example — are depreciable over 15 years.

Too often, businesses allocate all or most of a building’s acquisition or construction costs to […]

Understanding the Value of Next-Gen Cost Segregation Studies

Cost segregation studies involve identifying personal property assets  with shorter tax depreciation lives (i.e. 5 or 7 years) that have been grouped with real property assets (typically 39 year) and separating these out for tax depreciation purposes in order to accelerate depreciation deductions. The thought of cost segregation for real estate can be an overwhelming concept for most taxpayers, but thanks to the newly revised tangible property regulations that were passed in 2014, these next-generation cost segregation studies have become an even more powerful tool for real  property owners. These detailed studies allow us to reduce tax liabilities for our clients and in turn, put more dollars back into our clients’ pockets and businesses, further stimulating growth and peace of mind. So while the value of these studies is unmistakably positive, understanding the details of it are a bit more complex. Heidi Henderson from Engineered Tax Services, published a detailed and thorough article on understanding and realizing the value of these next-gen studies. To view the complete article click here.  As a general rule of thumb, if you own real property with a value greater than $750,000, it is very likely that you would […]

By |2020-09-03T20:05:31+00:00February 24th, 2015|cost segregation|0 Comments
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