Engineering methodology, automated. Photographically documented.
Commercial Cost Seg applies the same engineering methodology boutique firms charge $15K–$30K for — RSMeans 2024 component pricing, BLS PPI time index, IRC § 168 MACRS classification, Pub. 5653 audit-defense documentation — executed by a software engine and delivered in days, not weeks. Every commercial study at $3M+ basis includes an on-site photographic survey conducted by a trained photographer with a property-type-specific shooting brief.
Property intake
The owner submits property facts (address, basis, year built, square footage, property type) and uploads existing closing documents and photographs through the order portal. The engagement is opened immediately and pricing is locked at the published rate for the property type and basis — no scoping calls, no hidden fees, no fee creep.
Property data enrichment
RentCast county assessor records, OpenStreetMap building data, and BLS PPI construction cost indices are pulled and reconciled against the owner-supplied facts. Cross-verification flags any inconsistencies for review (e.g., assessor sqft vs. owner-reported sqft) before the engineering analysis runs.
On-site photographic survey
Required for all commercial studies at $3M+ basis. A trained photographer visits the property with a structured shooting brief specific to the property type — kitchen exhaust hoods and walk-in coolers for restaurants, medical-gas outlets and exam-room casework for medical office, dock detail and mechanical room for industrial, etc. Photographs become part of the engineering documentation. Sub-$3M commercial uses owner-uploaded photographs following the same shooting checklist.
Component inventory & classification
The engine applies property-type-specific component classification rules to the property profile and photographic record. Every reclassifiable component is identified, assigned to its MACRS bucket (5-year, 7-year, 15-year, 27.5-year residential, or 39-year structural), and documented with the engineering basis. Treas. Reg. § 1.48-1(c) permanence test is the controlling standard for personal-property classification.
Cost allocation
Each component is costed using RSMeans 2024 unit pricing, calibrated by the BLS Producer Price Index for non-residential construction and metro-specific geographic cost factors. Costs reconcile to the total depreciable basis to the penny.
Quality-control validation
Every analysis runs through 16 quality-control checks before release — reclassification ratio bounds, land-allocation reliability, component-cost variance, reconciliation integrity, era-profile consistency, and 11 other property-type-specific checks. PASS proceeds to report generation; REVIEW pauses for human review of the flagged dimension; FAIL blocks release.
Report generation & delivery
The 30+ page IRS-defensible report is generated and delivered to the owner and their CPA. Sections include the executive summary, property description, methodology narrative, component schedule, cost reconciliation, depreciation schedule, audit-defense documentation, and the photographic component record. Form 3115 is included when the study captures § 481(a) catch-up depreciation from prior years. Audit defense is included for the life of the study — the engineering team supports the position at no additional cost if the IRS examines.
Standards and references
Commercial Cost Seg studies are prepared in alignment with the IRS Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide (Pub. 5653) and the ASCSP framework for engineering-based cost segregation. Every component classification is supported by a citation to the relevant Treasury Regulation, IRS guidance, or judicial authority. The photographic record from the on-site survey forms part of the component-classification documentation per Pub. 5653 Chapter 4.
Want a methodology walkthrough for your specific property?
Scoping call →Nothing on this page is tax, legal, or financial advice. The methodology described here is educational. Whether and how it applies to your property depends on facts a CPA, tax attorney, or Enrolled Agent must evaluate. Cost Seg Smart LLC is not a CPA firm and does not provide individualized tax advice.