BONUS TAX-STRATEGY CASE STUDY
The Investment Worked Before Taxes. Then the Accountant Confirmed Another Potential Benefit.
The six-unit property was purchased because its income, condition, improvement potential, financing, and long-term value to the family made sense. Bonus depreciation was not the reason for buying it.
After the purchase, the owner spoke with his accountant about whether he could use accelerated depreciation generated through a cost-segregation study.
According to the owner, his accountant confirmed:
“Yes, you will definitely be able to use the bonus depreciation.”
As reported by the property owner. This statement has not been independently verified by Todd or this site, and is not tax advice to any other investor.
That confirmation allowed the owners to evaluate another potential benefit of the acquisition: accelerating a portion of the property’s depreciation into the first year.
Not yet a completed study
A Preliminary Rule-of-Thumb Estimate
A completed cost-segregation study had not yet established the final allocation.
For preliminary planning, the analysis used a common 20% rule-of-thumb assumption applied to the property’s depreciable basis. The calculation first removes the estimated land value because land is not depreciable.
- Acquisition and improvement basis
- $1,250,000
- Less estimated land value
- ($350,000)
- Estimated depreciable basis
- $900,000
- Estimated shorter-life property at 20%
- $180,000
- Remaining 27.5-year building basis
- $720,000
The 20% allocation is a planning assumption. It is not an IRS rule or the result of a completed cost-segregation study.
Eligible property identified through cost segregation may include depreciable components with recovery periods of 20 years or less. Certain qualifying property acquired and placed in service after January 19, 2025 may qualify for 100% first-year bonus depreciation. The residential building itself generally remains 27.5-year property and does not qualify for immediate depreciation in its entirety. [1]
The math
Estimated Bonus-Depreciation Benefit
Using the preliminary 20% assumption: $900,000 × 20% = $180,000. The estimated accelerated-depreciation deduction is:
$180,000
Assuming the deduction offsets income taxed at a 24% federal marginal rate: $180,000 × 24% = $43,200.
Estimated Bonus-Related Federal Tax Effect: $43,200
The $180,000 represents a potential tax deduction, not a cash payment.
Under this simplified estimate, the deduction could reduce federal income taxes by approximately $43,200, subject to the final cost-segregation study and the owner’s tax circumstances.
The other 80%
The Remaining Depreciation Did Not Disappear
After allocating an estimated $180,000 to shorter-life property, approximately $720,000 would remain on the 27.5-year residential-rental depreciation schedule.
The property was placed in service in June 2026.
Residential rental property generally uses straight-line depreciation over 27.5 years and the mid-month convention. Under the applicable IRS percentage table, residential rental property placed in service in June receives a 1.970% first-year depreciation rate. [2]
Estimated regular building depreciation for 2026: $720,000 × 1.970% = $14,184. Estimated federal tax effect at 24%: $14,184 × 24% = $3,404.
- Remaining building basis
- $720,000
- June first-year depreciation rate
- 1.970%
- Estimated 2026 building depreciation
- $14,184
- Estimated federal tax effect at 24%
- $3,404
Adding it together
Estimated Total 2026 Depreciation
Potential bonus depreciation
Deduction: $180,000
Tax effect: $43,200
Regular building depreciation
Deduction: $14,184
Tax effect: $3,404
Total estimated 2026 depreciation
Deduction: $194,184
Tax effect: $46,604
Estimated Total 2026 Federal Tax Effect: Approximately $46,604
This estimate assumes
- — A professional cost-segregation study ultimately identifies $180,000 of eligible shorter-life property
- — The qualifying property is eligible for 100% bonus depreciation
- — The owner can use the deduction as his accountant indicated
- — The deductions offset income taxed at a 24% marginal federal rate
- — The estimated $720,000 remaining basis is properly assigned to 27.5-year residential rental property
Beyond the first year
Depreciation Continues After the First Year
The accelerated deduction does not eliminate the depreciation available from the remaining building basis. A typical full-year depreciation estimate on the remaining $720,000 is: $720,000 ÷ 27.5 = $26,182. At a 24% marginal federal rate: $26,182 × 24% = $6,284.
- Annual building depreciation
- Approximately $26,182
- Estimated federal tax effect at 24%
- Approximately $6,284
The first and final depreciation years are partial because residential rental property uses the mid-month convention. Individual improvements may also have different classifications and placed-in-service dates. [2]
Todd's role
What Todd Added to the Strategy
Todd did not provide tax advice or promise a particular deduction.
He helped the owners recognize that the property should be evaluated using more than rent and appreciation alone.
After the owner confirmed with his accountant that he could use bonus depreciation, Todd helped illustrate how the potential tax benefit could fit into the broader investment analysis.
The owners could evaluate
- — Operating income
- — Rental growth
- — Value created through improvements
- — Principal reduction
- — Potential accelerated depreciation
- — Continuing building depreciation
- — After-tax cash flow
- — Long-term family ownership
“The property had to make sense before taxes. Once it did, accelerated depreciation potentially added another layer to the investment’s first-year benefit.”
The tax benefit did not create the property’s rent, cash flow, or market value. It potentially changed the timing of eligible deductions and allowed the owners to retain more capital during the first year.
The takeaway
The Strategic Lesson
A real-estate acquisition should not depend on a tax deduction to make it work.
However, once a property makes sense based on its income, condition, financing, improvement potential, and long-term purpose, tax planning may materially affect the after-tax result.
In this preliminary illustration
- — Estimated depreciable basis was $900,000
- — Approximately $180,000 was estimated as shorter-life property
- — Estimated bonus-related federal tax effect was $43,200
- — Estimated regular 2026 building depreciation was $14,184
- — Estimated total 2026 depreciation was $194,184
- — Estimated total 2026 federal tax effect was $46,604
- — Approximately $26,182 of building depreciation remained available in a typical full year
“The first-year deduction was accelerated, but the remaining building basis continued producing depreciation in future years.”
The bigger picture
See the Complete Investment Strategy
The tax analysis was only one component of the larger property strategy.
The owners also evaluated
- — Property condition
- — Hidden capital-expense exposure
- — Renovation costs
- — Renter demand
- — Rental-income growth
- — Financing
- — Downside risk
- — Self-management
- — Long-term family ownership
Important disclosures
- This case study is a preliminary illustration, not a completed cost-segregation study, tax return, or guarantee of tax savings.
- The 20% cost-segregation allocation is a rule-of-thumb planning assumption. Actual land value, depreciable basis, asset classifications, recovery periods, placed-in-service dates, bonus-depreciation eligibility, passive-loss treatment, marginal tax rates, depreciation recapture, and usable deductions may differ.
- The accountant’s statement is reported by the property owner and should not be interpreted as advice to other investors.
- The final treatment must be determined by the owner’s accountant and a qualified cost-segregation professional.
- Todd provides real-estate brokerage and property-analysis services. He does not provide legal, accounting, or tax advice.
Sources
- [1] IRS Publication 946, How To Depreciate Property
- [2] IRS Publication 527, Residential Rental Property
- IRS Notice 2026-11
Author: Todd McClean, Realtor® | Real Estate Investment Strategist, Mountainland Realty, Inc.. Reviewed July 21, 2026. This page provides general real estate and tax-planning information and is not legal, tax, accounting, lending, securities, commodities, or financial-planning advice.
Next step
Every property, owner, and tax situation is different — tell us about yours.
Todd provides real-estate brokerage and property-analysis services, not legal, accounting, or tax advice — talk to your own accountant or a qualified cost-segregation professional about your specific situation.