The study has to hold up for you, not just the client
Your real estate, medical, manufacturing and design-firm clients are asking about cost segregation again now that 100% bonus depreciation is back for property acquired under a written binding contract after January 19, 2025.
A firm that puts a study’s numbers on a return is relying on someone else’s work for a return position. Advice directly relevant to a return entry can make the adviser a nonsigning preparer under §6694, and the AICPA standards require reasonable reliance on information from others. Both point to the same thing: a study whose every number traces to a document and an authority.
That is how Ricerca studies are built. Code computes every figure from the client’s documents, each classification cites its authority from a closed list, an independent AI review checks the file against the IRS Audit Techniques Guide, and the study is reviewed and approved by a CPA. Read how a study works.
How firms work with us
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Introduce the client. Ricerca runs the assessment and the study as a direct engagement. Your client receives the report and an asset import workbook for your fixed-asset software.
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Look-backs for existing clients. Buildings already on the books are often the best candidates: one Form 3115, one §481(a) catch-up, no amended returns.
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Not in the CPA Firm Portal. Cost segregation studies are run by Ricerca’s own team today; the CPA Firm Portal runs R&D credit studies.
Red flags examiners look for, in any study
Use this list on any study a client brings you, ours included. Each is a review step the Audit Techniques Guide gives examiners.
| Red flag | What to check |
|---|---|
| Mixed recovery periods inside one unit of property | Each property unit should land in one class; a split needs a reason. |
| Structural components called 5- or 7-year | Walls, roofs, general HVAC and building wiring are §1250 unless a specific rule moves them. |
| No land, or almost none | Land is valued first. A study that relies only on assessed values deserves a second look. |
| Creative names for ordinary components | "Process piping" that is really sewer line. Nomenclature should match the drawings and pay applications. |
| Furniture and equipment counted twice | Separately purchased FF&E already on the books must be carved out of the building cost. |
| A flat percentage of electrical or plumbing | The IRS wants an allocation by use, item by item, not a standard percentage. |
| Wrong placed-in-service dates or methods | A prior straight-line election binds reclassified assets in that class; dates drive the bonus rate. |
Clients to look at first
Each guide is written for the property owner, so you can send it to your client.
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Medical and dental practices
Owner-occupied buildings with heavy equipment-serving build-out.
A guide to send your client -
Manufacturers
Process-related systems, and the new §168(n) production property election.
A guide to send your client -
A/E firms
Office build-outs and qualified improvement property (15-year straight line), often the same clients as the R&D credit.
A guide to send your client -
Short-term rental owners
Where the passive-loss analysis decides whether the deduction is usable.
A guide to send your client
What partners ask first
Who signs the return and the Form 3115?
Can we see the study before our client does?
How is it priced?
What about clients with an R&D credit as well?
Related
- How a cost segregation study works
- Bonus depreciation in 2026
- Cost segregation FAQ
- Form 3115 and the look-back study
The rule this page applies
Tax law, IRS guidance and state conformity change. Confirm the current rules and how they apply to your property with a qualified professional before acting.
Primary sources
What this page relies on, as reviewed October 2, 2026.
Show the 5 sources Hide the sources
- 01 IRS Pub 5653, Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide (rev. 2-2025) (opens in a new tab)
- 02 AICPA Statements on Standards for Tax Services (eff. 2024-01-01) (opens in a new tab)
- 03 31 CFR §10.37, Circular 230 written advice (Cornell LII) (opens in a new tab)
- 04 Rev. Proc. 2025-23, List of Automatic Changes (DCN 7, §6.01) (opens in a new tab)
- 05 IRS Instructions for Form 3115 (opens in a new tab)
The boundary. Your firm signs and files the return. Ricerca does not sign or file returns, and does not represent anyone before the IRS.
Bring us one client building
Request a walkthrough and tell us about the property and your client’s timeline. We will come back with whether a study looks worthwhile and what records it needs.
- 01 We typically reply within one business day.
- 02 We look at the property and the records a study needs.
- 03 Ricerca quotes the study to your client: a fixed fee, never a percentage.