Erica Seppala

Filing small business taxes for the first time can be intimidating. But with careful preparation, you can save time, reduce stress, and potentially save money by lowering your tax liability.

Small business taxes may include federal and state income taxes, payroll taxes, excise taxes, and self-employment taxes. Tax funds are then used by federal, state, and local governments to pay for programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security, and public schools.

You’ve decided to cash in on accelerated depreciation with cost segregation, but what are your next steps once the study is complete? How you claim this depreciation varies based on whether the study was completed the same year you purchased the property or if you had a look-back study performed later. 

If you own a rental property (or several), there are several write-offs that you can deduct to lower your tax bill. This includes everything from mortgage interest and homeowner’s insurance premiums to the money you pay toward utilities, repairs, and employee wages.

Rental property depreciation allows property owners to write off the costs of purchasing and improving rental property on their income tax returns. Typically, a rental property depreciates at a rate of about 3.6% per year for 27.5 years. Depreciation begins after the property is available to rent.

Bonus depreciation is a tax incentive that allows businesses to write off a large percentage of the cost of an asset in the first year it’s placed into service. In 2024, 60% of the cost of qualified property can be written off in the first year it’s placed in service.

An ERC bridge loan is a short-term loan that is used to “bridge” the cash flow gap between the time a person applies for the Employee Retention Credit and when their refund is received months later.

If you’re a real estate investor or plan to invest in the future, it’s important to know the basics of residential rental properties, starting with the various classifications. In this post, we’ll break down how to classify rental property, from property types and classifications by property age and location to classifications used for writing off accelerated depreciation. 

The Internal Revenue Service allows property owners to depreciate the value of an investment rental property over 27.5 years using the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS). This applies to all properties put into service on or after January 1, 1987.

While it is generally recommended to do a cost segregation study in the same year a property is purchased, built, or remodeled, this doesn’t always occur. Property owners that do not do a cost segregation study in the same year that property was put into service can do a cost segregation look-back study.