The asset schedule
Every component with its class, its cost and the IRS row it was matched to.
How it works
How a cost segregation study works, from closing statement to filed return
A study splits what you paid for a building into its parts, so the parts that wear out sooner are written off sooner. Here is how NoCostSeg does it, step by step, and what your tax preparer gets at the end.
- About 10 minutes
- of your time, from the first question to the last upload
- 480
- rows of the IRS's own tables that components are matched against
- $0
- for the full study, with the source behind every figure
Step 1 · What you bring
Start with the paperwork you already have
There is no visit to schedule and nothing to fill in by hand. Three kinds of file do the work, and only the first is required.
Your closing statement
The one file every study needs. It gives the price you paid and the date you closed, and it is where the split between land and building starts.
Photos, or a phone walkthrough
A dozen phone photos of the kitchen, the floors and the yard. They show what is actually in the building, which no closing statement lists.
Plans and invoices, if you have them
A floor plan gives square feet and counts. A renovation invoice gives a real cost where the study would otherwise estimate. Neither is required.
It reads every page
Every value it takes from a document is shown beside the place it was read from. If a value isn't on the page, it says so. Nothing goes into your study until you say yes.
Start free studyA-101 Floor plan.pdf
Reading the sheet
Found 14 components on this sheet, including 1,240 sq ft of carpet and 38 linear ft of window blinds. Both are 5-year property, and this sheet is the evidence for each.
IRC §168(e)(3)(B)Rev. Proc. 87-56
Add a plan, photo or invoice
Step 2 · Find
It finds what's in the building
A cost segregation study is a list of components. This is where the list comes from.
From your photos
A microwave over the range, blinds on a window, vinyl plank on the floor. Each becomes a line in the study, with the photo it was seen in.
It asks about what it can't see
A photo doesn't show how a floor is fastened or whether a unit is hard-wired. Where that decides the class, you get a question, not a guess.
You choose what goes in
Nothing is added on its own. You tick the components that belong in your study, and you can paste a list of your own.
found in this photo
1234Over-the-range microwave
5-yearKitchen Appliances · p. 311
?How is the floor attached?
Step 3 · Match
Each one is matched to the IRS's own table
The class of a component isn't our opinion. It comes from a table the IRS publishes for its own examiners.
The table decides
The IRS's Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide lists building components by kind of property and gives each one a class. We read 480 of those rows into a catalogue.
The page is printed beside it
Kitchen appliances in a rental: 5-year property, Publication 5653, page 311. Your preparer can open the page and check.
No row, no move
If the fact that decides the class is missing, the component stays with the building, and the study says what it would need.
Publication 5653 · Page 311
Residential rental
AssetDescriptionPeriod
Kitchen Appliances5-year
Cost Segregation Audit Technique Guide
IRS Publication 5653Residential rental table · p. 311
Kitchen Appliances5-year
Step 4 · Cost
Then it puts a cost on each one
A class without a cost is worth nothing on a return. Every component gets a figure, and the study says where the figure came from.
Your records come first
An invoice or a contractor's price is the cost. A record always beats an estimate.
An estimate says it is one
With no record, you get a proposed cost with a low, a high and the reasoning. It stays labelled as an estimate all the way into the study.
It adds back up to what you paid
With a figure for the whole building's cost new, the estimates are reconciled to your purchase price. Anything without support is flagged for your preparer.
Over-the-range microwaveEstimate
$550$350$900
Your invoice
Appliances$5,950
Step 5 · The study
What your tax preparer gets
Not a summary. A document they can check line by line, in the three forms they actually use.
Year one, with and without
The depreciation the study gives, beside what the same building gives without one.
A checklist of what to confirm
The facts and tax conditions your preparer has to sign off, written out so nothing is assumed.
PDF, spreadsheet, share link
Download the report, export the schedule as a CSV, or send a read-only link you can revoke.
The figures are from our example study: a $475,000 rental home in Austin, TX, in service from January 2026. See the whole example, section by section.
From the first question to a filed return, in five steps
Answer a few questions
The address, what you paid and when the building went into service. You see a first range in a minute.
You · about a minuteUpload what you have
Your closing statement and your photos, plus plans or invoices if they exist.
You · a few minutesCheck what it found
Confirm the values it read, answer what it couldn't see, and tick the components that belong.
You · a few minutesDownload the study
The report, the asset schedule and the year-by-year figures, with a source on every line.
NoCostSeg · same dayYour preparer files
They check it, decide what to claim and file. For a building already in service, they take the catch-up with Form 3115.
Your tax preparer
A study needs someone to file it
The study is free because review is optional. When you want a CPA to check it, sign it or file it, pick a partner. That is how we earn, and you see the fee before you choose.
Start a study to see partnersWho it is for
One rental or a portfolio, this year's purchase or one from years ago: the method is the same, and so is the price of the study.
Owners of a rental home
A full study from a closing statement and a phone walkthrough, where a traditional study rarely pencils out.
Owners of apartments and commercial buildings
Read against the IRS's own table for your kind of property, with the page behind every row.
Owners catching up
In service since an earlier year? The study works out the catch-up, which your preparer takes with Form 3115.
Tax preparers
A report to check line by line: every class with its rule, every figure with the document it came from.
What it does
- Reads your documents. Each value is shown beside the place on the page it came from.
- Finds the components. From your photos, your plans or a list you paste.
- Matches the IRS's table. Every class comes with the row and the page that give it.
- Costs each one. From your records, or a labelled estimate reconciled to what you paid.
- Hands over a study. A report, a schedule and a checklist your preparer can check.
What it doesn't do
- No site visit. Nobody comes to the building. The study works from what you upload, and says so.
- An estimate isn't a cost record. Estimates stay labelled, so your preparer knows which figures to test.
- The IRS guide isn't law. It is guidance written for examiners. We cite it because it shows how a study is read.
- It doesn't file or advise. Your tax preparer decides what goes on the return.
Our guarantee
The NoCostSeg guarantee
- Your study is free. No card, no call, no "starting at".
- Every figure has a source. Each one traces to a document you gave us or a rule we cite.
- We stand by the method. If the IRS asks about our method, we answer in writing at no charge.
Questions about how a study is made
How long does a cost segregation study take?
With NoCostSeg, about ten minutes of your time to answer the questions and upload your files, and the study is ready the same day. A traditional engineering study usually takes two to six weeks, going by the providers' own pages in November 2026.
What documents do I need for a cost segregation study?
Your closing or settlement statement is the one you need. Photos or a phone walkthrough let the study find the components. Plans, renovation invoices and an appraisal make it more precise, and none of them is required.
Is there a site visit?
No. Nobody comes to the building. The study works from your documents, photos and plans, and the report says so. If your tax preparer wants a professional review, a partner CPA can do one.
How is the class of each component decided?
Each component is matched to a row of the IRS's Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide (Publication 5653) for your kind of property. The class is that row's, and the page is cited beside it. If the fact that decides the class is missing, the component stays with the building.
Where do the costs come from?
From your own records when you have them: an invoice or a contractor's price. Where you have none, the study proposes an estimate with a range and its reasoning, labelled as an estimate, and reconciles the estimates to what you paid.
I bought the building years ago. Is it too late?
No. The study works out the depreciation that was available since the building went into service, and your tax preparer takes the catch-up with Form 3115.
Free for every property
See what your building is worth in deductions
Start free studyNo card, no sales call