I'm a commercial property manager and we've done several cost seg studies. Be careful about your CPA saying it's "pretty easy" - a legitimate study that would stand up to IRS scrutiny requires specialized engineering knowledge. Here's what our studies typically include: - Executive summary - Property overview with photos - Legal framework citing relevant tax code - Engineering methodology - Detailed asset classification tables - Supporting calculations and documentation - Depreciation schedules The firms we use charge $5k-15k depending on property size/complexity but the tax savings can be 3-5x that amount in the first year alone.

For a $1.2M apartment building, I'd definitely recommend going with a specialized firm rather than DIY. The complexity and potential tax savings at that scale justify the professional cost. You're likely looking at $50,000+ in first-year tax savings, so even a $10K study fee makes financial sense. A few things to consider when choosing a firm: - Make sure they have engineers on staff (not just CPAs) - Ask for references from similar-sized properties - Verify they provide audit support if the IRS questions the study - Get a preliminary estimate of potential savings before committing The apartment building will have tons of components that qualify for accelerated depreciation - flooring, appliances, lighting fixtures, HVAC distribution, security systems, etc. A professional firm will catch items you'd never think to segregate and properly document everything to IRS standards. Your CPA was probably thinking of much smaller residential properties where a simplified approach might work. At your property's scale, you want the full engineering analysis.

Tbh I get the concern, but there's a huge diff between services that ask for your personal info vs ones that just help navigate systems. Claimyr doesn't need your SSN or anything - it just helps you skip the phone tree. And taxr.ai just helps interpret codes that are already on your transcript - you don't upload sensitive docs. I was super hesitant too until I realized they're just tools, kinda like using Waze instead of regular maps. They don't need your destination, just help you navigate the traffic.

This is super helpful info everyone! I'm dealing with the same situation - DDD was today but nothing in my USAA account yet. I had no idea about the SBTPG temporary account thing when I chose to pay fees from refund. Makes total sense now why there's an extra delay. @Kaitlyn Jenkins - have you gotten any updates since posting? I'm trying to decide if I should just wait it out or try calling the IRS. Sounds like 1-3 business days after DDD is normal for the TurboTax fee situation.

Have you tried checking the Tax Advocate Service? They can sometimes help if your refund is causing financial hardship. I felt so helpless waiting after my verification last year, but they were able to assist when I explained I needed the funds for emergency home repairs. You have to demonstrate actual financial hardship though, not just wanting your money faster. The process takes some paperwork but might be worth it if you're truly depending on those funds.

I went through this exact same process about a month ago! After completing ID verification through ID.me, my refund took exactly 19 days to hit my account. The frustrating part was that my transcript barely updated during those 19 days - it just showed "return processed" but no deposit date until literally the day before it arrived. My advice is to check your transcript once a week max, not daily like I was doing (it was driving me crazy). The good news is that once verification is complete, you're basically in the final stretch. Just try not to make any concrete financial plans based on a specific date because the IRS can be unpredictable even when everything looks normal.

Has anyone tried using the IRS's online transcript system? I know the OP needs to submit a 4506-T specifically, but for many cases you can just create an account at irs.gov and access your transcripts directly without having to request them through form 4506-T. Might be worth checking if this works for your situation.

I went through this exact same frustration a few months ago! After trying several options mentioned here, I ended up using FaxZero (the free online service) and it worked perfectly. Just make sure you have a clear scan or photo of your completed 4506-T form. One tip that saved me time - before you send it, double-check that you're using the correct IRS fax number for your specific situation. Different types of transcript requests go to different fax numbers, and I initially sent mine to the wrong department which delayed everything by two weeks. Also, keep a screenshot of the confirmation page showing your fax was successfully sent. I needed that when I called to check on my request status later. The whole "fax in 2024" thing is ridiculous, but at least the online fax services make it bearable!

Everyone's talking about the app, but has anyone mentioned that international filers often get flagged for additional review? I've seen this happen repeatedly with my clients. The verification is just step one - after that, you might be in the standard processing queue or you might be in a separate international review queue. Did they specifically tell you which verification path you completed?

I went through ID verification about 3 weeks ago and my IRS2GO app just updated yesterday! Like others mentioned, checking the transcript was definitely the way to go - it showed movement about 5 days before the app caught up. One thing I noticed is that the verification confirmation email I got was pretty generic and didn't give me much confidence it actually worked. But I kept checking my account transcript every few days and saw the codes change before anything showed up in the mobile app. For what it's worth, I completed the online ID.me process on a Tuesday morning and my transcript first showed processing updates the following Monday. The app took until this past Wednesday to reflect the same information. So roughly 2 weeks total from verification to seeing real movement in the app.