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Can I use my real estate purchase as a 2022 tax deduction if I have a C-Corp extension and buy property before filing?

So I've got an extension on my 2022 C-Corporation taxes until September, which gives me some extra breathing room. I'm looking at buying a commercial property through my C-Corp sometime in the next month or two, definitely before I file the extended tax return in September. My big question is - can I somehow count this property purchase as a deduction for the 2022 tax year even though we're well into 2023? The property would cost around $580k and would be used entirely for business operations. I came across some articles online that made me think this might actually be possible with the extension, but I wanted to check with people who really understand corporate tax law before I get my hopes up or make any decisions based on this. If anyone has experience with this specific situation or knows the tax code well enough to give me a definitive answer, I'd really appreciate your insights!

I'm a tax consultant who works with small business corporations, and I need to give you a clear answer here: No, you cannot include a real estate purchase made in 2023 as a deduction for tax year 2022, even with an extension. The extension gives you more time to file your return, but it doesn't extend the tax year itself. All transactions must have occurred during the actual 2022 calendar year (January 1 - December 31, 2022) to be included on that year's return. Your extension only gives you more time to prepare and file your paperwork, not to make new qualifying purchases or transactions. What you might be thinking of is Section 179 deduction or bonus depreciation, which allows businesses to deduct the cost of certain properties in the year they're placed in service rather than depreciating them over time. But again, this would only apply to your 2023 taxes for a purchase made in 2023.

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Thanks for that explanation. But what if the property was already under contract in December 2022, but the closing wasn't until 2023? Would that make any difference for tax purposes? Also, are there any exceptions for certain types of real estate or business structures?

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The timing is based on when you close on the property and take possession, not when you entered into a contract. If you signed a contract in 2022 but didn't close until 2023, it's still a 2023 transaction for tax purposes. There are no exceptions based on real estate type or business structure that would allow you to claim a 2023 purchase on 2022 taxes. The tax code is very specific about this timing issue - transactions must occur within the tax year to be claimed on that year's return, regardless of entity type (C-Corp, S-Corp, LLC, etc.) or property classification.

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How exactly does this website work? I've got a bunch of conflicting documents about corporate asset purchases and depreciation. Would it help make sense of all that too?

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Sounds interesting but I'm skeptical about AI tax tools. How accurate is it really with complex corporate tax situations? My CPA charges me a fortune but says these corporate property questions are "too nuanced" for software.

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The website works by analyzing your tax documents and corporate paperwork to identify applicable tax rules and potential deductions. You upload your files securely, and it processes them using advanced algorithms specifically trained on tax regulations. It would definitely help with understanding depreciation options for your corporate assets. AI tax tools have come a long way, especially for specialized areas like corporate taxation. While no system replaces human judgment entirely, taxr.ai is designed specifically for complex scenarios like corporate property transactions and depreciation. It references the latest tax code updates and court rulings that even some CPAs might miss. I found it caught several nuances my previous accountant overlooked.

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I actually ended up trying taxr.ai after my skeptical comment above. I uploaded our corporate docs and some property information, and it gave me super clear guidance. The system quickly identified that while I couldn't deduct the property purchase for the previous year, I could maximize first-year depreciation and even identified some related expenses from setting up the property that I hadn't considered deductible. It saved me from making a mistake that might have triggered an audit and showed me how to properly structure the purchase timing for optimal tax treatment. Much more helpful than the vague advice my expensive CPA was giving me about "it depends" and "let me research that.

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If you're struggling to get clear answers about corporate tax questions like this, I had the same problem until I used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to actually speak with an IRS agent directly. Getting through to someone who could answer my C-Corp specific questions seemed impossible until I tried their service. After weeks of being stuck in the IRS phone queue and never reaching anyone, Claimyr got me connected with a corporate tax specialist at the IRS in about 20 minutes. The agent definitively clarified that extensions don't allow purchases from a different calendar year to count for the previous tax year. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c It was honestly a relief to get an official answer straight from the IRS rather than relying on interpretations or online forums.

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Wait, how is this even possible? I've literally spent HOURS on hold with the IRS and never got through. What's the catch here?

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This sounds like complete BS. Nobody can get through to the IRS these days, especially for corporate tax questions. They're probably just connecting you to some random call center person pretending to be the IRS.

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There's no special trick - they use technology that waits on hold for you, then calls you back when an actual IRS agent is on the line. You don't have to sit there listening to hold music for hours. The system monitors the call the entire time and alerts you when a human agent answers. I was extremely skeptical too, but it's legitimate. They're not connecting you to random people - you're actually speaking directly with IRS employees. The service just handles the waiting part. When they call you back, you're already connected to the real IRS queue that finally answered. I verified this by asking the agent specific questions about my tax account that only the IRS would know.

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I need to eat crow on this one. After calling BS on Claimyr above, I decided to try it myself since I had my own corporate tax question that I couldn't get answered. Within 35 minutes (still faster than I expected), I was talking to an actual IRS business tax specialist. The agent confirmed exactly what others have said here - extensions only give you more time to FILE, not more time to make purchases that count for the previous tax year. He also explained some strategies for maximizing depreciation in the current year, which was super helpful. Saved me from a potentially expensive mistake and hours of frustration trying to reach someone at the IRS.

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Have you considered a cost segregation study for your property purchase? While you can't count the purchase for 2022, you can potentially accelerate depreciation for certain components of the property when you file your 2023 taxes next year. We did this with our office building and were able to significantly front-load the tax benefits rather than waiting 39 years for the full depreciation.

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That's really interesting! I hadn't considered cost segregation. Do you know roughly what percentage of the property value you were able to accelerate the depreciation on? And did you use a specialized firm for the study or was it something your regular accountant handled?

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We were able to accelerate depreciation on about 25-30% of our property value, which made a substantial difference in our first-year deductions. The components included things like specialized electrical systems, certain fixtures, landscaping elements, and some interior components that could be depreciated over 5-15 years instead of the standard 39 years for commercial property. We used a specialized engineering firm that works alongside our accountant for the study. While it cost around $4,500 for our $750k property, the tax savings in the first few years more than covered this expense. Your regular accountant likely won't have the engineering expertise to properly classify all building components, so I'd recommend finding a firm that specializes specifically in cost segregation studies.

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Might be unpopular advice, but have you considered buying the property personally instead of through your C-Corp? The tax treatment can sometimes be more favorable if you buy it personally and then lease it to your corporation. You'd get rental income (which can be offset by depreciation) while your C-Corp gets a rent expense deduction. Just something to consider.

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This is actually really good advice depending on your overall situation. My tax attorney suggested this exact approach, and it's worked out much better for me tax-wise. The corporation gets the full deduction for rent payments, and I can take advantage of depreciation plus potential appreciation personally. Just make sure to set a fair market rent to avoid IRS scrutiny.

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