The Reverse Engineering Challenge

Submit Your Cost Segregation Study

We’ll re-run your cost segregation for free. If our individualized component mapping finds more than $5,000 in additional deductions, you can access the corrected study at a discounted rate to close the gap. We’ll tell you exactly what’s driving it.

Free second lookEngine-processed, human QANo amended returnsFollow-up within 7 days

Unlocked so far

in additional deductions across the cost segregation studies we’ve reverse engineered

How the Unlevered engine works

Source facts become a rebuilt property model. The engine runs deterministic queries across that model, an engineer QA agent checks the result, and exceptions route to human review. This is what a flat allocation, or a chat model guessing, can’t do.

Core principleAI extracts observable facts. The tax engine applies repeatable classification logic. Humans review exceptions before release.

Modeled property fileClick a source or a component to inspect the evidence trail.

Rebuilt property graph: two cabins, gym, sauna, pool and site, each component tied to its source and tax class

5-year / rental15-year site39-year shellException / indirect

Rebuilt property file

Property graph

Category: Modeled asset
Source: All synced sources
Class: Engine-ready facts
Basis: Reconciled basis

The rebuilt asset is the input. The tax schedule is the output.

Deterministic query

Build the property graph

with source_facts as (
  select property_id, source_type, source_id, fact_key, fact_value, confidence
  from evidence_facts
  where property_id = :property_id
),
rooms as (
  select r.property_id, r.id as room_id, r.room_type, r.level_name,
         r.area_sqft, u.use_type, coalesce(u.rental_factor, 0) as rental_factor
  from modeled_rooms r
  left join room_usage u on u.room_id = r.id
  where r.property_id = :property_id
),
structures as (
  select property_id, id as structure_id, structure_type, is_detached,
         is_relocatable, foundation_type, utility_connection_type, area_sqft
  from property_structures
  where property_id = :property_id
),
observed_materials as (
  select property_id, room_id, component_hint, material, install_method,
         photo_id, confidence_score
  from ai_vision_observations
  where property_id = :property_id and confidence_score >= .70
)
select *
from source_facts
  join rooms using (property_id)
  join structures using (property_id)
  left join observed_materials using (property_id, room_id);

Combines parcel, rooms, structures, receipts, permits, photos, and component-library rows.
Creates the modeled asset the engine uses for every downstream calculation.
Preserves evidence IDs so every schedule line can trace back to its source.

Traceable output package

SourceEvidence bundleAssessor fields, permits, photos, receipts, client attestations, aerial evidence.

RebuildProperty graphRooms, structures, site, components, materials, and business-use facts.

EngineQuery logRental %, shared ADU, material classification, recovery period, variance bridge.

QAEngineer agent findingsSqft reconciliations, source coverage, class conflicts, outlier variance.

ReviewHuman signoffExceptions, tax positions, workpaper release, final depreciation schedule.

Lost the receipt? The component library rebuilds it.

Every extracted component maps to a proprietary library row: asset category, brand tier, installed-value range, useful life, MACRS class, and the source that backs it. Down to the brand of your stove, because a La Cornue range and a builder-grade electric should never collapse into the same generic bucket.

Appliances

5-yr §1245

Builder-grade → Whirlpool → Thermador → Sub-Zero / Wolf → La Cornue

Flooring

5-yr §1245 review

Builder vinyl plank → engineered oak → wide-plank hardwood

Cabinetry & counters

5-yr §1245 review

Stock laminate → semi-custom quartz → custom stone + built-ins

Lighting & fixtures

5-yr §1245 review

Contractor pack → recessed systems → designer fixtures

Detached amenity units

5-yr §1245 review

Relocatable prefab gym, sauna, studio: classified by what they physically are

Site improvements

15-yr §1250

Decks, fencing, paving, pool, landscaping: from permits + aerial evidence

No receipts? No problem. Unlevered’s large-scale component library can identify and price out items added to your home like furniture, lighting, sofas, and more.

What we’ve found

Real properties, rebuilt by the engine. No two asset maps read alike. That’s the point.

Wine country compound

Two-cabin STR · Sonoma County, CA

A casualty rebuild with a detached ADU: a prefab gym studio and sauna. Because those units are relocatable, they classify as their own five-year personal property instead of disappearing into the building shell with the rest of the structure.

Before the rebuild caught them$393,336

After: gym + sauna as 5-yr assets$533,023

+$139,687 unlocked

Year-one deduction. The delta is the detached structures and the indirect costs re-spread across the shorter lives.

Timber Ridge

STR gut remodel · The Sea Ranch, CA

The owner gut-remodeled after placing the home in service, then missed two moves: they never disposed of the original components they tore out, and never accelerated the new investment.

Dispose of the gutted original§1.168(i)-8 partial disposition

$304,850

Depreciate the new remodelcost-segregated + accelerated

$388,767

+$693,617 unlocked

65% of the original building was torn out but never written off. The prior study kept depreciating components that no longer existed, and never accelerated the remodel.

You?

Your property, your study

See if your cost seg left value behind. Free either way.

Submit your study

How the challenge works

1
Submit once
Your contact details, your existing study, and any supporting files: closing statement, remodel invoices, photos, listing, floor plan. One submission is all we need.
2
The engine rebuilds the property
A second-look analysis against Unlevered’s asset-map methodology: evidence extraction, component library, basis separation, and the tax logic engine.
3
A person reviews the output
A trained tax quality FDE on the Unlevered team reviews the output and coordinates any specialist reviews required before release. No automated verdicts. A real person follows up within 7 days.
4
You get a straight answer
A gap: we tell you what it is and an estimated range for the additional deduction, a range at this stage, not a final number. No gap: we say your study holds up. Free either way.

The offer, plainly

The review: free

Engine-run second look at the study you already paid for
Human QA before any finding is released
Gap found: an estimated range and exactly where it comes from
No gap: we say so, and confirm your study appears consistent
No obligation attached to either answer

The correction: the 2026 Challenge price

$5,000 retail$1,000flat, never a percentage

Our studies are $5,000 retail. If the reverse-engineering finds a gap worth more than $5,000, you can choose to purchase the corrected study at $1,000 during our 2026 Challenge.

A full updated study: asset map, workpapers, sourced documentation
Form 3115 / §481(a) catch-up package for your preparer
No amended returns. The catch-up lands on this year’s return
Built to be defensible: sourced facts, citations, examiner-response file

The honest trade-off: not every study has a gap, and findings depend on the documentation provided.

Questions owners actually ask

Why is the review free? What's the business model?

Simple: our studies are $5,000 retail. If the reverse-engineering finds a gap worth more than $5,000, you can choose to purchase the corrected study at $1,000 during our 2026 Challenge. Some owners take that; many just want the answer. Either way the review costs you nothing, and we'll tell you what we found in plain terms before you decide anything.

Who actually reads my study?

The engine runs the analysis; a trained tax quality FDE on the Unlevered team reviews the output and coordinates any specialist reviews required before release. No automated result is ever sent. Expect a follow-up from a real person within 7 days.

What happens to my files?

They're used to perform the review, scanned on upload, encrypted, stored on U.S. infrastructure, and never sold or shared beyond what the review requires. You don't need to include Social Security numbers; feel free to redact them. If nothing comes of the review, you can ask us to delete everything.

What if my study is fine?

Then we say so, plainly: based on the submitted files, the existing study appears consistent with its result. That answer is free too. Not every study has a gap; findings depend on the property and the documentation provided.

Will I have to amend prior returns?

No. Where a correction applies, missed depreciation is generally captured through a change in accounting method (Form 3115 and the §481(a) adjustment) on the current-year return, a mechanism written into the code for exactly this. Unlevered prepares the study and workpaper package; your own tax preparer determines the filing positions and files the return.

I lost my remodel receipts. Is there any point?

Often, yes. Premium flooring, custom cabinetry, high-end appliances, and outdoor improvements leave visible evidence. Unlevered doesn't pretend the receipt exists; it builds a source-labeled, confidence-scored value range from what can be seen and supported, and tells you which is which.

The challenge

See if your cost seg left value behind.

Submit your study

5 of 100 studies reverse engineered in the 2026 Challenge. Yours could be next.