Compare 10 cost segregation Tennessee firms for 2027, from Nashville and Knoxville offices to remote studies for Smoky Mountains cabins and Memphis rentals.
Tennessee investors own Smoky Mountains cabins, Nashville short-term rentals, Knoxville apartments and Memphis warehouses, and cost segregation can speed up depreciation on all of them. This list is for owners, syndicators and CPAs looking for a firm to run a Tennessee cost segregation study, whether you need cost segregation Nashville owners can get from a local CPA firm or cost segregation Gatlinburg cabin owners can order remotely. If you need a primer, read our guide on how cost segregation works.
Every firm here has a Tennessee office or a clearly documented Tennessee track record, and we say which for each. We looked at methodology, audit support and pricing transparency, and mixed national specialists, Tennessee CPA firms and flat-fee remote providers. For cost segregation Tennessee owners should know two state points. Tennessee has no personal income tax, so for individuals who own rentals directly the benefit is federal. But entities subject to Tennessee franchise and excise tax, which can include LLCs and partnerships, use the older federal bonus depreciation phase-down for excise tax: 40% for property acquired in 2025, 20% in 2026 and 0% from 2027, per a 2025 Department of Revenue notice. Ask your CPA how this applies to your ownership structure.
The federal rule that matters most in 2027: under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025, 100% bonus depreciation is permanent for qualifying property acquired and placed in service after January 19, 2025. Property acquired on or before that date stays on the old phase-down, which reaches 0% for property placed in service in 2027.
Tennessee Cost Segregation Firms At A Glance
Company
Headquarters
Best For
Standout
Engineered Tax Services
West Palm Beach, FL
Owners of any property type statewide
Published case studies in Gatlinburg, Knoxville, Nashville and Chattanooga
Doeren Mayhew
Troy, MI (six Tennessee offices)
Middle Tennessee owners wanting a CPA firm
Cost segregation team based in Clarksville
KBKG
Pasadena, CA (Nashville service page)
Commercial owners and CPA firms
Specialist since 1999 that flags the Tennessee excise rule
Cost Seg Smart
Los Angeles, CA (remote, Tennessee pages)
Smoky Mountains cabin and STR owners
Published flat prices from $495
Cherry Bekaert
National CPA firm (Nashville office)
Commercial owners wanting engineers plus CPAs
Free feasibility analysis before engagement
ICS Tax
Minneapolis, MN (Knoxville office)
East Tennessee owners
CCSP-reviewed reports
R.E. Cost Seg
Houston, TX (remote, Tennessee pages)
Rentals and small commercial
17 Tennessee cities and a Tennessee STR case study
LBMC
Brentwood, TN
Owners wanting a Tennessee-based CPA firm
Offices in Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Memphis
Cost segregation within a real estate tax practice
Seneca Cost Segregation
Albany, OR
Investors comparing engineered study costs
Published Tennessee fee ranges by property value
Best Cost Segregation Firms In Tennessee For 2027
1. Engineered Tax Services — Licensed Engineering Firm With Published Tennessee Case Studies
Engineered Tax Services (ETS) is based in West Palm Beach, Florida, and describes itself as a licensed engineering firm specializing in tax strategies, with more than 75,000 completed studies reported. It has no Tennessee office, but it publishes Tennessee case studies. Tennessee presence: documented track record.
Those include a two-story short-term rental home in Gatlinburg built in 2022, a 202-unit Knoxville apartment complex studied in 2023, and condominiums in Nashville and Chattanooga. The Knoxville study moved about $6.5 million into 5-year and 15-year property. ETS says its studies follow the IRS Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide, and its staff includes CPAs.
That spread, from a single mountain rental to a large apartment community, matches the range of property Tennessee investors buy. ETS also handles 179D, 45L and R&D credits.
Best for: Tennessee owners of almost any property type who want an engineering firm with local case studies.
2. Doeren Mayhew — CPA Firm With Six Middle Tennessee Offices
Doeren Mayhew is headquartered in Troy, Michigan, and lists six Tennessee offices: Brentwood, Clarksville, Dover, Gallatin, Hendersonville and Nashville. Its cost segregation page names Paul Ellis and Bob Yates, both based in Clarksville, and it runs a dedicated Nashville cost segregation page. Tennessee presence: offices.
The firm studies commercial buildings, income-producing real estate and residential rentals, and covers new construction, acquisitions, renovations, redevelopment and leasehold improvements. It pairs engineering expertise with tax knowledge and builds the study into a wider real estate tax strategy, with compliance support if the IRS examines the return. Prospective clients can request a free savings estimate and quote.
For owners in Clarksville, Sumner County and the Nashville suburbs, this is one of the few firms on the list with several nearby offices.
Best for: Middle Tennessee owners who want their CPA firm to run the study.
3. KBKG — Independent Specialist With A Nashville Page And Tennessee Excise Guidance
KBKG has performed cost segregation studies since 1999 and runs a dedicated Nashville page. It does not list a Tennessee office. Tennessee presence: documented service coverage.
Its Nashville page stands out for addressing the state rule directly: it explains that Tennessee remains coupled to the older bonus depreciation schedule for excise tax, so owners should model federal and Tennessee schedules separately. It lists multifamily, hotels, restaurants, healthcare, office, industrial, retail and mixed-use properties as common candidates.
KBKG’s principals hold the CCSP designation, its reports follow the IRS “13 Principal Elements of a Quality Cost Segregation Study,” and it has studied buildings from 10,000 to more than one million square feet. Smaller properties can use its CostSegregation.com software.
Best for: Nashville commercial owners and CPA firms that want an established, audit-focused specialist.
4. Cost Seg Smart — Flat-Fee Remote Studies For Smoky Mountains Cabins
Cost Seg Smart is a Los Angeles provider that works remotely and has a Tennessee state page plus Nashville and Gatlinburg pages. It lists Brentwood, Chattanooga, Franklin, Gatlinburg, Germantown, Hendersonville, Knoxville, Mount Juliet, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. Tennessee presence: documented service coverage, remote.
Its Gatlinburg page focuses on cabins in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Wears Valley, with a worked example showing hot tubs, arcade games, decking and retaining walls moved into shorter lives. Residential prices run from $495 under $300,000 to $1,295 for $1 million to $1.5 million, and commercial and 2 to 4 unit properties start at $995. Most residential reports arrive in one to two business days with audit support and a CPA-Ready Guarantee.
Best for: Smoky Mountains cabin and Nashville short-term rental owners who want a fast, fixed-price study.
5. Cherry Bekaert — Engineers And Tax Professionals With A Nashville Office
Cherry Bekaert is a national accounting and advisory firm with a Nashville office. Its cost segregation practice sits in its Tax Credits and Incentives Advisory group, led by partner Martin Karamon, with Daniel Hurtado leading cost segregation. Tennessee presence: office.
The firm pairs licensed engineers with tax professionals. Its process starts with a free feasibility analysis, then a records review and an engineer’s property inspection, ending with an audit-ready report and depreciation schedules. For property owned in prior years, it files Form 3115 to catch up missed depreciation, and it offers audit defense support.
Property types include multifamily, industrial and manufacturing, hotels and restaurants, retail, medical offices, warehouses and agricultural buildings. It cites a typical depreciable basis of about $200,000 to $500,000 or more.
Best for: Tennessee commercial owners who want a national CPA firm with engineers on the study.
6. ICS Tax — CCSP-Reviewed Studies From A Knoxville Office
ICS Tax is a specialty tax firm based in Minneapolis that lists a Knoxville office among its locations. Its Tennessee page covers Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Clarksville. Tennessee presence: office.
The firm says its deliverables are reviewed and certified by in-house Certified Cost Segregation Professionals, a credential that requires at least seven years and 7,000 hours of direct cost segregation experience plus an exam. It offers free consultations and benefit estimates, includes audit support and can draft Form 3115.
ICS also handles 179D, 45L, R&D credits and property tax, so Knoxville and Chattanooga developers can review several incentives with one firm. A Knoxville office also makes East Tennessee site visits easier to arrange.
Best for: East Tennessee owners who want a credentialed specialist with a local office.
7. R.E. Cost Seg — Virtual Studies Across 17 Tennessee Cities
R.E. Cost Seg reports more than 20,000 completed studies and has a Tennessee page listing 17 cities, from Memphis and Collierville to Johnson City and Kingsport. It publishes a Tennessee short-term rental case study on a home bought in 2022 for $849,000, and the page notes that Tennessee treats bonus depreciation differently from federal law. Tennessee presence: documented track record, remote.
Site visits are virtual by default, with in-person visits for larger properties. Fully Engineered Studies start at $2,320 for residential and $2,730 for commercial properties, and a Rapid Report starts at $950 for qualifying smaller residential properties. Both include written audit support.
Its asset list runs from short-term rentals and apartments to self-storage, hotels and medical offices.
Best for: Tennessee rental and small commercial owners who want an engineered study with a virtual walkthrough.
8. LBMC — Brentwood-Based CPA Firm With A Real Estate Practice
LBMC is headquartered in Brentwood, just south of Nashville, and has Tennessee offices in Chattanooga, Knoxville and Memphis. It celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024. Tennessee presence: headquarters and offices.
Its Real Estate and Construction practice lists cost segregation and accelerated depreciation among its tax services, alongside 1031 exchanges, Opportunity Zones, energy efficiency deductions and Section 199A rental safe harbor planning. Unlike a specialist, LBMC presents cost segregation as one part of an ongoing tax and compliance relationship rather than as a standalone product.
That makes it a fit for Tennessee developers and real estate companies that already want a large in-state accounting firm and prefer to keep planning, returns and depreciation strategy in one place.
Best for: Tennessee real estate and construction companies that want a homegrown CPA firm.
9. Elliott Davis — Southeast CPA Firm With Nashville, Franklin And Chattanooga Offices
Elliott Davis is a Southeast accounting firm with Tennessee offices in Nashville (through the Vaden Group), Franklin and Chattanooga. Tennessee presence: offices.
Its real estate practice lists cost segregation within its tax and regulatory services, next to tax credits and incentives and tax diligence. The firm’s guidance says cost segregation may be worth considering when acquiring, constructing, renovating or repositioning real estate, which fits developers and owners who buy and reposition properties.
Elliott Davis does not publish separate cost segregation pricing or case studies, so ask who performs the engineering work and how the study is documented. The firm also has Raleigh and Charlotte offices for owners with property in North Carolina.
Best for: Tennessee developers and real estate groups that want cost segregation inside a broader advisory relationship.
Seneca Cost Segregation is an engineering firm based in Albany, Oregon, with a Tennessee page covering Nashville, the Smoky Mountains rental market around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, and industrial property in Memphis and Chattanooga. Tennessee presence: documented service coverage, remote.
Its Tennessee page gives unusually clear fee ranges for engineered studies: about $4,000 to $8,000 for properties worth $500,000 to $1 million, and $7,000 to $12,000 for $1 million to $2.5 million, with larger properties quoted after a call. Studies are prepared by an in-house engineering team and peer reviewed, and audit defense is included.
Seneca costs more than the flat-fee remote providers on this list, so it suits owners who want a fuller engineered report on a larger property.
Best for: Tennessee investors with $500,000-plus properties who want published fee ranges upfront.
How To Choose A Cost Segregation Firm In Tennessee
How Is Your Property Owned?
If you own a rental in your own name, Tennessee has no personal income tax and the benefit is federal. If the property sits in an LLC or partnership subject to franchise and excise tax, your CPA will need a separate Tennessee excise schedule. Ask whether the firm’s report makes that easy.
Do You Need A Local Office?
For cabins, condos and single rentals, a remote study prepared from documents and a video walkthrough is usually enough. For large Nashville or Memphis commercial buildings, a firm with a Tennessee office can get on site more easily.
Has The Firm Studied Your Property Type?
Ask for Tennessee or comparable case studies. A firm that studies Memphis warehouses may not be the right fit for a Pigeon Forge cabin. For rentals, see our list of cost segregation companies for short-term rentals.
Does The Fee Make Sense?
Prices range from a few hundred dollars for a remote residential study to five figures for large commercial buildings. Ask for a benefit estimate first, and compare quotes on scope, audit support and turnaround as well as price.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is There A Tennessee State Income Tax Benefit From Cost Segregation?
For individuals, no, because Tennessee has no personal income tax. For entities subject to franchise and excise tax, depreciation affects the excise tax calculation, and Tennessee uses its own bonus depreciation schedule there.
Does 100% Bonus Depreciation Apply In 2027?
Federally, qualifying property acquired and placed in service after January 19, 2025 is eligible for permanent 100% bonus depreciation. For Tennessee excise tax, the Department of Revenue says property acquired in 2027 or later gets 0% bonus depreciation.
Can A Gatlinburg Cabin Offset My W-2 Income?
Possibly. Losses from a short-term rental with short average stays can be non-passive if you materially participate. Read our guide to the short-term rental tax loophole and confirm with your CPA.
Can I Study A Property I Bought Years Ago?
Yes. A look-back study claims missed depreciation in the current year through a change in accounting method on Form 3115, without amending earlier returns.
Conclusion
Tennessee owners have strong choices. Engineered Tax Services and KBKG bring specialist depth, Doeren Mayhew, Cherry Bekaert, LBMC and Elliott Davis suit owners who want a CPA firm with Tennessee offices, ICS Tax adds a Knoxville specialist, and Cost Seg Smart, R.E. Cost Seg and Seneca cover cabins and rentals remotely. Ask each for a benefit estimate and talk to your CPA before you commit. For a nearby market, see our list of cost segregation firms in North Carolina.
This article is general information, not tax or legal advice.
