General contractors, specialty trades, and construction firms have equipment-heavy, project-based tax opportunities most CPAs miss.
These are the opportunities we find in nearly every construction engagement — money left on the table by traditional CPAs.
Depreciating heavy equipment over 5-7 years instead of expensing it immediately with Section 179
Missing R&D tax credits on innovative building methods, materials, and engineering solutions
Operating all divisions or project types under one entity
Not separating equipment ownership from the operating company for asset protection
Using cash-basis accounting without strategic timing of income and expense recognition
These are the strategies we evaluate and deploy for every construction client — tailored to your specific numbers.
Section 179 and bonus depreciation on excavators, cranes, trucks, and specialty equipment
R&D tax credit for developing new construction methods, testing materials, and solving engineering challenges
Entity restructuring: separate equipment company (leases back to OpCo), real estate holdings, and operating entity
Cost segregation on company-owned buildings, warehouses, and yard improvements
Strategic income timing using percentage-of-completion vs. completed contract methods
How we turned a $217K tax bill into over $1M in cumulative savings.
Yes. The R&D credit isn't just for tech companies. Construction activities that involve developing new techniques, testing materials, creating prototypes, or solving engineering challenges qualify. This includes innovative formwork, LEED/green building methods, and structural engineering solutions.
In most cases, yes. Creating a separate equipment LLC that leases to your operating company protects those assets from job-site liability claims, creates legitimate lease payment deductions, and allows different depreciation strategies on the equipment entity.
Section 179 allows you to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment in the year of purchase, up to $1.16M (2024 limit), instead of depreciating it over 5-7 years. This includes excavators, loaders, trucks, cranes, trailers, and specialty tools.
It depends on your contract sizes and timeline. The completed contract method defers income recognition until project completion, which can be a powerful tax timing tool. Percentage-of-completion is required for long-term contracts over $25M. Strategic selection between these methods can shift significant taxable income between years.
The optimal structure typically involves separate entities for each major division (general contracting, specialty trade, development), a holding company for shared assets and management, and a separate equipment leasing entity. This provides liability isolation, cleaner project accounting, and tax optimization across entities.
Book a free review and we'll identify the construction-specific opportunities hiding in your numbers.
Tell us about your business and we'll identify every savings opportunity available to you.