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Tax Engine · §167 · §469 · §1250 · NIIT

What does this property really earn after taxes?

Most return calculators ignore taxes. This one doesn't. Enter your deal and tax profile and see: your depreciation tax shield (the annual tax saving from writing off the building), the tax bill at exit (depreciation recapture + capital gains + NIIT), and the after-tax IRR — what you actually keep.

How to use: fill in the deal numbers and your income situation on the left. Compare the after-tax IRR to the pre-tax IRR — the gap is your tax drag. Real estate professional status (750hr + 50% test) can dramatically reduce that drag.

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After-Tax IRR Engine
Depreciation shield$12,261/yr
Pre-tax IRR0.3%
Tax drag-1.7 pts
After-Tax IRR-1.4%
Live after-tax IRR engine

After-tax -1.4% · pre-tax 0.3% · drag -1.7 pts

After-tax IRR of -1.4% is below the typical 6% threshold. The -1.7 pts tax drag may be larger than expected. Check whether real estate professional status (REP) applies — it can unlock passive-loss deductions that significantly improve the after-tax number.

Deal & Tax profile

Deal numbers at the top; your personal tax situation below. Estimates are fine — numbers update live.

Deal numbers
Personal tax situation
After-Tax IRR
-1.4%
Pre-tax 0.3% · Tax drag -1.7 pts
Where each rent dollar goes — year one

These layers build the year-one cash flow the -1.4% after-tax IRR above is solved from. Bars are sized against gross scheduled rent. The three tax-ledger lines — the principal add-back, depreciation, and taxable income — are marked: they change what you are taxed on, not what lands in the account, which is why the cash running total picks back up at pre-tax cash flow. Principal is added back because it is real money out but is never a deduction, so without it the rows above would not reach taxable income.

Gross Scheduled Rent+$45,600
every rent dollar the property is scheduled to collect in year one
Vacancy Loss−$3,192
months the unit sits empty or between tenants
Gross Effective Rent$42,408
the rent that actually lands in the account
Property Taxes−$5,000
the county bill, which the lender escrows either way
Insurance + HOA + Flood−$2,000
hazard insurance plus HOA dues and any flood policy
Property Management−$3,648
what a manager charges to run the unit, whether or not you hire one
Maintenance & Repairs−$3,648
the running cost of keeping the unit rentable
Net Operating Income (NOI)$28,112
what the property earns before the mortgage — the number a buyer prices off
Interest−$22,210
the lender's share of the payment; deductible
Principal−$3,238
the part of the payment that buys down the loan — cash out, equity in
Pre-Tax Cash Flow$2,664
what is left after the mortgage, before the IRS
Principal Add-Back (tax ledger, not cash)+$3,238
the principal you just paid comes back: it left the account, but the IRS does not let you deduct it, so the tax ledger has to put it back
Depreciation Deduction (tax ledger, not cash)−$11,848
depreciation shield (paper losses that offset taxable rent) — a deduction, not a payment
Taxable Income (tax ledger, not cash)−$5,946
the figure the IRS taxes, which is not the same as your cash flow
Federal Tax+$0
federal income tax on the rental, after passive-loss rules
State Tax+$0
state income tax at your state's rate
After-Tax Cash Flow$2,664
what you actually keep from year one
Tax breakdown — where the money goes

Each line is a component of the calculation, not a verdict on its own — the after-tax IRR above is the number that judges the deal. The difference between pre-tax and after-tax IRR is your total tax drag.

Depreciation deduction, whole hold — the total amount of building value you write off over the years you own it. This is the deduction, not the cash you save: your saving is roughly this figure times your tax rate.$61,303
Depreciation shield as % of NOI — annual depreciation deduction divided by net operating income43.6%
Effective tax rate (combined federal + state) — blended rate across all operating years0.0%
Total tax on exit — depreciation recapture + capital gains tax owed when you sell$8,475
§1250 recapture rate — the tax rate on depreciation you claimed (capped at 25%)25.0%
Long-term capital gains rate — applied to the remaining profit above your basis0.0%
NIIT (3.8% net investment income tax) — applies if MAGI exceeds $200K single / $250K jointNo
Year-by-year cash flow — before and after taxes

Pre-Tax = net operating income minus debt service. Dep. = depreciation deduction (reduces your taxable income each year). Tax Shield = value of dep. deduction (dep. × effective tax rate). Fed+St Tax = federal plus state tax owed. After-Tax = what you actually keep. Green = positive; red = negative cash flow that year.

YrPre-TaxDep.Tax ShieldFed+St TaxAfter-Tax
1$2,664$11,848$0$0$2,664
2$3,226$12,364$0$0$3,226
3$3,800$12,364$0$0$3,800
4$4,385$12,364$0$0$4,385
5$4,982$12,364$0$0$4,982
Tax rules applied: IRC §167 straight-line depreciation over 27.5 years · §469 passive-activity-loss rules (limited to $25K for incomes under $100K; phased out to $150K; suspended above unless you qualify as a real estate professional) · §1250 recapture at 25% on depreciation claimed · §1(h) long-term capital gains rates · §1411 net investment income tax 3.8%. Tax figures are estimates dependent on investor federal bracket, MAGI, REP status, filing status, entity type, state tax law, and cost segregation election. Confirm with a CPA before any financing or disposition decision. This is a model estimate — consult a tax advisor. Not a commitment to lend. Submit a scenario review for exact underwriting.