Reconstructing the depreciation history on a rental property

New clients (MFJ) this year. They have self-prepared in the past.
They have a single family home placed in service as a rental in 2004.
She brought me tax returns from 2017 and 2018 showing NO depreciation expense taken.
She brought me tax returns from 2009 and 2010 showing depreciation expense taken. (and it looks reasonably correct)

Those are all the returns she can locate. She said she would keep looking, but I don't think I am getting any additional returns.

Knowing that she claimed depreciation expenses some years but not others, how could I reconstruct the accumulated depreciation she has taken to date?

Forward forward this link to your potential client and have them register.

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-ret ... order-them

They can retreive and download historical transcripts. (I believe 10 years).

You can thank AlexCPA. He brought this to my attention in another thread.

Are the transcripts going to give you that level of detail or will they just have net taxable rental income/(loss)?

The Schedule portion of the transcript will display:

INCOME OR LOSS FROM RENTAL REAL ESTATE AND ROYALTIES
SCHEDULE E FORM 1099 REQUIRED:..................................No box checked
SCHEDULE E FORM 1099 FILED:................................Neither box checked
TOTAL RENTS RECEIVED:...............................................$X,XXX.XX
TOTAL ROYALTIES RECEIVED:................................................$X,XXX.XX
TOTAL MORTGAGE INTEREST ALL PROPERTIES:.............................$X,XXX.XX
TOTAL DEPRECIATION OR DEPLETION FOR ALL PROPERTIES:.................$X.XXX.XX
TOTAL EXPENSES FOR ALL PROPERTIES:.................................$X,XXX.XX
TOTAL RENTAL REAL ESTATE AND ROYALTY INCOME OR LOSS:...............$X,XXX.XX
RENT & ROYALTY INCOME:...............................................$X,XXX.XX
RENT & ROYALTY LOSSES:..............................................$X,XXX.XX
REPAIRS EXPENSE COLUMN A:............................................$X,XXX.XX
REPAIRS EXPENSE COLUMN B:................................................$X,XXX.XX
REPAIRS EXPENSE COLUMN C:................................................$X,XXX.XX

They can retreive and download historical transcripts. (I believe 10 years).

10 years for Account Transcript and Wage & Income Transcript.

3 years for Tax Return Transcript and Record of Account. These are the transcripts which provide the detail you are looking for.