Franchise Benefits Guide

$1.5M–$5.5M+ in Year 1

Federal, Texas, and Richardson-specific programs accessible to your 4 DFW Sonesta properties. Some have deadlines approaching in weeks, not months.

DEADLINE ALERT: Section 179D, Solar ITC, and EV Charging credits expire June 30, 2026 — 81 days. FIFA begins June 11 — 62 days.

Act Now

Critical Deadlines

Deadline Program Action Required
June 11, 2026 FIFA World Cup begins Rate strategy must be locked by April
June 30, 2026 Section 179D Energy Deduction Construction must BEGIN before this date
June 30, 2026 Solar ITC (Section 48) Project must BEGIN before this date
June 30, 2026 Section 30C EV Charging Credit Installation must BEGIN before this date
Dec 31, 2028 Opportunity Zone capital gains exclusion Investment must be made before this date
Quarterly Texas Enterprise Zone applications Next: Q2 2026

Federal Programs

Highest-Impact Federal Benefits

Cost Segregation + 100% Bonus Depreciation

Reclassify building components from 39-year to 5/7/15-year depreciation. 100% bonus depreciation restored through 2029.

Portfolio value: $750,000 – $3,500,000 in accelerated tax savings. Study cost: $10K–$25K per property. ROI on the study itself: 10–50x.

If you haven't done this yet, this is likely the single highest-value action item in this entire package.

FICA Tip Credit (Section 45B)

Dollar-for-dollar credit for employer FICA on tips above minimum wage. Includes 3-year retroactive claims.

Portfolio estimate: $40,000 – $400,000

Section 179D Energy Deduction

$2.65–$5.36 per sq ft with prevailing wage compliance.

Portfolio value: $530,000 – $1,072,000

Sunsets June 30, 2026

R&D Tax Credit for AI Implementation

8.722% of qualified expenses. Texas made this permanent in June 2025.

Genesis deployment qualifies as R&D expenditure.

State Programs

Texas-Specific Benefits

Program Value Notes
Texas Enterprise Zone $2,500/qualifying employee Quarterly applications; state sales/use tax refunds
Qualified Hotel Project (10-Year HOT Rebate) $720,000 – $1,800,000 over 10 years State 6% Hotel Occupancy Tax returned
Texas Skills Development Fund Up to $500,000 per business Workforce training via Richland or Collin College
Texas C-PACE Financing 100% energy project financing Net positive from Day 1; zero out-of-pocket
Franchise Tax Optimization Variable No-tax-due threshold: $2.65M (2026)

Local Programs

Richardson-Specific Incentives

The City of Richardson offers a comprehensive incentive suite for hospitality investment.

TIF Districts

3 active districts covering 900+ acres. Tax increment financing available for qualifying improvements.

Property Tax Abatements

25–50% for 5–10 years. Chapter 312 agreements with the city. Estimated value: $500K–$2M+.

Chapter 380 Agreements

$500,000 – $5,000,000 per project. Grants, loans, and tax rebates for economic development.

Oncor Energy Rebates

$7M+ budget in 2025. $5K–$20K per property for energy efficiency improvements.

Property Tax Protests

$40,000 – $120,000/year in savings. Collin County values up 14.8% in 2025. $10K–$30K per property.

Opportunity Zone

Capital gains exclusion for qualifying investments. Deadline: December 31, 2028.

The Power of Stacking

Total Accessible Incentives

Category Conservative Moderate Aggressive
Federal tax benefits $250,000 $750,000 $2,000,000
Texas state programs $200,000 $500,000 $1,500,000
Richardson local programs $100,000 $350,000 $1,000,000
Energy incentives $150,000 $400,000 $1,000,000
Property tax protests $40,000 $80,000 $120,000
Total Year 1 $740,000 $2,080,000 $5,620,000
Important: These benefits exist regardless of whether Equinox deploys Genesis. We identify them because it is the right thing to do — and because it demonstrates the depth of intelligence Genesis produces.

Your Action Plan

Three Steps to Capture These Benefits

Step 1: Cost Segregation Study (Start Now)

Engage a qualified firm for Richardson. 4-6 week turnaround. Expected: $750K-$3.5M across portfolio.

Step 2: FICA Tip Credit Filing (Before June 30)

Your payroll provider can backfile for current and prior years. This is money already owed to you.

Step 3: Richardson Programs (Apply Q3 2026)

Chapter 312 abatements, Chapter 380 agreements, Oncor rebates. We have mapped the contacts.

Discuss Benefits Strategy with Carter

See How Genesis Delivers This

A simplified explanation of how the intelligence system works — no technical jargon.

How It Works