Get Paid for Innovation
You're Already Doing.
The Research & Development Tax Credit is a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit — and most businesses that qualify have no idea they're eligible. If your team solves problems, develops processes, or improves products, you likely qualify.
A dollar-for-dollar credit
hiding in plain sight.
The Research & Development Tax Credit (IRC Section 41) was created by Congress to reward American businesses for investing in innovation. Unlike a deduction — which reduces your taxable income — a tax credit reduces your actual tax bill dollar for dollar.
The credit equals 7–10% of your qualifying R&D expenditures, including wages paid to employees working on qualifying activities, contractor costs, and supply expenses. And it's not just for tech companies — businesses in manufacturing, construction, food & beverage, agriculture, and dozens of other industries qualify every year.
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Non-refundable — but never lost The R&D credit reduces your tax bill dollar for dollar. It won't generate a refund check, but any unused credit carries forward for up to 20 years.
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Claim up to 3 years retroactively You can amend prior-year returns to capture credits you missed — significant catch-up potential for most businesses.
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Startups can apply it against payroll taxes Qualifying businesses with less than $5M in gross receipts can apply up to $500K per year directly against payroll taxes — even with no income tax liability.
What Counts as R&D?
R&D credits aren't just
for tech companies.
If your business develops, improves, or experiments — in any industry — there's a good chance you qualify for the R&D Tax Credit.
Construction & Engineering
Custom design work, value engineering, new construction methods, and building system innovations all qualify.
Manufacturing
Process improvements, new product development, tooling design, and automation implementation are common qualifying activities.
Software & Technology
Custom software development, new algorithms, platform architecture, and application development all qualify.
Food & Beverage
New recipe development, packaging improvements, shelf-life testing, and production process optimization qualify.
Agriculture
Crop yield improvement, new growing techniques, irrigation innovation, and equipment modifications qualify.
Life Sciences & Medical
Medical device development, pharmaceutical research, clinical process improvements, and diagnostic tool innovation qualify.
How We Identify and Claim Your Credits
Free Eligibility Assessment
We review your business activities at no cost and give you a realistic estimate of your qualifying R&D spend and potential credit.
Activity & Expense Analysis
We work with your team to identify qualifying projects, document the technical uncertainties involved, and calculate eligible expenses.
Study & Documentation
We produce a complete, IRS-defensible R&D credit study with all required documentation — ready for your CPA to file.
Credits Applied
Your CPA files the credit. You see the savings on your current-year return — or we amend prior years to capture retroactive credits.
The 4-Part Test for Qualifying Activities
The IRS uses a four-part test to determine whether an activity qualifies for the R&D Tax Credit. We evaluate every activity against this standard.
Permitted Purpose
The activity must relate to developing or improving the functionality, performance, reliability, or quality of a business component — a product, process, software, technique, formula, or invention.
Technological in Nature
The activity must rely on principles of engineering, physics, biology, chemistry, or computer science — not just business or financial expertise.
Elimination of Uncertainty
The activity must be intended to discover information that eliminates technical uncertainty about the capability, method, or design of a component.
Process of Experimentation
The activity must involve a systematic process of evaluating alternatives — testing, modeling, simulation, or trial and error — to resolve the uncertainty.