
What is the Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit?
The R&D Tax Credit (26 U.S. Code §41), also known as the Research and Experimentation (R&E) tax credit, is a federal benefit that provides companies dollar-for-dollar cash savings for performing activities related to the development, design, or improvement of products, processes, formulas, or software. This credit provides much needed cash to hire additional employees, increase R&D, expand facilities, and more. The credit was enacted in 1981 to stimulate innovation and encourage investment in development in the US. Since then, many states have also passed the R&D Tax Credit. As such, this benefit is available across a wide variety of industries. Some of the common industries that qualify include, but are not limited to:
Estimate Your Benefits Instantly
Use our calculators for an estimate of state and federal benefits or to determine if you can offset payroll tax using the R&D tax credit. It's easy to use and free. If at any time you have questions, contact us. We are here to help you realize your maximum tax benefit.
What are the Potential Benefits of the R&D Tax Credit?
There are several benefits to realizing the R&D tax credit. These benefits can include the following:
- Receive up to 12-16 cents of federal and state R&D tax credits for every qualified dollar
- Create a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your federal and state income tax liability
- Increase earnings-per-share
- Reduce your effective tax rate
- Improve cash flow
- Carry forward the credit up to 20 years
- Perform look back studies to recognize unclaimed credits for open tax years (generally 3 or 4 years)
- Utilize the federal R&D tax credit against payroll tax (applicable to certain startup companies)
Four-Part Test
Qualified research activities are defined by the four-part test outlined below
Technological in Nature
Activities must fundamentally rely on the principles of physical or biological science, engineering, or computer science.
Permitted Purpose
Activities must be performed in an attempt to improve the functionality, performance, reliability, or quality of a new or existing business component.
Eliminate Uncertainty
Activities intended to discover information that could eliminate technical uncertainty concerning the development or improvement of a product.
Experimentation
All of the activities must include a process of experimentation including testing, modeling, simulating, systematic trial and error.
Research and Development Tax Insights

American Innovation and Jobs Act Aims to Repeal Section 174 Amortization Requirements and Expand R&D Tax Credit
03/23/2023On March 17, 2023, Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Todd Young (R-IN) reintroduced the American Innovation and Jobs Act (“The Act”) to reverse the 2017 tax law that requires the amortization of specified research and experimental expenditures (Section 174). This change ensures that companies can return to fully deducting R&D investments annually. Additionally, the proposed … Read More

AICPA Pens Letter Urging Congress to Defer R&D Expense Capitalization (Sec 174) Provision Until 2026
02/22/2023On February 14, 2023, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) sent a letter urging Congress to address expired and expiring tax provisions to avoid needless complexity and ambiguity. More specifically, the AICPA called on Congress to defer the Internal Revenue Code Section 174 amortization requirement for research and experimental expenditures until 2026. The … Read More

IRS Issued Additional Guidance on Section 174, Specified Research or Experimental Expenditures
12/15/2022This article has been updated from its original posting on Dec. 15, 2022. The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Revenue Procedure 2023-11 providing updated guidelines for accounting method changes for the treatment of specified research or experimental expenditures under Section 174 that changed with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 … Read More

KBKG Tax Insight: Tax Court Denies Construction Company R&D Credits
12/13/2022A summary judgment was recently granted when the government successfully argued that a construction company did not conduct qualified research activities during the tax year in question and was therefore not entitled to the $576,756 refund they were paid. In this case, the defendant was a shareholder of a civil construction company and the contested … Read More

An Introduction to the Reverse Plea to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to Extend Section 174
11/02/2022Over 150 U.S.-based businesses and trade associations recently issued a plea to the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives leadership urging Congress to extend Section 174 provisions allowing taxpayers to deduct 100% of Section 174 R&E expenditure in the year they were incurred. Historically, 100% of Section 174 R&E expenditures could be 1) deducted … Read More

This Month’s Webinars
11/01/2022Looking for CPE credit? We have several sessions available this month. Click the links below to register. If you have questions or need help registering, please email [email protected] Research & Development Tax Credits 11/1/2022 | 12:00 PM PT | 1 hour | 1 CPE credit This webinar will cover the fundamentals of the Research and … Read More

Inflation Reduction Act Expands Payroll Tax Credit Benefits for Small Businesses
08/12/2022The Inflation Reduction Act provides huge opportunities for the real estate industry as well as for architects and engineers. However, the expansion of “green” tax incentives 45L and 179D is not the only tax benefits getting a boost. The newly formed law will also improve upon the R&D Tax Credit. This change will have a … Read More

KBKG Tax Insight: Changes to Recently Amended Texas Franchise Tax Regulations
06/27/2022Published on June 10, 2022, Texas Register, the Texas Comptroller proposed revisions to the recently amended Texas franchise tax regulations surrounding the Texas sales and use tax exemption and the Texas franchise R&D tax credit. These revisions soften the Internal Use Software (IUS) and Combined Group definitions after receiving overwhelming feedback surrounding the Texas franchise … Read More

KBKG Tax Insight: Reviving Missouri’s R&D Tax Credit 2023
06/20/2022It has been nearly 18 years since Missouri taxpayers have seen a state credit related to its qualified research expenditures (QREs). This may change beginning in 2023! In an effort to further stimulate Missouri’s economy, State Senator Brian Williams offered an amendment to HB 2400 sponsored by State Representative Dan Houx. This amendment attempts to … Read More

KBKG, R&D Tax Credits & 179D Incentives Firm, to Exhibit at the American Institute of Architects A’22 National Conference This Week
06/20/2022KBKG plans an educational and interactive booth experience for architect attendees at AIA’s largest annual event. CHICAGO, June 20, 2022 (Newswire.com) – Nationwide tax specialty firm KBKG is set to exhibit at the American Institute of Architect’s (AIA) A’22 Conference on Architecture in Chicago from June 22-25. At the exhibit, KBKG will showcase their architect … Read More