Dollar-for-dollar credit
Direct reduction of income tax owed, not a deduction — credits beat deductions almost every time.
§ R&D Tax Credit
A dollar-for-dollar credit for solving hard problems.
The federal R&D tax credit rewards U.S. companies for technical work — building or improving products, processes, software, formulas or techniques. Most state credits stack on top.
What is the R&D credit?
The R&D tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar federal income tax credit available to companies of every size — not just labs and biotech. If you have engineers, software developers, designers, machinists or process improvers on payroll, you likely qualify for something.
Eligible expenses typically include wages for technical staff, supplies consumed in development, third-party contractor research costs and a portion of cloud computing used for qualified activities.
Startups without income tax liability can apply qualified credit against payroll taxes — up to $500,000 per year — turning innovation work into immediate cash savings.
Up to 10%
Federal credit
$500k
Startup payroll offset
3
Open look-back years
§ Benefits
Why owners and CPAs choose this study.
Payroll offset for startups
Qualified small businesses can apply up to $500,000 of credit against payroll taxes annually.
State credits stack
Most states offer their own R&D credit on top of the federal — we'll claim what's available.
Look-back claims
Claim credits for prior 3 open tax years via amended returns alongside the current year.
Industry-tested method
We use the same documentation framework that has survived IRS exams for our clients.
Light lift for you
We do the heavy substantiation. You answer some questions and review the final credit study.
§ Who qualifies
Industries that often qualify.
Software & SaaS
Manufacturing & fabrication
Engineering & architecture
Food & beverage development
Medical & biotech
Agricultural innovation
Aerospace & defense
Tool & die / CNC machining
§ How it works
How we build your credit.
01
Qualification call
Free 30-minute review of your activities, payroll and supplies to estimate credit size.
02
Interviews & data pull
Short technical interviews with key staff plus an accounting data export for QRE buildup.
03
Calculation & study
We compute the credit, draft technical narratives and assemble a substantiation file.
04
Filing support
Deliverable goes to your CPA with everything they need to file Form 6765 and any state forms.
§ FAQ
Common questions.
Don't see your question? We'll answer it in your free consult.
A federal (and many state-level) tax credit that rewards companies for spending on qualified research activities — developing or improving products, processes, software, formulas or techniques.
§ Receipts
What our clients have said.
Honest reviews from owners and CPAs we've worked with — unedited and pulled from Google.
5.0 on Google
“We had a great experience working with Chris. They did everything they said they would, communicated thoroughly, and delivered on time.”
Luke DowellGoogle
“Chris and his team were very responsive. They quickly reviewed our situation and put together a plan to save on our taxes. Highly recommend!”
Anwar AlkabsGoogle
“Chris, Sarah, and the team are really great and experts in their space. Chris goes out of his way to help — free Zoom consultations are great value.”
Dr. DiabGoogle
§ Services
Other ways we save you money
Most clients qualify for more than one of these. We'll surface every applicable incentive in your free benefit analysis.
§ Let's connect
Curious what you might save? Let's find out.
Most studies pay for themselves several times over. Book a free 30-minute benefit analysis with a CPA — no commitment, no upsell.