R&D Tax Credit Calculator | aecre consulting

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Company Name (optional)

Tax Years Covered

The last 3 completed tax years plus this year

Industry (tap your category)

Please select your industry.

Entity Type

Please select your entity type.

Approximate Annual Revenue

Used to check whether your business qualifies to apply R&D credits against payroll taxes instead of income taxes.

Please select your gross receipts range.

When did your company first have revenue?

In the last 5 years or later Before that Not sure

Any revenue counts, even a small amount. Newer companies can often use the credit against payroll taxes, which means cash sooner.

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Annual W-2 Wages (all employees) required

$

Everyone on W-2 payroll, not just research staff. Round numbers are fine.

Please enter your annual W-2 wages.

Supply and Material Costs optional

$

Materials used up in design, prototypes, and testing. Round numbers are fine.

Contract Research Payments optional

$

Outside engineers, labs, consultants, or developers you paid for technical work. Enter the full amount.

How long has your company been doing this kind of technical work?

Less than 1 year 1 to 3 years More than 3 years

Designing, engineering, building, testing, or improving products, processes, or software. Count every year you did this work, whether or not you called it R&D or claimed a credit.

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Research Spend

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State

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Annual research expenses by year

Enter total W-2 wages for every year you had employees. Round numbers are fine and no documents are needed. Add supply costs and contract research where you have them.

Year	W-2 Wages	Supply Costs	Contract Research
Current Year	$	$	$
Year 1	$	$	$
Year 2	$	$	$
Year 3	$	$	$

Please enter W-2 wages for the most recent year.

Was your company already doing this kind of work before the earliest year above?

Yes No Not sure

Designing, engineering, building, testing, or improving products, processes, or software, whether or not you called it R&D. If yes, we assume the years before the earliest year above matched it.

Please answer this question.

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Research Spend

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State

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Where is most of your research performed?

Nearly 40 states offer R&D credits on top of the federal credit, and the rules differ widely. This estimate covers the federal credit and shows what your state adds where we have profiled its program. We confirm current state rules in every study.

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Research Spend

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State

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Method note. We count the 4 most recent tax years still open for a refund. A study also tests the regular credit, which can produce more for some companies.

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Spend Detail

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State

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Flags

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Enter each year's figures by category from a prior study or your records. If you have not split wages this way before, the Guided Estimate uses your total wages instead.

Please enter at least the current year direct research wages.

Was your company already doing this kind of work before the earliest year above?

Yes No Not sure

Designing, engineering, building, testing, or improving products, processes, or software, whether or not you called it R&D. If yes, we assume the years before the earliest year above matched it.

Please answer this question.

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Profile

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Spend Detail

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State

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Flags

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Where is most of your research performed?

Nearly 40 states offer R&D credits on top of the federal credit, and the rules differ widely. This estimate covers the federal credit and shows what your state adds where we have profiled its program. We confirm current state rules in every study.

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Profile

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Spend Detail

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State

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Flags

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Has the IRS previously examined your R&D credit?

A prior examination, whether closed favorably or with adjustments, affects engagement scope and documentation depth.

No prior exam Yes, examined before Not sure

Does your company currently owe federal income tax?

Helps determine whether the credit can be applied immediately or whether payroll tax offset or carryforward strategies apply.

Yes No / minimal Not sure

Have you previously amended a return to claim the R&D credit?

Prior amended returns affect look-back availability and base-period continuity.

No Yes Not sure

Section 174A status

Section 174A restored the immediate deduction of domestic research costs starting with tax years that begin in 2025. Tell us whether your company was amortizing these costs from 2022 to 2024.

We amortized research costs (2022 to 2024) Not applicable to our situation Not sure

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Spend Detail

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State

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Flags

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Method note. We count the 4 most recent tax years still open for a refund. A study also tests the regular credit, which can produce more for some companies.

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Profile

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Spend

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Calculate

Method note. Your yearly range applies federal credit rules and your industry's typical ratio to the figures you entered. A study also tests the regular credit, which can produce more for some companies.