FAQs
The questions owners actually ask.
Everything below is what we'd tell you on a first call. If your question isn't here, it's a short conversation away.
Working with TaxCreditVisor
Does my business qualify?
Possibly. It depends on the work your business does, not on its industry. If your people design, build or improve a product, a process or software, and had to work through real uncertainty and test alternatives to get there, that work may qualify. A short call tells you whether it is worth going further, and if it isn't, we say so.
I run a trucking company, or a dental practice. Is this for me?
It can be, if work inside your business passes the four-part test. That might be custom software or integrations your team builds, equipment you modify or tooling you make, or a process you developed by testing alternatives rather than following a manual. Routine operations, standard purchases and one-off fixes don't qualify. We look at what your people actually did, and we don't tell any business that its whole industry qualifies.
What does it cost?
Every study is quoted as a fixed fee after a short scoping call, before any work begins, so you know the cost before you commit. The review that comes first has no cost, and if the credit isn't worth claiming, that is where you'll hear it.
How much of my time does it take?
Typically an hour or two in total, most of it one conversation with the person who knows the work. We assemble around 90% of the documentation from your payroll and ledger data, so you aren't chasing paperwork.
Why did my accountant send me this?
Your accountant is working with us on R&D tax credits, so you can find out whether you qualify without them having to build the practice themselves. They remain your accountant, and the rest of that relationship doesn't change.
Will TaxCreditVisor try to take over my accounting or tax work?
No. We provide R&D tax credit services only. We don't take on accounting, bookkeeping, tax preparation or advisory work, and any request like that goes back to your accountant.
Who signs and files the credit forms?
Your accountant continues to prepare and sign your return. We deliver the completed study, the credit computation and the prepared Form 6765 package, including the Section G business-component detail, for them to file.
How does my data stay secure?
Records are shared through a secure portal, access is limited to the study team working on your engagement, and everything is handled under confidentiality terms.
How do I get started?
Fill in the short form on the home page or send a note. We'll come back within one business day to talk through what your business does and whether the credit looks worth pursuing. There is no obligation, and no engagement until you've seen the estimate and the fee.
R&D tax credit basics
What is the R&D tax credit?
The federal R&D tax credit, under Section 41 of the Internal Revenue Code, is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in tax for companies that develop or improve products, software or processes in the United States. It is a credit rather than a deduction, which is why it is worth substantially more than its headline percentage suggests.
Who qualifies for the R&D tax credit?
Any company whose work passes the IRS four-part test: the activity has a permitted purpose (a new or improved product, process or software), is technological in nature, is undertaken to eliminate uncertainty, and involves a process of experimentation. Product and platform engineering usually qualifies. Market research and routine customization don't, and we'll say so.
What expenses count as qualified research expenses?
Four categories: wages for employees performing, supervising or supporting qualified research; supplies consumed in the research; 65% of contract research paid to third parties; and cloud computing costs used for development. Wages are almost always the largest of the four.
How much is the R&D tax credit worth?
Typically 6–10% of qualified research expenses for the federal credit, before any state credits. A company with a million dollars of qualifying wages might claim somewhere in the region of sixty to a hundred thousand a year. Eligibility and the final figure depend on revenue, company age and the nature of the work.
Can startups with no income tax use the credit?
Yes. A qualified small business, under five million dollars in gross receipts and within five years of its first receipts, can apply up to half a million dollars of credit per year against the employer share of payroll taxes instead of income tax, under §41(h) and §3111(f). It's claimed on Form 8974 with the quarterly 941. That's what makes the credit cash rather than a deferral for a pre-profit company.
Can a company claim the credit for past years?
Generally yes. Open tax years, typically the past three, can be amended to claim credits that were missed, and unused credits carry forward for up to twenty years. The one exception is the payroll tax offset, which must be elected on an originally filed return and cannot be picked up on an amendment.
What changed with Section 174 and R&D expensing?
From 2022 through 2024, companies had to capitalize and amortize domestic R&D costs over five years instead of deducting them immediately, which created tax bills at companies that had made no profit. Legislation in 2025 restored full expensing of domestic R&D costs for tax years beginning after 31 December 2024. Foreign research still amortizes over fifteen years. We surface the §174 position alongside the credit and hand it to whoever prepares the return, which is you.
What documentation survives an IRS examination?
Contemporaneous records that tie people and money to specific qualified activities: a project list, technical narratives mapped to the four-part test, payroll allocations showing who spent what proportion of their time on which project, and evidence of the experimentation itself. A spreadsheet of totals assembled after the fact is what fails. Every number in our studies traces back to a wage row, a general ledger transaction or a contractor bill, and the study is retained for seven years.
Find out whether your business qualifies.
One short call. If the credit isn't worth claiming, that's what you'll hear.
Check if I qualify