How does the R&D credit work, and how will the credit be actualized?

The credit will be actualized once you file your tax return. This credit comes as either  payroll tax offset or an income tax offset.

The general rules are the following:

  • If you have less than $5m in gross receipts for all of your previous fiscal years and less than 5 years of gross receipts - Payroll Tax Credit
  • If you have more than $5m in gross receipts any previous fiscal years or gross receipts dating back more than 5 years - Income Tax Credit

If you are qualified to claim the payroll tax credit, but your total tax credit exceeds $250,000 or you have a tax burden that is less than your total credit while you are a qualifying small business, you can choose to split the credit between both payroll taxes (which caps at $250k) and income taxes.

Note: these rules are not one size fits all. Our onboarding specialists are more than happy to assist you to see how you may be able to claim this credit - schedule some time to chat with one of them here.