Straight answers on the R&D credit, Section 180, and the deductions most businesses never claim. What qualifies, how much you can get back, and how to claim it without getting burned. Written to be useful and reviewed to be right.
The R&D tax credit puts money back in the pockets of businesses that solve technical problems. Here is who qualifies, what counts, and how much it is worth, in plain English.
Read the guide →Yes, farms qualify for the R&D tax credit, and two Tax Court rulings now say so. Here is what farm work counts, what money you can claim, and the one thing that trips farmers up.
Read the guide →Every R&D credit claim has to pass a four-part test. Here is what each part means in plain English, with examples of work that passes and work that does not.
Read the guide →Documentation is the number-one reason R&D credit claims fall apart under audit. Here is exactly what to keep, and why notes taken during the work beat a study built at tax time.
Read the guide →A startup with no profit can still use the R&D credit. The payroll tax offset lets a qualified small business apply the credit against payroll taxes. Here is how it works and who qualifies.
Read the guide →Section 41 is the R&D credit. Section 174 is how you deduct research costs, and the rules whipsawed from 2022 to 2025. Here is the difference, the OBBBA change, and the refund window with a clock on it.
Read the guide →When you buy farmland, the leftover fertilizer in the soil can be a deduction. Section 180 lets you write off that residual fertility. Here is who qualifies, what the soil tests have to show, and the deadlines.
Read the guide →