Tax prep support
R&D tax credit preparation support
Preparation support for documenting research and development activity under whichever incentive your member state runs, from a patent box regime to a national R&D tax credit. We build the cost allocation and documentation file; a credentialed local partner files or certifies the claim itself.
Tax working papers
Illustrative client · August 2026
EUR
- Year-end books closed and reconciledDone
- Fixed asset and depreciation scheduleDone
- Book-to-tax adjustments listedDone
- Supporting schedules for the preparerIn progress
- Handed to the signer for review and filingNext
Illustrative. An example of the document, not a client's figures.
An EU-wide idea, delivered nationally
Research and development incentives exist across the European Union, but almost never as one EU-wide scheme. France runs a research tax credit, the Netherlands runs a wage-tax incentive for R&D staff, Ireland runs its own R&D tax credit, and other member states run patent box regimes taxing qualifying IP income at a reduced rate. The idea travels across borders; the mechanism, the rate and the paperwork do not.
What we build before a claim is even possible
Every one of these regimes wants the same underlying evidence: which activity actually qualifies, which staff and contractor time went into it, and which costs can be allocated against it. We run the qualifying-activity interview with your technical team, allocate wage, contractor and supply costs by project, and keep a contemporaneous documentation file so the claim is defensible months later, not reconstructed from memory at filing time.
Where the line sits
- Building the cost allocation and documentation file is preparation support
- Deciding whether a specific structure or IP holding pattern qualifies under a given member state's regime is a formal position
- Filing or certifying the claim itself follows your credentialed local partner's process in that member state
Why the interview matters
Software development, process improvement and formulation work often qualify even without a laboratory, but the qualifying test differs enough between France's CIR, the Dutch WBSO and Ireland's credit that a single generic checklist misses real claims in one country and overclaims in another. We run the interview against the specific regime your entity sits in.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: R&D tax credit preparation support
Is there one EU R&D tax credit we can claim from?
No. Each member state runs its own regime, whether a tax credit, a wage-tax incentive or a patent box, so the claim is built country by country against the entity that incurred the cost.
Do we need a laboratory to qualify?
Usually not. Software development, formulation and process-improvement work often qualify under most member states' definitions; the interview with your technical team is the fastest way to check.
Who actually files or certifies the claim?
We prepare the cost allocation and documentation file. Filing or certifying the claim under the specific national regime goes through your credentialed local partner in that member state.
Can a group with entities in two member states claim in both?
Often yes, since eligibility is assessed per entity per country, though we build a separate documentation file for each rather than assuming one regime mirrors the other.
What kind of activity typically qualifies as R&D for this preparation work?
Work resolving a genuine scientific or technological uncertainty, such as developing a new process or product feature, tends to qualify; routine software maintenance or cosmetic changes usually do not, which we flag early in scoping.
Do we need a lab to qualify?
No. Software development, formulation work and process improvement often qualify; a technical interview is the fastest way to check.
Can the credit offset payroll tax instead of income tax?
A qualified small business can often elect to apply part of the credit against payroll tax; we flag eligibility during the interview.
What if our records for r&D tax credit preparation support are not up to date?
If your records are behind, we scope a catch-up first so r&D tax credit preparation support starts from a clean, reconciled base. That catch-up is priced and timed separately from the ongoing engagement, so you always know what each part costs.
Who reviews the work before it reaches us?
Every deliverable under r&D tax credit preparation support is reviewed by a senior principal before it reaches you. You keep access to the underlying file at every stage, so nothing about the work happens somewhere you cannot see it.
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Talk to the team that would run your books
A short call covers your setup, your software and what a first month would look like. You get a written scope and price after it.