Tax prep support
R&D tax credit preparation support
Finbryn documents and calculates the R&D tax credit from your project records and books, running a qualifying-activity interview with your technical team so the position is supported by contemporaneous records, not reconstructed after the fact, and hands the substantiation file to your credentialed preparer to claim on the return.
Tax working papers
Illustrative client · August 2026
USD
- 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.
You probably do not need a lab
Software development, product engineering, formulation work and process improvement projects often qualify for the R&D credit, even at companies that would never describe themselves as a research operation. The qualifying-activity interview with your technical team, not your finance team, is usually the fastest way to find out what actually counts.
Building the credit from real allocations
Wages for people doing qualifying work, contractor costs, and supplies used in the research process all feed the calculation, allocated by project rather than estimated as a percentage of the whole payroll. We calculate the credit under both methods available and use whichever produces a better, defensible result for your situation.
Documentation built while the work happens
The credit is only as strong as the contemporaneous documentation behind it: project descriptions, technical uncertainty notes, and time allocation records. We build this file through the year alongside your bookkeeping rather than trying to reconstruct a narrative from memory at filing time, which is where most credit claims run into trouble on review.
Payroll tax offset for smaller companies
A qualified small business, generally one with limited gross receipts history, can often elect to apply part of the credit against payroll tax instead of income tax, which matters for a pre-revenue or early-revenue company with no income tax liability to offset in the first place. We check this eligibility as part of the interview.
Where this fits
This pairs with Form 1120 preparation for corporations and with tax planning to model the credit's value before year-end. See pricing for R&D credit support rates.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: R&D tax credit preparation support
Do we need a research lab to qualify?
No, software development, formulation and process improvement work often qualify, and a qualifying-activity interview with your technical team is the fastest way to check.
How do you calculate the wage and contractor allocation?
By project, based on time and activity records, rather than as an estimated percentage across total payroll.
Can we use the credit against payroll tax instead of income tax?
A qualified small business can often elect to apply part of the credit against payroll tax, which matters if the company has little or no income tax liability yet.
What documentation do we need to keep?
Project descriptions, notes on the technical uncertainty involved, and time allocation records, built through the year rather than reconstructed at filing time.
What does r&D tax credit preparation support actually include, month to month?
R&D tax credit preparation support covers qualifying-activity interviews with your technical team, along with wage, contractor and supply cost allocation by project. The work runs inside QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite or Drake Tax, the file stays under your own subscription, and a senior principal reviews the output before it reaches you each period.
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.
Related services
- Tax prep supportC corporation tax preparation supportPreparation support for C corporation income tax returns, built from your year-end books and reviewed by a credentialed signer before filing.
- Tax prep supportTax planning supportYear-round planning support that looks ahead of filing season, modeling entity structure, timing and elections so decisions get made before a deadline forces them.
Industries
- SaaSBookkeeping and reporting for subscription software businesses tracking recurring revenue, deferred revenue and burn.
- ManufacturingBookkeeping for small and mid-size manufacturers tracking raw materials, work in process and finished goods inventory.
- Startups and VC-backed companiesBookkeeping and reporting for early-stage, venture-backed companies watching burn, runway and investor reporting closely.
Next step
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.