Ricerca
Audit Protection · included with every study

We stand behind your R&D claim

Every Ricerca R&D tax credit study includes Audit Protection. If the IRS examines the R&D tax credit claim from your study, we represent you and provide the examiner with the documentation and information they request — so you’re not facing it alone.

What’s included

If the IRS comes knocking, we answer

Audit Protection turns a defensible study into a defended one. Here’s what it means in practice.

We represent you

If the IRS examines the R&D tax credit claim from your Ricerca study, we represent you in the examination and deal with the examiner directly.

We provide the documentation

We respond to the IRS with the workpapers, business-component detail, and information they request to substantiate your R&D claim.

Included with every study

Audit Protection comes with every Ricerca R&D tax credit study — it’s part of the work, not a separate purchase you have to remember.

Scope

Limited to your R&D study and credits — and nothing else

So there’s no confusion, here is exactly what Audit Protection does and does not cover.

What’s covered

  • The R&D tax credit study we prepared for you
  • The related federal R&D tax credits in that study
  • The substantiation and documentation behind the R&D claim

What’s not covered

  • Any other part of your tax return
  • Other tax years or studies we did not prepare
  • Other credits or deductions (outside the R&D credit)
  • State or local taxes
  • Payroll, employment, sales, or other taxes
  • Penalties and interest
  • Any matter unrelated to the R&D study and credits

In plain terms: Audit Protection applies only to the R&D tax credit study and the related federal R&D tax credits we prepared for you. It does not cover any other tax, year, credit, deduction, penalty, or matter.

Important condition

Audit Protection depends on the accuracy of your information

Our study — and this protection — relies entirely on the accuracy and completeness of the information, records, and representations you provide for the study.

If any of the information you give us is inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading, Audit Protection does not apply. In that case we are not responsible under it, and we will not represent you if a problem with the IRS results from that inaccurate information.

The bottom line: give us complete, accurate information, and we stand behind the study. That’s the deal.

How it works

From a finalized study to a defended claim

  1. 1

    We finalize your study

    Our R&D experts review and finalize your study before it’s issued — built from the start to answer the questions an examiner asks.

  2. 2

    If the IRS examines the R&D claim

    You let us know as soon as you receive an IRS notice about the R&D tax credit from your study.

  3. 3

    We represent you

    We step in, represent you in the examination, and provide the IRS with the documentation and information they request.

  4. 4

    Conditions apply

    Protection is limited to the R&D study and credits, and depends on the accuracy of the information you provided — see below.

FAQ

Audit Protection — frequently asked questions

Is Audit Protection included, or is it an add-on?
It’s included with every Ricerca R&D tax credit study at no additional cost. You don’t have to buy a separate plan — standing behind our work is part of the engagement.
What exactly does Audit Protection cover?
It covers the R&D tax credit study we prepared and the related federal R&D tax credits — and only those. If the IRS examines that R&D claim, we represent you and provide the documentation they request.
What is not covered?
Audit Protection does not extend to any other part of your tax return, other tax years or studies we didn’t prepare, other credits or deductions, state or local taxes, payroll or other taxes, or penalties and interest. It covers the R&D study and the related R&D tax credits — nothing else.
What happens if the information I provided wasn’t accurate?
Audit Protection depends entirely on the accuracy and completeness of the information, records, and representations you give us. If any of that information is inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading, Audit Protection does not apply — we are not responsible under it, and we will not represent you in a problem with the IRS that results from the inaccurate information.
Does Audit Protection guarantee the IRS will allow the credit?
No. No one can guarantee the outcome of an IRS examination. What we commit to is standing behind our work: subject to your engagement agreement, we represent you and provide the documentation supporting the claim. The result depends on your facts and on the law as applied to them.
How do I trigger Audit Protection?
Contact us as soon as you receive an IRS notice relating to the R&D tax credit from your study, and we’ll take it from there. The specific terms are set out in your engagement agreement.

A note on these terms. This page summarizes Audit Protection in plain language. The specific terms, scope, and conditions are governed by the written engagement agreement for your study, which controls if anything here differs from it.

Get a study that’s built to defend

Every Ricerca R&D tax credit study is finalized by our R&D experts and backed by Audit Protection. Tell us about your R&D and we’ll scope it.