Ricerca

The R&D credit, explained by the people who compute it

Clear, cited guidance on IRC §41, the new §174A expensing rules, and the substantiation that decides whether a claim survives contact with an examiner. Every article links its primary sources.

New here? Start with the R&D tax credit guide, the four-part test, or run the credit estimator.

Topics
Latest Form 6765

Form 6765 Section G: What Changed and Who Must File It

The revised Form 6765 adds Section G business component detail. Here is what it asks for, who is exempt, and the tax year it stops being optional.

August 14, 2026 11 min read
R&D Credit

Funded Research: How Your Contracts Decide Who Gets the R&D Credit

IRC §41(d)(4)(H) excludes funded research. Two contract clauses decide it: who bears the risk if the work fails, and who keeps rights in the results.

August 14, 2026 12 min read
SaaS

Inside an R&D Credit Study: A Worked Example for a SaaS Company

An illustrative 25-person SaaS company, from business components to QREs to the credit math and the payroll tax offset, with every number on the page.

August 14, 2026 13 min read
Four-Part Test

The Four-Part Test in Plain English

IRC §41 asks four questions about your work. Here is what each one actually means, how examiners read them, and where real engineering projects pass or fail.

August 13, 2026 Updated 9 min read
Payroll Tax Offset

How Startups Turn the R&D Credit Into Payroll-Tax Cash

Pre-revenue companies can elect up to $500,000 of the §41 credit against employer payroll taxes. Who qualifies, how the cash arrives, and what breaks it.

August 13, 2026 Updated 8 min read
Documentation

R&D Credit Documentation: What Examiners Ask For

There is no special §41 recordkeeping regime - only §6001 and the evidence you kept. What actually holds up in an examination, and what a study has to produce.

August 14, 2026 Updated 10 min read
Startups

R&D Tax Credits for Silicon Valley AI & SaaS Startups

AI and SaaS startups run the most R&D-intensive businesses in the economy. How the payroll-tax offset, §174A expensing, and the four-part test work.

August 13, 2026 Updated 9 min read
Study Practice

AI + R&D Experts: Why Automation-Only R&D Studies Fall Short

Automation-only R&D tax credit tools are fast but thin; consultants are slow and costly. The defensible path pairs AI with R&D experts who finalize the study.

August 13, 2026 Updated 7 min read
Manufacturing

Manufacturers Are Leaving R&D Credits on the Table

You don't need a lab to qualify for the R&D tax credit: process development and shop-floor engineering are the most overlooked qualifying activities.

August 13, 2026 Updated 8 min read
Section 174A

What Section 174A Means for Your 2025 Taxes

Section 174A restores immediate expensing of domestic R&D for tax years after 2024, with catch-up deductions for balances capitalized in 2022 through 2024.

August 13, 2026 Updated 7 min read
SaaS

R&D Tax Credits for SaaS Companies: What Actually Qualifies

SaaS companies routinely underclaim the R&D tax credit; here is how everyday engineering work maps to the four-part test and which costs count.

August 13, 2026 Updated 7 min read

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Three short questions about your R&D and we'll come back with what a Ricerca study could capture - the §41 credit and the §174A deduction - plus pricing for your situation.

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