Ricerca
The process

A rigorous study, without the drag

AI compresses the busywork. Our R&D experts ensure the rigor. Here’s exactly how a Ricerca study comes together — and where humans stay firmly in control.

Start your study
Six steps

From kickoff to audit-ready

Most of the lift happens behind the scenes.

  1. Step 1

    Scope & kickoff

    We learn your business, identify the business components you’re developing, and agree on the plan and timeline. No long questionnaires to start.

  2. Step 2

    Connect & gather

    Connect payroll, your general ledger, and engineering systems (e.g., source control and issue tracking), or simply upload documents. AI parses and organizes the evidence.

  3. Step 3

    Identify qualifying activities

    AI surfaces candidate activities, maps them to the IRC §41 four-part test, and drafts technical narratives by business component. Your engineers confirm and refine the facts.

  4. Step 4

    Compute QREs & the credit

    We total wages, supplies, contract research (65%), and cloud/compute, then compare the Regular and Alternative Simplified methods — and map your §174A domestic expensing position.

  5. Step 5

    Expert review & finalize

    Our R&D experts review qualification decisions, amounts, and narratives, resolve open questions, and finalize the study before it’s issued. People decide; AI never does.

  6. Step 6

    Deliver & defend

    You receive audit-ready workpapers, business-component detail, and Form 6765 support — organized to answer the questions an examiner actually asks. Every study is backed by Audit Protection.

Human-in-the-loop

What AI does — and what stays human

This is the core difference from automation-only tools: AI augments, people decide.

AI accelerates

  • Accelerate intake and document parsing
  • Surface candidate qualifying activities
  • Draft technical narratives for review
  • Organize evidence and compute QREs
  • Prepare Form 6765 support

People decide

  • Decide what qualifies and what doesn’t
  • Confirm the technical facts with your team
  • Set final QRE and credit figures
  • Review and finalize the study (R&D experts)
  • Stand behind the work on examination
What you get

An audit-ready study you can hand to your preparer

Technical narratives

Per business component, mapped to the four-part test.

QRE workpapers

Wages, supplies, contract research, and cloud/compute, fully sourced.

Form 6765 support

Including the new Section G business-component detail.

Audit-ready file

Contemporaneous evidence organized for defense.

Audit Protection · included

We stand behind your R&D claim

Every Ricerca 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 — under the terms of your engagement agreement.

How Audit Protection works

Focused on your R&D claim

Audit Protection covers the R&D study and the related federal R&D tax credits only — not other parts of your return, other tax years, other credits or deductions, payroll taxes, state or local taxes, penalties, or interest.

Based on accurate information

Protection applies as long as the information you give us for the study is accurate and complete. If it isn’t, Audit Protection does not apply and we will not represent you on the resulting issue.

FAQ

How a study works — questions

How much of our team’s time does this take?
Far less than a traditional study. AI handles intake and drafting; your engineers mostly review and confirm. We schedule short, focused sessions rather than long interviews.
Who finalizes the study?
Experienced R&D experts review the qualification decisions, the QRE and credit figures, and the narratives, and finalize the study before it’s issued. AI assists but never makes the final call.
What is Audit Protection — and what does it cover?
Every Ricerca study includes Audit Protection. If the IRS examines the R&D tax credit claim from your study, we represent you and provide the documentation the examiner requests. It is limited to the R&D study and the related federal R&D tax credits — not other parts of your return — and it depends on the accuracy of the information you provide. See Audit Protection for the full details.
Can you work from our existing systems?
Yes. We can pull from payroll, your general ledger, and engineering tools, or work from documents you upload — whatever is least disruptive.
Do you handle prior years and §174A?
Yes. We can look at open years and map your §174A domestic expensing position, including catch-up deductions and small-business retroactive relief where eligible.

Ready to start?

Tell us about your R&D. We’ll scope a study, accelerate the busywork, and have our R&D experts finalize it — then hand you an audit-ready file backed by Audit Protection. Contact us for pricing tailored to your study.

Contact Us How it works