Potential Changes to R&D Tax Credit Could Spill New Benefits for Startups

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With a proposal on the table that could benefit startups, another that is promising for small and medium-sized businesses, and with the federal R&D tax credit still expired since December 31st, 2014, all eyes are on Congress as tax practitioners and taxpayers await the credit’s highly expected extension.

R&D tax practitioners from across the country recently flocked to Washington, D.C., to attend the Research and Development Tax Credit Symposium presented by Bloomberg BNA. They discussed  developments impacting the credit and the implications for taxpayers, including two key proposals concerning the application of the R&D tax credit toward payroll taxes and the Alternative Minimum Tax.

Another temporary extension?

Although the House passed a bill in May that would make the credit permanent, the general expectation from practitioners who attended the symposium is that the credit will remain in its current form and will again be deemed temporary. Despite its temporary nature, the credit, enacted in 1981, has been consistently renewed (with only a one-year period exception where the credit was not available) since its original expiration in 1985.

The House bill would also eliminate the “traditional credit” calculation method, which uses a historical base to compute the credit, in favor of an enhanced “alternative simplified credit” method (increased from 14% to 20%), which calculates the credit based on a company’s research and development spending in the preceding three years.

Payroll tax election for startups

The first proposal, contained in a tax extender bill approved by the Senate Finance Committee in July, could be a boon for startups. It addresses the inability of many startups to immediately benefit from the federal R&D tax credit because they rarely have a tax liability to offset in their early days.

Currently, startups that qualify for the federal R&D tax credit but aren’t yet paying taxes have the option to carry forward the credit to use in later years when they do have a tax liability. The proposal would allow qualified small businesses to elect to use a portion of their R&D tax credit now to offset payroll taxes instead of waiting to use the credit.

The election to use the R&D tax credit against payroll taxes would be available to a qualified small business for a period of 5 years, and the annual limit of credit that could be used would be $250,000. A qualified small business under the proposal would be a corporation or partnership that had less than $5 million in gross receipts for the taxable year and that did not have gross receipts for any period preceding the five taxable-year period ending with such taxable year.

Alternative Minimum Tax

The second R&D-related proposal concerns the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and is proposed in both the House and the Senate bills. This proposal would allow eligible small and medium-sized pass-through entities (e.g., S corporations and partnerships) who have an AMT liability to use the R&D tax credit to offset the AMT, addressing an issue that has been a barrier to claiming the credit for these businesses in the past.

Internal-use software

Another hot topic at the R&D tax symposium was the 2015 proposed regulations on internal-use software, published earlier this year by the U.S. Treasury in IRS REG-153656.

The long-awaited set of proposed regulations on internal-use software is generally perceived as taxpayer-friendly and would make it easier for companies using proprietary software in the delivery of their product or service to qualify for the R&D tax credit.

The proposed regulations would change the definition of internal-use software and adopt a more favorable innovation standard as part of the high threshold of innovation test. Prior IRS guidance generally suggested that software developed for purposes other than to be commercially sold, leased, licensed or otherwise marketed to third parties was classified as internal-use software and therefore was not eligible for the R&D tax credit in most cases.

Under the 2015 proposed regulations, the definition of internal-use software would no longer include software developed to enable interactions with third parties or to allow third parties to initiate functions or review data; therefore this type of software would not be required to satisfy the most stringent high threshold of innovation test in order to qualify for the credit.

With these and other exciting changes potentially on the horizon for the R&D tax credit, businesses should keep an eye on the latest developments. To learn more about this lucrative credit and how it may be able to benefit your company, contact me or another of Kaufman Rossin’s tax specialists.


Louis Guay is a Cost Segregation, Tax Credits & Incentives Principal at Kaufman Rossin, one of the Top 100 CPA and advisory firms in the U.S.

  1. Louis Guay says:

    Glenda,

    Thank you for your comment regarding internal use software (IUS). Under the 2015 proposed regulations software developed primarily for usage in internal general and administrative functions is considered an IUS. As a result, in order to potentially constitute qualified research, the development has to satisfy the high threshold of innovation test.

    Under the 2015 proposed regulations, software is not developed primarily for internal use if it is developed to be commercially sold, leased, licensed, or otherwise marketed to third parties, or if it is developed to enable a taxpayer to interact with third parties or to allow third parties to initiate functions or review data on the taxpayer’s system. Examples of software developed to enable a taxpayer to interact with third parties or to allow third parties to initiate functions or review data include
    software developed for third parties to execute banking transactions, track the progress of a delivery of goods, search a taxpayer’s inventory for goods, store and retrieve a third party’s digital files, purchase tickets for transportation or entertainment, and receive services over the internet. For purposes of these rules, third parties do not include any persons that use the software to support a taxpayer’s general and administrative functions that facilitate or support the conduct of the taxpayer’s trade or business.

    Please do not hesitate to reach back to us to discuss in more details. We will be happy to set a courtesy call to discuss your IUS context.

    Best Regards,

    Louis Guay,
    R&D Tax Manager

  2. glenda olson says:

    I am not sure I understand the new regulations on Internal Use Software. I attempted to apply examples for differences of before and after new regulations. Please review my example and see if my understanding is correct.
    Before new Proposed Regulations – Not sold to third party – (software used internally within the boundaries of the taxpayer only and not commercially sold or marketed ) software that was designed to use in house as administrative method and used internally only. ( i.e. tracking inventory for internal use, tracking time worked for payroll use in house,
    Under new Proposed Regulations Not sold to third party – (software used internally within the boundaries of the taxpayer only and not commercially sold or marketed ) however, software that was designed to use in house as administrative method and used externally for customers or others. . ( i.e. Help Desk processing available to used by third party for purchasing, troubleshooting, etc. Tracking time of employee hours for outside payroll processing by third party)

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