For software and manufacturing companies, and their CPAs
Find out whether you qualify for the R&D credit.
R&D tax studies should be smooth. Qually cuts the back-and-forth, the spreadsheets, and the wasted time. A CPA still signs every deliverable.
A fit call, not a pitch deck. If a study is not worth it, we will say so. Or open the calendar in a new tab.
- QRE workpaperIn file
- Four-part testsIn file
- Form 6765 supportIn file
- CPA signaturePending
A sketch of the package. Your numbers are not in it until the study is yours.
How it works
From the systems you already use to a study a CPA can sign.
01
Connect the systems you already run
Payroll, accounting, GitHub, Jira, and the contracts that cover outside research. No new spreadsheet ritual to get started.
02
Qually drafts the study
Projects, people, supplies, and contract research land in one file. Each project gets a plain four-part writeup tied to the evidence.
03
You correct the draft, not a blank page
The usual back-and-forth shrinks to “this wage split is right” and “that project was production, not research.” Less chasing files.
04
A CPA reviews and signs
Nothing is treated as the finished study until a CPA has reviewed the workpapers and signed the deliverables.
What you get
The file, not a slide.
These are the workpapers and the form support. They are not a promise about an exam, a refund, or a particular credit.
A CPA-signed study
The narrative and the positions, released only after review. The software drafts. It does not sign.
QRE workpapers
Wages, supplies, and contract research in a workbook a reviewer can trace. Totals are formulas, not pasted numbers.
Four-part tests, per project
Purpose, technology, uncertainty, and the process of experimentation, written against the evidence for that project.
Form 6765 support
A line map from the workpapers to the form. It is support for the return preparer, not a filed return by itself.
Credit amounts vary with the method, prior years, and what the records support. Nothing on this site is tax advice until the firm is engaged. The calculator below uses a flat 8% of spend so you can see the shape of a fee. It is not your credit.
Published fees
Priced on qualifying R&D spend.
Fees step up with qualifying spend. A number that lands on the line between two tiers uses the higher fee. $5 million is still $36,000.
| Qualifying spend | Fee |
|---|---|
| $200,000 to under $500,000 | $2,500 |
| $500,000 to under $1 million | $6,000 |
| $1 million to under $3 million | $12,000 |
| $3 million to $5 million | $36,000 |
| Over $5 million | Custom quote |
Minimum fee $2,500. Under $200,000 of qualifying spend, a full study usually does not make sense yet.
Questions worth asking before the call
What work qualifies?
The federal research credit is for developing or improving a product, process, software, technique, or formula when the technical outcome was uncertain and the team tested its way there. Software and manufacturing both show up often. Routine production, cosmetic changes, and research after commercial production often do not. The fit call is where we look at the actual work. The site cannot tell you that you qualify.
What is the four-part test, in plain words?
Four questions, for each project. Was the purpose to develop or improve a product, process, or software? Did the work rely on engineering or computer science, not taste or market research? Was there real uncertainty about whether it would work, or how? Did the team try alternatives and evaluate them, instead of following a known recipe? All four have to be there.
Who signs the study?
A CPA. Qually drafts the file from your records and your corrections. A CPA reviews the narratives, the qualified expenses, and the form support, and signs the deliverables. An unsigned draft is not the study.
How long does it take?
The fit call is the first step, and it is where timing gets set for your year. After that, the pace follows how complete the payroll and project records are. The point of the product is to replace rounds of “please resend the spreadsheet” with a draft you edit. We will not promise a day count before we have seen the file.
What data do you need?
Payroll for the people who did the work, the books for supplies and contract research, and enough of the project record to show the four-part test. That record is often already in GitHub, Jira, or the contracts. You can also upload files. Connecting a system is optional.
Is my data safe?
Each client file is separate from every other client. People see a study only if the firm invited them. Credentials for a connected system are stored encrypted, and the information is used to prepare the study, not to pitch unrelated work. This site is not a security audit. The engagement letter and the §7216 consent are where those terms get fixed.
Schedule a call. We will tell you if a study is worth it.
Bring a rough sense of R&D wages and whether the work was software, manufacturing, or both. If the credit would not cover the fee, that is a useful answer too.
Schedule a callIf the calendar does not load, open the scheduling page.