Identifying opportunities
During year-end and tax work, activity that may be eligible for SR&ED or related government incentives can be flagged for the company to consider. Whether a project qualifies depends on the facts and the program rules.
Services · SR&ED and Government Incentives
SR&ED and government incentives
Identifying potential SR&ED and government incentive opportunities for private companies, and coordinating the accounting and tax side with the SR&ED specialists who prepare the claim. Amir Rosenthal works from Toronto with clients across Ontario.
How the work is divided
Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) is a federal tax incentive for eligible research and development carried on in Canada. The role here is to notice where a company’s work may qualify for SR&ED or related government incentives, and to raise it with the company.
The claim itself, including the technical description of the work, is prepared by SR&ED specialists that the company engages, and is filed with the company's T2 return. Amir Rosenthal works with those specialists so that the claim and the company’s accounts tell the same story.
Working with SR&ED specialists
The company engages an SR&ED specialist to assess eligibility and to prepare the claim. The financial information they need comes from the same books used for the year-end, and questions about the accounts are answered here.
The accounting and tax side
An SR&ED claim draws on the same wages, contractor costs, and materials that appear in the books. The accounting and tax work around a claim can include:
- Year-end financial statements that reflect the claim and any related investment tax credits consistently.
- Reconciling the expenditures in the claim with the general ledger and payroll records.
- The corporate income tax return (T2), with which the claim forms (Form T661 and Schedule 31) are filed, and the tax treatment of the credits in that year and later years.
- Consistent cost coding from year to year, so the records support what the claim describes.
No promised outcomes
There is no promised recovery rate and no inventory of “typical” outcomes on this site. Eligibility and the amount of any credit are decided under the program rules, and a claim can be reviewed by the Canada Revenue Agency.
Broader accounting and tax support is described under services and Ontario accountant. To discuss a year where SR&ED may be relevant, use contact.
SR&ED and incentives questions
What is SR&ED in plain terms?
Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) is a federal tax incentive for eligible research and development work carried on in Canada. Whether work qualifies depends on the facts and the program rules.
Do you prepare SR&ED claims?
No. Amir Rosenthal identifies potential SR&ED and government incentive opportunities and works with SR&ED specialists, who prepare the claim. The claim is filed with the company's corporate tax return. He coordinates the accounting and tax side: the financial statements, the corporate tax return, and reconciling the claim with the books.
Why involve the year-end accountant?
A claim draws on wages, contractor costs, and materials that are also in the accounts. Coordinating the claim with the financial statements and the T2 return helps keep the figures consistent and the tax treatment of any credits correct.
Which companies look at SR&ED or related incentives?
Private companies that develop products, processes, or software and face technical uncertainty, for example in technology, manufacturing, and related sectors. Not every project qualifies. Eligibility is assessed against the program rules, not assumed.
Do you guarantee claim approval or a recovery amount?
No. Outcomes depend on the facts, the claim, and any review by the Canada Revenue Agency. The work here is to flag potential opportunities and to keep the claim consistent with the financial statements and tax filings.
How does this fit with broader Ontario accounting work?
SR&ED and related incentives sit alongside year-end, tax, and advice for private companies. See the Ontario accountant page for that work, and contact to discuss a specific year.
Complimentary discussion
If you already have project notes or prior-year claims, mention them when you call or write.