Claiming the tax offset
If you are conducting research and development (R&D) activities, you may be eligible to claim an R&D tax offset under the R&D tax incentive.
You should assess for yourself whether or not you and the activities you are conducting qualify for a claim under the R&D tax incentive but, to help you do this, we have set out the six steps you need to take to work out if you can claim and, if so, how much.
Remember that you must keep accurate records. Not only does this make good business sense, it's also the law. If you plan on using a tax agent or R&D consultant to help you lodge your returns or complete your forms, you need to make sure they are registered.
Self-assessment
If you are an R&D entity, you should assess for yourself whether or not the R&D activities you are conducting - and the amounts that you wish to claim - are eligible for the R&D tax incentive.
Steps to claiming
There are six steps to claiming the R&D tax offset. These steps will help you work out whether or not you're eligible for an R&D tax offset, which offset you can claim and how you can claim it.
Keeping records
To run your business efficiently it is essential that you keep accurate records. In order to claim the R&D tax incentive, you must also keep specific records that demonstrate the relationships between your expenditure and your R&D activities.
Using a tax agent or R&D consultant
If you are going to pay someone to help you with your tax return or R&D tax incentive schedule, you should first make sure they are a registered tax agent.
Sections within Claiming the tax offset
Last Modified: Friday, 29 June 2012