R&D amounts
Write the notional R&D deduction amounts at Part A in whole dollars only. Don't multiply the amounts in Part A by an offset percentage, do that in Part E – R&D tax offset calculation.
In allocating notional R&D deduction amounts to items 1 to 9 in Part A, choose the item most appropriate to the expenditure or decline in value amount in question.
An R&D entity may be entitled under section 355-100 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997) to an R&D tax offset for an income year for expenditure it can notionally deduct under sections 355-205, 355-480 or 355-580 of the ITAA 1997. If they are entitled, that expenditure can't be taken into account by any entity in working out:
- a deduction under any other provision for any income year
- another tax offset under any provision for any income year.
An R&D entity may be entitled under section 355-100 of the ITAA 1997 to an R&D tax offset for an income year for the decline in value under sections 355-305 or 355-520 of the ITAA 1997. If they are entitled, the decline in value (to the extent that the asset is used for the purpose of conducting R&D activities) can't be taken into account by any entity in working out:
- a deduction under any other provision (other than for calculating balancing adjustment in Division 355 and sections 40-292 and 40-293 of the ITAA 1997) for any income year
- another tax offset under any other provision for any income year.
Don't include any amounts at Part A for:
- building expenditure
- interest expenditure
- core technology expenditure
- non-arm's length amounts
- not-at-risk amounts
- group mark-up amounts
- expenditure incurred, but not paid, to associates.
For more information, see Your notional deduction.
Australian owned R&D column
In this column, enter all amounts related to R&D activities that you, meaning this company, have conducted for yourself or were conducted for you, where you are a corporation that's either:
- incorporated under an Australian law
- incorporated under foreign law but an Australian resident for income tax purposes.
Foreign owned R&D column
In this column, enter all amounts that you (an R&D entity) incurred in conducting one or more R&D activities for another company that's both:
- a foreign corporation
- a resident of a country with which Australia has a comprehensive double tax agreement.
The other company must be connected with the R&D entity or be affiliated with the R&D entity.
The activities must be conducted in Australia pursuant to a written agreement between you and the other company.
Additionally, write amounts in this column for amounts incurred if the R&D entity is a foreign corporation carrying on business through a permanent establishment in Australia that can be claimed under the R&D tax incentive.
If you're claiming amounts in this column, you'll also need to consider other taxation implications in regard to your related-party international dealings. For more information, see International dealings schedule instructions 2026 and the taxation rulings referred to within that publication.
1 R&D expenditure – Research service provider (RSP)
Write at item 1 R&D expenditure – Research service provider (RSP) the expenditure you incurred to an RSP, to the extent that it has been incurred on R&D activities.
Apportion your expenditure between R&D activities and other activities that you undertake and show expenditure on R&D activities only at this item.
Split the expenditure at item 1 between Australian owned R&D activities – label A and foreign owned R&D activities – label B.
In most circumstances, expenditure to an RSP isn't subject to the $20,000 notional deduction threshold. You'll therefore be able to claim an R&D tax offset for this expenditure, regardless of the amount. However, these rules will only apply where:
- the RSP isn't an associate of the R&D entity
- the R&D activities are within a research field for which the RSP is registered under the Industry Research and Development Act 1986 (IR&D Act).
For more information, see Contract expenditure to an RSP.
2 R&D expenditure – Contract expenditure (not RSP)
Write at item 2 R&D expenditure – Contract expenditure (not RSP) the amount of expenditure you incurred under a contract to another party (other than an RSP), to the extent that it has been incurred on R&D activities.
Apportion your expenditure between R&D activities and other activities that you undertake. Show expenditure on R&D activities only at this item.
Split the expenditure at item 2 between Australian owned R&D activities – Label C and foreign owned R&D activities – label D.
Don't show any amount at this item for expenditure incurred to an associate. If you have entered into a contract with your associate, you're only eligible to claim the amount incurred in the income year to the extent it is paid. Write amounts paid to an associate at Part A, item 6. You also need to provide further details of expenditure to your associates in Part C – R&D expenditure to associates.
To claim this type of expenditure on R&D activities, your total notional deduction amount must be at least $20,000.
For more information, see Expenditure you incur under a contract to other parties.
3 R&D expenditure – Salary expenditure
Write at item 3 R&D expenditure – Salary expenditure the amount of salary expenditure you incurred, for all your employees, to the extent that it has been incurred on R&D activities.
The amounts you show at this item include expenditure on salary and wages (and associated on costs) of:
- researchers
- technical employees
- other employees directly working on your R&D activities
- supervisors and managers of the above staff.
Apportion your expenditure between R&D activities and other activities that you undertake. Show expenditure on R&D activities only at this item.
Split the expenditure at item 3 between Australian owned R&D activities – label E and foreign owned R&D activities – label F.
Don't show any amount at this item for expenditure incurred to an associate. If you incurred expenditure to your associate, you're only eligible to claim the amount incurred in the income year to the extent it is paid. Show amounts paid to an associate at Part A, item 6. You also need to provide further details of expenditure to your associates in Part C – R&D expenditure to associates.
To claim this type of expenditure on R&D activities, your total notional deduction amount must be at least $20,000.
For more information, see:
4 R&D expenditure – Other
Write at item 4 R&D expenditure – Other the expenditure, to the extent that it was incurred on R&D activities, that you're not required to show at any other item of Part A. Types of expenditure to be shown at this item may include:
- administrative costs and overheads incurred on R&D activities
- other expenditure on overseas activities that are covered by a finding made by Industry Innovation and Science Australia under section 28C of the IR&D Act.
Apportion your expenditure between R&D activities and other activities that you undertake. Show expenditure on R&D activities only at this item.
Split the expenditure at item 4 between Australian owned R&D activities – label G and foreign owned R&D activities – label H.
Don't show any amount at this item for expenditure incurred to an associate. If you incurred expenditure to your associate, you're only eligible to claim the amount incurred in the income year to the extent it is paid. Write amounts paid to an associate at Part A Item 6 R&D expenditure – Paid to associates in the current year. You also need to provide further details of expenditure to your associates in Part C – R&D expenditure to associates.
To claim this type of expenditure on R&D activities, your total notional deduction amount must be at least $20,000.
For more information, see: Expenditure you can claim
5 R&D expenditure – Feedstock input expenditure
Write at item 5 R&D expenditure – Feedstock input expenditure the total amount of R&D expenditure incurred in the income year on acquiring or producing feedstock inputs that are transformed or processed during R&D activities in producing one or more tangible products (feedstock outputs).
Feedstock input expenditure also includes both:
- the total cost of energy input directly into the transformation or processing
- the decline in value of tangible depreciating assets used in acquiring or producing the feedstock inputs to these R&D activities.
Split your expenditure at item 5 into Australian owned R&D activities – label I and foreign owned R&D activities –label J.
To claim this type of expenditure on R&D activities, your total notional deduction amount must be at least $20,000.
Don't write any amount at this item for expenditure incurred to an associate. If you incurred expenditure to your associate, you're only eligible to claim the amount incurred in the income year to the extent it is paid. Show amounts paid to an associate at Part A, item 6. You also need to provide further details of expenditure to your associates in Part C - R&D expenditure to associates.
An amount of Feedstock input expenditure must not be included elsewhere in Part A. It must be recorded separately from other expenditure types in Part A.
The amount you write at this item may not form part of any feedstock adjustment in 2025–26. However, it will represent expenditure on feedstock inputs and it may be expenditure to be taken into account to work out the amount of feedstock adjustment in the current or a future income year (see Part B – Clawback amounts – Feedstock adjustments).
For more information, see Clawback of feedstock adjustments.
6 R&D expenditure – Paid to associates in the current year
Write at item 6 R&D expenditure – Paid to associates in the current year the total amount of expenditure you have paid to your associates in 2025–26, to the extent that it has been incurred on R&D activities. You could include expenditure you have paid to associates in the current year that was either:
- incurred in 2025–26
- incurred in earlier income years starting on or after 1 July 2011.
This is provided you haven't claimed this expenditure under other provisions of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (ITAA 1936) or ITAA 1997.
Apportion your expenditure between R&D activities and other activities that you undertake. Show expenditure on R&D activities only at this item.
Transfer this amount to Part C item E4 R&D expenditure paid to associates in the current year.
Split the expenditure at item 6 into Australian owned R&D activities – label K and foreign owned R&D activities – label L.
To claim this type of expenditure on R&D activities, your total notional deduction amount must be at least $20,000.
If you have incurred expenditure to your associate, but it isn't paid in 2024–25, don't include that amount at labels K or L. For more information about how you treat this expenditure that's incurred but not yet paid, see Preliminary calculation – Add back of research and development (R&D) accounting expenditure and Part C – R&D expenditure to associates.
For more information, see:
- Salary expenditure to your associate
- Payment to your associate in your claim year
- Taxpayer Alert TA 2023/4 Research and development activities delivered by associated entities.
7 R&D assets – Decline in value
Write at item 7 R&D assets – Decline in value the decline in value amount notionally deductible under subdivision 355-E and section 355-520 of the ITAA 1997 for tangible depreciating assets used in R&D activities.
Split your decline in value amount at item 7 into Australian owned R&D activities – label M and foreign owned R&D activities – label N.
To claim these amounts on R&D activities, your total notional deduction amount must be at least $20,000.
For more information about what amounts may be claimed for 'Decline in value' under the R&D tax incentive, see Decline in value of assets.
9 Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) contributions
Write at item 9 Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) contributions the amount of expenditure you have incurred as a monetary contribution under the CRC program that you spent on registered R&D activities. Don't include in Part A any amounts incurred out of a monetary contribution or any Commonwealth funding.
Split the incurred expenditure into Australian owned R&D activities – label Q and foreign owned R&D activities – label R.
Expenditure you incurred as a monetary contribution under the CRC program isn't subject to the $20,000 notional deduction threshold. You can therefore claim an R&D tax offset for this expenditure, regardless of the amount.
For more information, see Contributions under the CRC program.
10 Total of allocated notional deductions
Write at item 10 Total of allocated notional deductions – label X the total of the amounts you write at items 1 to 9 in the Australian owned R&D column.
Write at item 10 Total of allocated notional deductions – label Y the total of the amounts you write at items 1 to 9 in the Foreign owned R&D column.
11 Total notional R&D deduction (X plus Y)
Write at item 11 Total notional R&D deductions (X plus Y) – label Z the total of the amounts you write at labels X and Y in item 10 Total of allocated notional deductions.
If the amount you write at label Z is less than $20,000, you'll only be able to claim an R&D tax offset for amounts you write at:
- Item 1 R&D expenditure – Research service provider (RSP)
- Item 9 Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) contributions.
Continue to: Part B – Clawback amounts
Return to: Instructions to complete the R&D tax incentive schedule 2026