R&D Funding & Tax Credit Eligibility Assessment
Assess your eligibility for tax credits instantly. Identify qualified expenses and supporting costs with audit-ready confidence. Capture 20–40% more in tax incentives with data you already have.
Real-Time R&D Mapping
Chrono connects your engineering systems to financial data, auto-mapping tasks to R&D tax credit criteria. Avoid missed claims and build defensible records—without slowing your team down.
Audit-Ready R&D Reporting
Chrono generates clean, time-stamped documentation linked to source systems—engineering tools, payroll, and project data. Build confident, audit-ready R&D credit files that meet IRS, CRA, or EU compliance standards without the back-and-forth.
Capture Missed R&D Credits
Support grant or funding applications with data-backed reports and detailed cost breakdowns. Chrono pulls time-stamped work data from your source systems—Jira, Slack, GitHub, and more. Every financial record is audit-ready and mapped for R&D claims.
Native integrations with your favorite tools
10+ integrations
Integrate with the most popular tools to eliminate manual tasks. We are constantly adding integrations!
Data sync
As you connect data sources, Chrono Platform ingests data, syncing across your tools and providing value out of identified signals.
Data categorization
Not only does Chrono Platform analyze data from connected tools, but it also categorizes it into a normalized data structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the R&D Tax Credit, and how does it work?
The R&D Tax Credit—also known as the Credit for Increasing Research Activities—offers a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your federal income tax liability. It rewards companies investing in qualified research activities, like developing improved products, solving technical uncertainties, or conducting a process of experimentation. Both payroll tax elections and income tax returns can benefit.
Who qualifies for the federal R&D tax credit?
Any U.S. business performing domestic expenses related to qualified research activity may be eligible. This includes sectors like physical science, biological sciences, software, and manufacturing. Startups can also offset payroll taxes, while established companies reduce taxable income. Credits can be claimed using the simplified credit method or traditional approach.
How does the R&D tax credit improve cash flow?
The credit directly reduces tax owed, creating tax savings that free up capital for future development activity or employee training programs. For startups, the payroll tax election can reduce quarterly payroll taxes, offering immediate cash flow relief and economic risk protection during growth.
What counts as eligible R&D expenses?
Eligible R&D expenses—or qualified research expenses (QREs)—include development expenses, experimental expenditures, engineer salaries, payroll records, supplies, and cloud computing costs. Activities must focus on technological uncertainty and aim to create or improve a business component such as a product, process, or software.
Can I claim R&D credits at both federal and state levels?
Yes. In addition to the federal credit, most states offer state-level R&D Tax Credits. These often align with federal rules, creating tax credit opportunities across jurisdictions. Platforms like Chrono can help you identify calculated credit base and support claim credits efficiently. The Chrono Platform also helps tax professionals track qualified R&D expenses automatically.
Is the R&D tax credit permanent?
Yes. Under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act, the R&D credit is now a permanent federal tax credit. Companies can use tax credit services or automation platforms to ensure they maximize their potential savings year over year.