Free & illustrative
R&D Tax Credit Estimator
Move the inputs to see a rough estimate of your Qualified Research Expenses, your Federal R&D credit, and your §174A first-year deduction. Everything runs in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere, and no email is required.
Illustrative estimate
Estimated Qualified Research Expenses
$600,000
Federal R&D credit (illustrative)
$36,000 – $60,000
§174A first-year deduction
$600,000
≈ $126,000 in first-year tax value
The credit and the deduction are different mechanisms — a Ricerca study captures both, computed precisely from your facts. These figures are rough and illustrative, not a quote or a projection of your benefit.
Get a precise estimateHow this estimate works
- QRE = qualified wages (your wages × R&D time) + supplies + cloud/compute + 65% of U.S. contract research.
- Federal credit is shown as an illustrative 6–10% of QRE. A real study computes the Regular and Alternative Simplified methods precisely and picks the better one.
- §174A deduction assumes your QRE is domestic R&E that’s now immediately deductible; the “tax value” applies your entered rate.
- The credit and the deduction are different mechanisms. This tool intentionally keeps them separate and does not add them into a single “savings” number.