ITIF Logo
ITIF Search

To Do: Expand the R&D Credit for Pre-Profit Start-Ups

To Do: Expand the R&D Credit for Pre-Profit Start-Ups
Knowledge Base Article in: Tech Policy To-Do List
Last Updated: February 8, 2025

Recommendation

Congress should expand the refundable R&D credit to allow pre-profit start-ups to cover payroll taxes.

Details

The PATH Act of 2015 expanded access to the R&D tax credit for small businesses, permitting them to claim the credit against their employment taxes or alternative minimum credit (AMT) tax. Congress should pass the Research and Development Tax Credit Expansion Act of 2023, which allows refundable amounts to cover all payroll taxes and extends the credit to small businesses with less than $10 million in gross receipts. Currently, the bill only applies to firms with less than $5 million in gross receipts.

Keep reading:

Robert D. Atkinson, “Twelve Tax Reforms to Spur Innovation and Competitiveness” (ITIF, September 2024), https://itif.org/publications/2024/09/25/twelve-tax-reforms-to-spur-innovation-and-competitiveness/.

Robert D. Atkinson, “The Case for Improving America’s Research and Experimentation Tax Credit,” The Hill, May 28, 2021, https://itif.org/publications/2021/05/28/case-improving-americas-research-and-experimentation-tax-credit/.

Back to Top