R&D Tax Credit Service
Turn innovation into cash flow.
2-minute intake → matched with a vetted R&D specialist → free eligibility review.
R&D Credit Snapshot
FEDERAL
up to 20% of QREs
FEDERAL
up to 20% of QREs
FEDERAL
up to 20% of QREs
$50K–$500K
Typical SMB recovery
Up to 4 years
Of credits you can still claim
Credit Estimator
Find out what your R&D work is worth.
Enter what you spent last year on the people and resources doing technical work building, testing, improving. The estimator shows your likely federal and state R&D credit range. Estimates, not guarantees: the real number comes from a defensible study.
Your R&D Spend Last Year
Count engineers, developers, scientists, formulators, and the people directly supporting or supervising them. The IRS counts 65% of contractor spend.
Most states layer their own R&D credit on top of the federal one. Rates and rules vary widely by state.
Never claimed before? You can amend the prior three open tax years and capture up to four years of credits in one engagement.
Estimated Total R&D Credit
Enter your R&D spend to see your estimated range.
Pre-revenue or under $5M in gross receipts? Startups can apply up to $500,000 of this credit per year against payroll taxes, no income tax bill required.
2-minute intake · matched with a vetted R&D specialist · free eligibility review
- Qualified research expenses (QREs) = R&D wages + 65% of U.S. contractor spend + supplies + development cloud computing, per IRC §41. Work performed outside the U.S. doesn't qualify.
- Federal range reflects the net benefit under the Alternative Simplified Credit and regular methods (≈6–10% of QREs depending on spend history and the §280C election).
- State ranges are simplified tiers based on each state's published credit. Actual state credits depend on incremental base calculations, caps, carryforwards, and apportionment, some are refundable, some are not.
- The 3-year lookback multiplies the single-year estimate by four (current year + three amended open years) and assumes similar spend each year. State lookback windows vary.
- Startups (under $5M gross receipts, no receipts more than 5 years back) may apply up to $500K/year against payroll taxes instead of income tax.
- Domestic research expenses are once again fully deductible in the year incurred under §174A (One Big Beautiful Bill Act, 2025). This estimator shows the credit only, not the deduction benefit.
- This is an illustration, not tax advice and not a guaranteed outcome. Opscale Exchange is not a tax advisor, your matched specialist and CPA determine the real number through a documented study.
Who Qualifies
If your team solves technical problems, you probably qualify.
The R&D credit isn’t just for labs and biotech. The IRS defines qualified research broadly: any work to develop or improve a product, process, software, technique, or formulation that involves technical uncertainty and experimentation. That covers a lot more SMBs than most CPAs realize.
Software & SaaS
New features, algorithms, integrations, performance work
Manufacturing
Process improvements, automation, new product development.
Engineering & Architecture
Design optimization, prototyping, materials testing.
Food & Beverage
Formulation, shelf-life, packaging, production scale-up.
Construction
Custom builds, sustainable methods, structural innovation.
Agriculture & Biotech
Crop optimization, breeding programs, lab work.
Activities that count
- Designing or developing a new product, software feature, or formulation
- Improving the performance, reliability, or quality of an existing product or process
- Automating or streamlining an internal process or workflow
- Engineering work to meet new specifications, regulations, or customer requirements
- Custom software development for internal or customer-facing use
2-minute intake → matched with a vetted R&D specialist → free eligibility review.
Why Opscale Exchange
More than a tax filing. A funding strategy.
Generalist CPAs and Big-4 firms can file R&D credits, but few do it well, and none of them solve the cash-flow problem. Opscale Exchange was built to do both.
01
Specialist network, not generalist CPAs
02
Defensible studies, audit-ready
Every engagement produces a contemporaneous, IRS-grade study: nexus narratives, QRE schedules, time tracking, technical documentation. If you’re ever examined, the file is already built.
03
Cash on the credit, not just the credit
Once your study is complete and qualifying, we can advance cash against your credit so you don’t wait 6–18 months on the IRS. Turn the refund into working capital today.
How It Works
Four steps from intake to cash.
Quick intake
Tell us about your company, what your team builds, and your last few years of payroll and contractor spend. No financials uploaded yet.
- ~2 min
Specialist match
We pair you with a vetted R&D specialist preparer who has deep experience in your industry. You meet, scope the engagement, and decide whether to proceed.
- 24–48 hrs
Study & filing
Your preparer builds a defensible study and files the credit with your federal and (where applicable) state returns.
- 4–8 weeks
Optional cash advance
If you qualify, Opscale Exchange can advance cash against the credit so you don’t wait on the IRS refund cycle.
- Optional
R&D Is Often Just The Start
One marketplace. Every working-capital play your SMB needs.
Cost segregation
Accelerate depreciation on real estate you own or lease.
SBA & alternative lending
Match with lenders who actually fund your sector and stage.
Equipment financing
Lease-vs-buy structuring with rate comparisons across lenders.
State & local incentives
Receivable financing
Cash-flow products underwritten on receivables or future credits.
$50K–$500K
Typical SMB recovery range
4–8 weeks
Average study completion
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions? We have answers.
Does my company actually qualify?
If your team designs, builds, tests, or improves products, software, processes, or formulations and there’s any technical uncertainty involved, you almost certainly qualify for some level of R&D credit. The intake form takes 2 minutes and tells you within 48 hours.
How much will I get back?
Can I claim credits for prior years I missed?
What does it cost?
What if I'm audited?
Every study we produce is contemporaneous and audit-ready: nexus narratives, QRE schedules, technical documentation, and time tracking. If you’re examined, the file is already built.
How does the cash advance work?
Once your study is complete and we confirm the credit qualifies, Opscale Exchange can advance a portion of the expected refund as working capital, so you don’t wait 6–18 months on the IRS. This is optional; you can also just take the credit and wait.
Ready to get started?
Find out what your R&D work is worth.
Most founders find us through R&D credits and stay for the rest of the marketplace. Once you’re in, you have access to a vetted network of specialists across every funding lever an SMB has.
2-minute intake → matched with a vetted R&D specialist → free eligibility review.