Does Your State Offer an R&D Tax Credit?

For years, we’ve been working to make sure innovative companies claim the money they’re owed via the Federal R&D Credit. It’s never been more important to extend runway, and claiming your credit is the best way to secure non-dilutive capital.

But even as we’ve watched the Federal R&D Credit become more widely known by founders and CFOs, many innovative companies still aren't aware that 38 states offer an additional State R&D Credit for companies. This is tax law built specifically to incentivize innovative companies like yours to, well, innovate. Not claiming it is just leaving money on the table…

What is the State R&D Tax Credit?

Like the Federal R&D Tax Credit, many states have a state-specific R&D credit to incentivize innovative companies to create jobs and products within their state. Currently, 38 states offer specific R&D credits — each differs slightly, but many follow similar frameworks to the Federal R&D Tax Credit when it comes to Qualified Expenses and deadlines.

Which States Currently Offer an R&D Tax Credit?

As of 2023, 38 states offer their own R&D Tax Credit in an effort to incentivize job creation, and as a means to stimulate the local economy. Those states are:

Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin.

While each state has different rules on which expenses qualify, what type of companies can file for the credit, and how much the credit is worth, it’s always valuable for a company to claim every R&D credit they’re owed. Go to Neo.Tax and we can help calculate how much you’re owed and help you prepare your R&D tax credits today!‍

You’re a California-Based Company; How Much Can You Claim?

To give a sense of how valuable these credits can be, we wanted to share a case study of a California-based company that used Neo.Tax to claim both the Federal and State R&D Credit. For any research and development done within the state of California, the California State R&D Credit is equal to the sum of: 1) 15% of qualified expenses that exceed a base amount + 2) 24% of basic research payments.

A Series A IT Management Software Company approached Neo.Tax to help with their R&D Credit filing. With a revenue of $1.5M and $9M in expenses, the rapidly growing startup was able to claim $150,000 via the Federal R&D Credit. And how much more could they claim via California’s State R&D Credit? $50,000! 

That extra $200K in their coffers was a game-changer during this precarious economic moment. And all it took was reaching out to Neo.Tax. As founders know, there’s almost no such thing as free money. But this credit was built by Congress and by 38 states to incentivize innovation within their borders. So, the money is available to innovators. All you have to do is claim it.

Book a call with an expert at Neo.Tax and we’ll walk you through the entire process. It’s easy and takes less than 30 minutes. So, what are you waiting for?