R&D Credits Hidden in Everyday Business
About the Webinar:
Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Time: 12 – 1 PM | Eastern
CPE Credit: One Hour
Many companies leave money on the table because they assume R&D credits only apply to laboratories, patents, breakthrough inventions, or formal research departments.
In reality, qualifying work may be happening inside everyday business activity. It can show up when a company improves a product, redesigns a process, builds custom software, tests materials, develops prototypes, resolves design failures, or works through technical uncertainty.
The challenge is that many companies never get far enough to evaluate the credit. They hear “R&D” and immediately decide, “That’s not us.”
In this session, Bennett Thrasher Credits & Incentives Partner Nina Desai will explain how companies can identify potential R&D credit activity, understand the four-part test, recognize which costs may qualify, and avoid common documentation gaps.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why companies often self-disqualify too early
- What R&D credit activity may look like in ordinary business operations
- How the four-part test applies in plain English
- Which activities generally do and do not qualify
- What expenses may be included, including wages, supplies, contractors, and certain cloud costs
- How documentation can help support a defensible claim
- How the payroll tax offset may benefit certain early-stage or growth companies
Who Should Attend:
- CFOs, controllers, and finance leaders
- Tax directors and accounting professionals
- Business owners and executives at growing companies
- Companies improving products, processes, software, formulas, or technical methods
- Manufacturing, software, construction, engineering, food and beverage, medical device, distribution, and technology companies
- Early-stage or growth companies investing in technical development
- Anyone who wants to better understand whether everyday problem-solving may support an R&D credit
Meet Your Expert:
Presenter:
Nina Desai
Partner, Credits & Incentives
Bennett Thrasher
