Research and Development lodgement time
Business Advisory Services Update
Accountants who assist SMEs with advice on R&D know that the deadline for the lodgment of the R&D Tax Incentive application – Registration of R&D activities is 30 April 2024.
A summary of R&D activities undertaken during 2022/23 is required to be lodged with AusIndustry, who conduct a review on the details of the R&D activities undertaken including:
Summary of projects undertaken during the year including the R&D plan that the company has developed for the individual projects.
Confirmation that the company has maintained a complete record of work undertaken on R&D activities and the costs of that work and that these records are available for audit if required.
Project plans – information required – objectives of the project, prior art searches conducted, new knowledge intended to be produced from this activity – confirmation that the outcomes could not have been known or determined in advance – details of professionals that have assisted in the work – identification of the hypothesis or hypotheses.
Board of Directors minutes approving the undertaking of R&D activities.
Details of the planning of the systematic progression of work – prior art search – core activities – what was the strategy for the ‘generation of new knowledge’ – experiments to be undertaken?
Summary of experiments undertaken and the results of those experiments.
Details of time spent on the various research and development projects.
If your client obtained approval from the ATO for research activities to be ‘conducted overseas’, a copy of that approval letter needs to be attached.
If your client obtained an ‘advanced finding’ from ATO, a copy of the approval letter from the ATO should be attached with the return.
Details of projects still in progress at the end of the financial year.
If you are giving consideration to introducing a range of Advisory Services to your SME clients, R&D is an area of opportunity for Accountants and Bookkeepers to develop an understanding of the processes involved so that Advisory Services can be provided.
To find out more, you’re invited to register to our complimentary webinar – ‘Business Advisory Services Starter Package’ – on Wednesday 3 April at 1.30pm AEST. CLICK HERE to register.
