Section 174 Calculator

Section 174 now requires all software companies filing taxes in the US to capitalise and amortise their R&D expenses.

Revenue:
US entity revenue
$0k
$0k
$3,000k
Expenses:
R&D expenses incurred within US borders
$0k
$0k
$3,000k
R&D expenses incurred outside the US (via foreign vendors, foreign contractors or foreign subsidiary employees)
$0k
$0k
$3,000k
Other deductible non R&D expenses (eg. other salaries, marketing costs, softwares, office rent, travel etc.)
$0k
$0k
$3,000k
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
This tax is payable for 2022 whether you think you were loss-making or not
After Section 174
Revenue
0.0 k
Expenses
0.0 k
- R&D (Domestic)
Ammortization is limited to 6 months for the first year
0.0 k
- R&D (International)
Ammortization is limited to 6 months for the first year
0.0 k
- Non R&D
0.0 k
Taxable Income
0.0 k
Taxes owed
0.0 k
R&D Tax Credits 🎉
Eligible taxpayers can claim R&D credits and further reduce their taxes owed
~ 0.0 k
Final taxes owed
0.0 k
Before Section 174
Revenue
0.0 k
Expenses
0.0 k
- R&D (Domestic)
0.0 k
- R&D (International)
0.0 k
- Non R&D
0.0 k
Taxable Income
0.0 k
Taxes owed
0.0 k
R&D Tax Credits 🎉
Eligible taxpayers can claim R&D credits and further reduce their taxes owed
~ 0.0 k
Final taxes owed
0.0 k
Tax is payable even though you are incurring loss
Higher taxes are owed due to the new laws

What is Section 174?

Established in 1954, Section 174 outlines the guidelines for businesses when it comes to deducting research and experimental (R&E) expenditures. Initially, businesses could promptly deduct their research and development costs, encouraging robust engagement in activities aimed at performance enhancement and product development.

Yet, recent revisions have introduced a layer of intricacy to this framework. As of December 31, 2021, a new mandate requires businesses to amortise all R&D expenses over five years. This amortisation period extends to 15 years for expenses linked to foreign research initiatives.

Exploring the Section 174 Calculator

To facilitate estimation, our calculator operates under the following assumptions:

  1. Uniformity in revenue, expenses, and the estimated percentage of expenses allocated to R&D each year.
  2. Consideration that all R&D expenses qualify for the R&D tax credit.
  3. We consider the corporate income tax at 21%.

FAQs

‍What are R&D expenses?

Generally this is the bulk of software development expense, which is often in the form of software engineer salaries. However, you can exclude the time they spend on maintenance (such as support and bug fixes).

‍What does the Section 174 impact mean for you?

Instead of a full deduction of the R&D expenses upfront in the year it was incurred, you'll now have to spread (amortize) them over 5 years (US R&D) or 15 years (foreign R&D).

‍What's the Section 174 impact?

For your 2022 tax year and beyond, your taxable income might increase, possibly leading to due taxes even if you think you were loss making.

‍Curious about the impact of Section 174 on your taxes? 🤔

Take the guesswork out and see the numbers for yourself.

Still have questions?

Reach out to our support team if you have any additional questions regarding filing.