Federal Tax Incentives

For Your Business

Most business owners overpay their federal taxes — not because they did anything wrong, but because the credits they’ve earned are buried in forms they’ve never had reason to open. Every year, real money goes unclaimed simply because no one connected the dots between what a business already does and the incentives Congress created to reward it.

What are federal tax incentives?

Federal tax incentives are credits and deductions the government offers to encourage specific business activity — research, hiring, clean energy, employee benefits, and more. The most valuable ones are tax credits, which reduce your tax bill dollar-for-dollar (a deduction only reduces the income you’re taxed on).

Most business credits flow through a single umbrella called the General Business Credit (IRS Form 3800). The nice part: if you can’t use the full credit in one year, it generally carries back one year and forward up to 20 — so the value rarely disappears. The hard part: each credit has its own rules, its own form, and its own documentation standards. That’s where an advisor pays for itself.

Below is a quick overview of the credits we work with most — click into any one to dive into the details, eligibility rules, and real numbers.

Explore the Federal Credits We Service

R&D Tax Credit

You don’t need a laboratory to qualify. If your business develops or improves products, software, processes, formulas, or techniques, the R&D credit rewards the wages, supplies, and contract-research costs tied to that work — typically worth about 6% to 10% of your qualified research spending. Younger companies can even apply up to $500,000 a year against payroll taxes instead of income tax.

Explore the R&D Tax Credit — how to qualify, what counts as research, and how we build an audit-ready claim.

Work Opportunity Tax Credit

If you hire, you should be screening for WOTC. It rewards employers for hiring from targeted groups — veterans, the long-term unemployed, certain benefit recipients, and others — with credits of $2,400 to $9,600 per eligible hire. Without a system in place, it’s easy to miss out on this valuable credit. Currently the WOTC is not available due to a legislative lapse.

Explore the Work Opportunity Tax Credit — who qualifies, current program status, and how we build screening into your hiring.

Energy & Investment Tax Credit

Investing in your facilities can pay you back at tax time. The Investment Tax Credit rewards businesses that install renewable-energy property — solar, battery storage, and more — and that rehabilitate certified historic buildings. Depending on the project, the energy credit can be worth 30% or more of your investment when wage and apprenticeship standards are met, with additional bonuses available.

Explore the Energy & Investment Tax Credit — eligible property, the bonus adders, and how to avoid recapture.

Employer & Workforce Credits

Some of the most overlooked credits reward you for taking care of your people — from starting a retirement plan to offering childcare, paid leave, and health coverage. Several are designed specifically for small businesses, and many go unclaimed year after year.

Explore the Employer & Workforce Credits — specific programs, size or wage requirements, and how to document your qualification.

Connect with us to learn more…

With a 15-minute discovery call, we can help you determine your eligibility across multiple credits and incentives.