creditARMOR in numbers
- Federal and state programs tracked
- 37
- Test applied to every project
- 4-part
- Annual payroll tax offset available
- $500k
- Federal credit carryforward
- 20 yrs
A Swanson Reed R&D tax credit platform
Pass your R&D tax audit before it happens.
creditARMOR runs a mock R&D tax audit on your federal and state research credit claim: the examiner’s questions, your evidence scored, and a fix plan, so the claim is examination-ready.
Free R&D mock audit: completely free, no card, no subscription.
Benefits
A research credit is only worth what survives examination. Everything we do is shaped by that.
How it works
From first conversation to a file you can defend
Four stages. Automation handles volume; specialists own every position that reaches a return.
Step 01
Scope the claim
A short conversation on entities, tax years, systems and prior credit history. You leave with a clear view of what is worth reviewing.
Step 02
Analyse the evidence
Payroll, ledgers and engineering records are clustered into candidate projects. Specialists apply the four-part test before anything is treated as qualified.
Step 03
Document and file-ready
Project narratives, cost schedules and gap lists are assembled so the claim is examination-ready — not just a number on a worksheet.
Step 04
Defend when needed
The same team that built the file supports IDRs and examinations, so the story on the return matches the evidence on hand.
What we do
A complete research credit function, without building one in-house
Eight service lines that cover the full lifecycle of a claim: finding it, calculating it, documenting it and defending it.
- AI-Powered R&D Tax Credit ReviewMachine-assisted analysis of your projects, payroll and ledgers to size a defensible credit before you file. — Learn more
- Audit ReadinessStress-test an existing or planned claim against the evidence standards examiners actually apply. — Learn more
- Compliance ReviewAn independent second opinion on methodology, base period calculations and multi-state apportionment. — Learn more
- Documentation BuilderTurn engineering activity into contemporaneous, examination-ready project narratives — continuously, not annually. — Learn more
- Audit Defense SupportFacing an R&D tax credit examination? We help assess your claim, organize supporting evidence and prepare for the examiner's questions. — Learn more
- Risk AssessmentQuantify exposure across open tax years before a lender, acquirer or examiner does it for you. — Learn more
- Professional TrainingPractical R&D credit training for CPA firms, in-house tax teams and finance functions. — Learn more
- WorkshopsFacilitated working sessions that produce a documented credit position in a single day. — Learn more
Built for companies that will be asked to justify the number
- Defensible by construction
- Every position is built on contemporaneous evidence and mapped to the statute, so the file is examination-ready the day it is filed.
- Faster to a credible number
- Automated data analysis compresses weeks of ledger and payroll review into days, without shortening the specialist review that follows.
- Federal and state in one pass
- State programs are analysed alongside the federal claim, including refundable, transferable and application-gated programs with hard deadlines.
- Backed by specialists
- Technical review and examination defense come from the Swanson Reed bench, a practice built exclusively around research credits.
AI you can audit
Every AI answer is checked against your documents
Three independent AI models cross-check every answer against your documents. An answer stands only when it is supported; anything that is not is flagged for a specialist to review.
- Answers are confirmed only when the models agree they are supported
- Figures are taken from your records, not from the model
- Unsupported statements are flagged, never silently kept
Answer check
Illustrative“Prototype testing ran from March to June.”
- Model 1: supported
- Model 2: supported
- Model 3: supported
Confirmed: supported by the documents
“Three design alternatives were evaluated.”
- Model 1: supported
- Model 2: not supported
- Model 3: supported
Flagged: sent to a specialist for review
Free R&D mock audit · Completely free
A free R&D mock audit: see your claim the way the examiner will
Run a mock R&D tax audit before anyone else does. For each project it drafts the IRS and state examiner questions, scores the evidence behind every answer, measures the audit risk and turns each gap into a fix.
Completely freeThe R&D mock audit is completely free. To get access, book a call or email hello@creditarmor.ai.
What the free R&D mock audit includesRead the R&D tax audit guide
Mock audit report · Sample Co. · TY2025
SampleState check
- Federal credit (IRC §41)Applies
- Texas programVerify rules
Draft IDR
- Q1.Describe the technical uncertainty for each business component.
- Q2.Provide documents showing the process of experimentation.
- Q3.Reconcile qualified wages to payroll records.
Evidence scoring
- Permitted purpose Strong
- Technological in nature Strong
- Elimination of uncertainty Weak
- Process of experimentation Missing
Fix plan
- Upload test logs for Project BLow effort
- Rewrite the uncertainty narrative from sprint recordsMedium effort
Mock audit · Sample Co.
Tax year 2025 readiness
Audit readiness
- Federal
- 84 out of 100
- State · Texas
- 66 out of 100
Evidence
- Strong
Wages allocated to qualified projects
Payroll export matched to 3 projects
- Weak
Technical uncertainty documented
Narrative written after the work ended
- Missing
Experimentation records
No test logs uploaded for Project B
State check
The programs that apply, and the rules that need verifying.
Draft IDR
The questions an examiner is likely to ask, drafted from your file.
Evidence scoring
Each answer rated Strong, Weak or Missing against its evidence.
Fix plan
Specific steps to close each gap, with the effort involved.
Simple process
See how it works
A short walkthrough of the platform, from the first review to the mock audit.
Why creditARMOR
Specialist judgement, accelerated by automation
The software does the volume work. People make every decision that ends up on a return.
Specialists, not generalists
Research credits are all we do. That focus is why our reviews find qualifying work that general practices miss and why we know where claims fail.
Evidence before estimates
We will tell you when a project does not qualify. A smaller claim that survives examination is worth more than a large one that does not.
Documentation as a system
Records are captured continuously from the tools your teams already use, so the annual claim is assembly rather than reconstruction.
Defense included in the thinking
Claims are prepared by the same people who defend them, which changes what gets written down and what gets left out.
Credit database
Federal and 36 state R&D credit programs, in one searchable place
Rates, refundability, carryforward periods, application deadlines and official links — kept in a structure designed to grow into new states and countries.
Who we help
Built for three kinds of teams
Whether you own the tax file, advise clients, or run the engineering org, creditARMOR is shaped around how R&D credit work actually gets done.
CFOs and finance leaders
You need a credit estimate you can stand behind, documentation that survives scrutiny, and a clear view of federal and state exposure before the return is filed.
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CPA firms and tax advisors
Bring specialist R&D review and examination support into client engagements without building a dedicated research-credit practice of your own.
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Engineering-led companies
When development never stops, qualification and documentation have to follow the work — not an annual scramble through tickets and payroll after the fact.
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FAQ
Common questions about the research credit
More detail on qualification, timing and process is on the FAQ page.
What is the R&D tax credit?
The federal research and development tax credit, found at Section 41 of the Internal Revenue Code, is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in tax liability for businesses that invest in technical experimentation in the United States. Most states run their own parallel program, and a company can often claim both for the same work.
Does my company need a laboratory to qualify?
No. Qualification turns on a four-part test, not on job titles or facilities. Software teams, manufacturers, engineering firms, food and beverage producers and many others qualify because they resolve technical uncertainty through a documented process of experimentation.
What are the four parts of the qualification test?
The activity must have a permitted purpose (improving function, performance, reliability or quality), be technological in nature, seek to eliminate technical uncertainty, and involve a process of experimentation such as modelling, simulation or systematic trial and evaluation.
We are pre-revenue and pay no income tax. Is the credit still useful?
Often, yes. Qualified small businesses may elect to apply up to $500,000 of federal credit each year against payroll taxes. Several states pay cash refunds, and a handful allow unused credits to be sold to other taxpayers.
How far back can we claim?
Amended returns are generally available for three years from the filing date, so a company that has never claimed can often recover credits for several open years. Rules differ by state, and some state programs require an application before the spending occurs.
Find out what your research actually qualifies for
A scoping conversation takes thirty minutes and costs nothing. You leave with a view on eligibility, likely credit range and the documentation you would need.
Free R&D mock audit: completely free. Book a call or email hello@creditarmor.ai for a login.