Who We Are
CreditArmor is a technology-led research and development tax credit practice serving companies across the United States. We help businesses identify qualifying research, calculate federal and state credits, build supporting documentation as work happens, and respond to questions from tax authorities within the scope of an agreed engagement.
The practice was built around a practical observation: research credit claims need a clear connection between the technical work performed and the expenses claimed. Reconstructing that connection years later can be difficult, particularly when project records are incomplete or the people involved have moved on.
Our approach is to make documentation part of the research and engineering workflow. We use automation to organize information and identify inconsistencies, while keeping professional judgments with specialists.
Our Relationship with Swanson Reed
CreditArmor operates as part of Swanson Reed, a specialist tax advisory practice focused on research and development incentives. Swanson Reed works with businesses across multiple jurisdictions, bringing a focused approach to the technical and documentation requirements of research incentives.
That relationship gives CreditArmor engagements access to specialists for technical review, documentation, and assistance with existing examinations. Clients benefit from technology-supported analysis alongside professional evaluation of the facts and applicable requirements.
The services, responsibilities, and provider for each engagement are identified in its written terms. Using CreditArmor does not automatically include every service offered by Swanson Reed.
How We Work
Start with Scoping
Every engagement starts with a free initial scoping review that produces a preliminary written view on eligibility and a potential credit range, based on the information available. Where there is insufficient information to estimate a range, we explain what is needed. If the work appears not to qualify, we explain that before proposing a paid engagement.
Scoping is an initial assessment, not a final eligibility determination or a guarantee of a credit. Any subsequent services and fees are agreed separately.
Connect Projects to Expenses
Depending on the engagement and available data, automated analysis helps organize payroll, ledger, and engineering records into an initial map of projects and expenses. Specialists evaluate candidate projects against the federal four-part test and other applicable requirements, including relevant state rules, and document the basis for their conclusions.
Build the Supporting Record
We develop the claim analysis and supporting documentation together. The aim is to explain what your business sought to develop, the technical uncertainties it faced, the experimentation performed, and how the claimed expenses connect to that work.
Preparing an explanation of a claim does not include a commitment to represent your business in a future examination.
Keep Professional Judgment with Specialists
Automation helps manage large volumes of information. It does not replace professional judgment. AI can make mistakes or overlook relevant facts, so its output must be evaluated before it is relied upon or submitted to a tax authority.
We do not price documentation or audit defense work as a percentage of an unverified credit estimate. We explain the scope and pricing of paid services before work begins.
What We Help Businesses Do
- Review potential R&D tax credit eligibility through AI-assisted analysis and specialist evaluation.
- Organize supporting documentation that connects research activities with claimed expenses.
- Review claims for potential compliance issues and identify questions requiring further investigation.
- Prepare records for potential examination questions without purchasing or reserving future audit assistance.
- Obtain assistance with an existing R&D tax credit examination under a separate written engagement.
Pro Bono Services for an Existing Audit
If your business is currently subject to an R&D tax credit audit and the claim under examination passes our creditARMOR mock audit, Swanson Reed will provide its own audit services for that existing examination pro bono, without charging professional service fees for the services included in the engagement.
This offer applies only to an examination already underway when you request assistance. Swanson Reed must confirm the qualifying mock audit result in writing. Passing the review does not establish that a claim is correct or guarantee acceptance by a tax authority.
Before you agree to the qualifying mock audit, we will explain the assessment criteria, the scope and limits of the pro bono assistance, and any fee for the mock audit itself. The free initial scoping review and the qualifying mock audit are separate services. The pro bono offer does not mean that the mock audit, software subscriptions, or other services are free.
Before audit assistance begins, a written engagement will identify the existing examination, tax years, included services, service limits, and any expenses your business remains responsible for. Engagements remain subject to applicable conflict-of-interest rules and professional requirements.
Pro bono assistance does not include payment or reimbursement of third-party CPA or attorney fees, taxes, interest, penalties, denied credits, or other financial losses. Appeals and litigation are excluded unless expressly included in writing and handled by appropriately authorized professionals.
Representation before a tax authority requires an appropriately authorized professional and any necessary taxpayer authorization. Contacting us or submitting information for review does not extend a government deadline or mean that we have accepted responsibility for your examination.
Read the audit defense support details and service limitations.
No Promise of Future Audit Assistance
Completing or passing a mock audit before an examination begins does not create an entitlement to assistance if your business is audited later. Purchasing a review, subscribing to software, or using another CreditArmor or Swanson Reed service does not purchase or reserve future audit services.
An accepted audit engagement applies only to the existing examination and tax years identified in writing. It does not commit Swanson Reed to assist with another examination or proceeding. This page does not amend an existing engagement or remove obligations already undertaken.
No insurance policy, reimbursement benefit, or financial indemnity is offered through the services described on this page. There is no promise to pay losses or provide services upon the occurrence of a future audit.
Our Commitment to Clear Advice
We explain what the available evidence supports, where information is missing, and which issues require further investigation. When a position is unsupported, our role is to identify the problem and discuss appropriate next steps.
Your business remains responsible for providing accurate and complete information and meeting its tax obligations. Our responsibilities are defined by the accepted engagement and applicable law. No review, calculation, or documentation process can guarantee a tax outcome.
For more information about substantiation, see the IRS guidance on research credit recordkeeping.
Talk to Our Team
Whether you are evaluating research credit eligibility, improving your documentation, or responding to an existing examination, we can discuss your circumstances and explain the relevant service options.
Book an initial scoping conversation
Disclaimer: This page provides general information only and is not tax or legal advice. Preliminary estimates and mock audit results do not guarantee eligibility, a particular credit amount, or an audit outcome. Neither CreditArmor nor Swanson Reed is endorsed by the IRS or any state tax authority. Services are subject to applicable law, professional requirements, and the written engagement. Contact Swanson Reed to discuss your specific circumstances.