Audit Defense Support
Facing an R&D tax credit examination? creditARMOR helps assess your claim, organize supporting evidence, and prepare for the questions raised by the examining authority.
Support for an Existing R&D Tax Credit Examination
If your business is already under an R&D tax credit examination, you can use the free creditARMOR mock audit to organize your records against the examiner's questions. creditARMOR is a free service. Passing this mock audit does not guarantee that your claim will pass an IRS examination. If needed, Swanson Reed can assist you with representation before the IRS.
Before any Swanson Reed engagement begins, we will explain how the mock audit assesses your evidence and the scope, limits and fees of the engagement.
Before examination support begins, a written engagement will identify the examination, tax years, services included, fees, service limits, and any expenses your business remains responsible for. Engagements remain subject to applicable conflict-of-interest rules and professional requirements.
Neither creditARMOR nor any Swanson Reed engagement pays or reimburses 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.
What audit support may include
- Reviewing the examination notice and issues raised by the tax authority
- Organizing technical project records, payroll information, contracts, and financial documentation
- Developing a response plan and tracking deadlines within the agreed scope
- Helping prepare responses to IRS Information Document Requests or comparable state requests
- Preparing relevant personnel to explain the research activities and supporting records
- Communicating with the examining authority through an appropriately authorized representative
Representation requires an appropriately authorized professional and any necessary taxpayer authorization. Services outside the written scope, including appeals or litigation, must be separately agreed.
Who represents you: creditARMOR does not represent taxpayers. If needed, Swanson Reed can assist you with representation before the IRS. Communications with a non-attorney practitioner may be protected only to the limited extent provided by IRC 7525, which does not apply to criminal matters or written communications promoting tax shelters.
Who this service is for
This service is for businesses currently facing a federal or state R&D tax credit examination and seeking assistance with the claim under review. If your business is preparing documentation before an examination begins, explore our Audit Readiness or AI-Powered R&D Tax Credit Review services. Those services do not include or reserve assistance with a future audit.
Discuss your existing audit (opens in a new tab)How it works
Step 1: Discuss your existing examination
Tell us which tax authority is examining your claim, the tax years involved, and any upcoming deadlines.
Step 2: Review how the mock audit works
We explain the information required, how the mock audit assesses your evidence, and the scope, limits and fees of any Swanson Reed engagement before you proceed. creditARMOR is a free service.
Step 3: Complete the creditARMOR mock audit
Our AI-assisted review helps identify documentation gaps, inconsistencies, and issues requiring professional evaluation.
Step 4: Confirm the engagement
If you want Swanson Reed's help with the examination, the services, fees and limits are documented in a written engagement. Passing this mock audit does not guarantee that your claim will pass an IRS examination.
The review depends on complete and accurate information. AI can make mistakes or overlook relevant facts. Its output should be evaluated by a qualified tax professional before it is relied upon or submitted to a tax authority.
Service terms and 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 Swanson Reed service does not purchase or reserve future audit services.
An accepted 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 Guaranteed Outcome or Reimbursement
A favorable mock audit result does not guarantee acceptance of your claim, prevent adjustments, or eliminate potential tax, interest, or penalties. The services described here do not provide reimbursement or financial indemnity for audit-related expenses or losses.
creditARMOR provides a free R&D tax credit mock audit. It is not insurance and does not cover professional fees, tax, interest or penalties. Any Swanson Reed engagement concerns professional services for a specifically identified, existing examination, with no commitment to provide services if a future audit occurs.
Deadlines and Taxpayer Responsibilities
Contacting Swanson Reed or submitting information for review does not extend any government deadline. Until an engagement is accepted, do not assume that Swanson Reed is handling your examination or monitoring response dates.
Your business remains responsible for its tax obligations and the accuracy and completeness of information it supplies. Responsibilities undertaken by Swanson Reed are governed by the accepted engagement and applicable law.
This page provides general information only and is not tax or legal advice. No particular audit or tax outcome is guaranteed. Neither creditARMOR nor a favorable mock audit result constitutes approval or endorsement by the IRS or any state tax authority. creditARMOR is an independent simulation. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Internal Revenue Service or any state tax agency. Services are subject to applicable law, professional requirements, and the written engagement. Contact Swanson Reed to discuss your specific circumstances.
Where creditARMOR helps
The parts of the platform this service draws on.
- Draft federal & state IDR-style questionsThe questions an examiner is likely to put in an Information Document Request, drafted per project: eight project-level federal questions and two state questions for each business component, plus the company-wide federal and state questions answered once from your forms. See the feature
- Evidence scoringEvery IDR question is rated Strong, Weak or Missing against the files you uploaded. See the feature
- Draft examiner responsesA suggested draft reply for each IDR-style question, listing the documents provided in support. Every response must be reviewed for accuracy and completeness by you and your authorized representative before it is submitted. See the feature
- Risk report exportExport the full risk report as PDF, and each project's IDR-style response as Word, PDF or Google Docs, to share with your CFO, your CPA or your specialist. See the feature
Related services
- AI-Powered R&D Tax Credit ReviewMachine-assisted analysis of your projects, payroll and ledgers to estimate your credit and identify documentation gaps before you file.
- Audit ReadinessStress-test an existing or planned claim against the evidence standards examiners commonly apply.
- Compliance ReviewAn independent second opinion on methodology, base period calculations and multi-state apportionment.
- Documentation BuilderCapture engineering activity as it happens so project narratives are supported by contemporaneous records — continuously, not annually.
Common questions
What is the relationship between creditARMOR and Swanson Reed?
creditARMOR and TaxTrex are products of Swanson Reed, a specialist R&D tax advisory practice. creditarmor.ai is operated by RandD Tax Credit Solutions LLC. Swanson Reed's specialists provide technical review and multi-jurisdiction experience under separate engagements. If needed, Swanson Reed can assist you with representation before the IRS.
How does creditARMOR use AI in a claim?
In the mock audit, AI (Google Gemini) reads the documents you upload, matches them to the examiner-style questions, rates the evidence, drafts first-pass responses and flags inconsistencies. In Swanson Reed's separate services, automation also parses ledgers and payroll data and groups activity into candidate projects. If requested, a person at Swanson Reed can review your mock audit results and re-perform the mock audit for assurance. The taxpayer remains responsible for the positions on its return.
Run a free R&D tax credit mock audit.
You can also book a free thirty-minute scoping call with a specialist. Upload your files and see how your evidence would hold up to the questions an IRS examiner is likely to ask. A higher score means a more audit-ready claim.
creditARMOR is a free service. Passing this mock audit does not guarantee that your claim will pass an IRS examination. Book a call or email hello@creditarmor.ai for a login.