fondo-core-workflow-b

# Fondo Core Workflow B: R&D Tax Credits ## Overview Claim R&D tax credits through Fondo. Startups with US W-2 employees doing qualifying R&D can offset up to $500,000/year in payroll taxes (FICA). Fondo's CPA team prepares the Form 6765 study. ## R&D Credit Calculation ``` Qualifying R&D Expenses: W-2 wages for R&D employees: $480,000 Contractor payments (65%): $78,000 Cloud compute (AWS/GCP): $36,000 Software tools for R&D: $12,000 -------- Total Qualified Research Expenses: $606,000 Credit Rate (Alternative Simplified): ~6-8% Estimated R&D Credit: ~$42,000 ``` ## Qualifying Activities | Qualifies | Does NOT Qualify | |-----------|-----------------| | Developing new software features | Routine maintenance/bug fixes | | Improving existing algorithms | Marketing or sales activities | | Building internal tools | Purchasing off-the-shelf software | | API integrations requiring experimentation | Simple data entry or configuration | | Machine learning model development | General management | | Infrastructure automation | Accounting or legal work | ## Timeline | Month | Activity | |-------|----------| | Jan-Feb | Fondo collects prior year R&D data from payroll and expenses | | Mar | CPA team interviews founders about qualifying activities | | Apr | R&D credit study prepared, Form 6765 drafted | | Apr 15 | Filed with corporate tax return (or extension) | | May-Jun...