Incentives, Refunds And Rebates For The Aerospace Industry
Many aerospace companies are unaware that the government offers generous research and development (R&D) incentive programs. Other companies are aware of the R&D Tax Credit, but fail to take full advantage due to misconceptions about the types of research and development activities that qualify. The fact is that a broad range of common aerospace industry practices will qualify for the credit under the Internal Revenue Code’s definition of R&D. Research and development is not limited to the work of dedicated scientists. Aerospace industry engineers, technologists, designers, and machinists often spend a substantial portion of their time developing superior designs and manufacturing practices in an effort to remain competitive. This continuous evolution of technologies provides ample opportunities for companies to take advantage of these tax incentive programs.
If your company operates in the aerospace industry, there is a strong chance that you would benefit from an R&D tax credit study.
Examples of aerospace innovations eligible for R&D tax incentives include the following:
- Designing new aircraft or spacecraft
- Developing new or improved metal forming, welding, and machining techniques
- Developing new composite materials and manufacturing methods
- Designing new jigs, dies, fixtures, and tooling
- Implementing automated processes and robotics
- Generating prototypes and first articles for testing and validation
- Developing new or improved fasteners and bonding agents
- Conducting design validation testing to satisfy regulatory requirements
- Developing new applications for engineering plastics
- Designing new methods for manufacturing avionics and cable harness assemblies
- Developing new surface treatment, passivation, and coating methods
- Developing new surface hardening methods
- Developing new alloys and powdered metallurgies
- Innovating ways to optimize strength and minimize weight
- Developing new heat treatment profiles and procedures
- Designing and developing of scaled-up manufacturing processes
- Experimenting with ways to increase product yield and decrease cycle times
- Innovating ways to improve a product quality
- Developing new or improved manufacturing processes
- Developing new or improved technologies