Legislation updates

How this log works

This log records dated changes to the rules and official guidance of the seven R&D incentive schemes, in the order United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore within each year. Each entry names the country, the measure and the date it applies from, describes the change in the wording of the official source, links to the country page that explains the current rules, and names the source. A measure announced but not enacted is labelled proposed until it is legislated, and the current rules apply until then.

2027

Ireland, 35 percent credit rate (return filing dates on or after 23 September 2027)

The credit rate is 35% of qualifying expenditure where the corporation tax return filing date is on or after 23 September 2027, which typically means accounting periods ending on or after 31 December 2026. Where the 35% rate applies, the first instalment threshold is €87,500. See Ireland. Source: Revenue, R&D Corporation Tax credit.

2026

United States, Form 6765 Section G (tax years beginning after 2025)

For tax years beginning after 2025, Section G of Form 6765 asks for information about each business component, with some exceptions. For tax year 2024 Section G was optional for all filers. See Form 6765. Source: IRS Instructions for Form 6765.

United States (Texas), Senate Bill 2206 of 2025 (reports due on or after January 1, 2026)

Senate Bill 2206 repealed Tax Code chapter 171 subchapter M and replaced it with subchapter T for franchise tax reports due on or after January 1, 2026. Texas qualified research expenses now follow current federal rules, based on the federal Form 6765 amounts attributable to research conducted in Texas, and an entity that owes no franchise tax for a period can receive the credit as a refund. See State credits. Source: Texas Tax Code chapter 171 subchapter T; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

Canada, optional pre-claim approval (1 April 2026)

Optional pre-claim approval has been available since 1 April 2026, to have planned work assessed before you incur most of the cost. It gives a determination on the eligibility of planned SR&ED work that the CRA will honour where the work is carried out as described in the application. See How to claim in Canada. Source: CRA, How to apply for pre-claim approval.

Canada (British Columbia), BC Budget 2026 changes to the BC SR&ED tax credit (announced 17 February 2026)

BC Budget 2026 (17 February 2026) announced the removal of the September 2027 expiry, the extension of the refundable credit to eligible Canadian public corporations, the C$6 million expenditure limit with the C$15 million to C$75 million taxable capital phase-out, and restored capital expenditures, all for tax years beginning on or after 16 December 2024. See British Columbia SR&ED tax credit. Source: Government of British Columbia, B.C. provincial budget tax changes.

Australia, 2026-27 Budget measures (announced 12 May 2026, proposed from 1 July 2028)

These measures are proposed and not yet law: announced in the 2026-27 Budget (12 May 2026) and proposed from 1 July 2028, they have not been legislated and current rules apply until then. They are a 4.5 percentage point increase in offset rates for core R&D; removal of supporting R&D activities from eligibility; intensity threshold reduced from 2 percent to 1.5 percent; refundable offset turnover threshold raised to A$50 million; minimum notional deductions raised from A$20,000 to A$50,000; maximum expenditure threshold raised from A$150 million to A$200 million; companies more than 10 years old no longer eligible for the refundable offset. See Australia. Source: Australian Government, Budget 2026-27.

Singapore, AI adoption added to the Enterprise Innovation Scheme (Budget 2026)

Budget 2026 added AI adoption as an EIS qualifying activity for YA 2027 and YA 2028: 400% deduction on up to S$50,000 a year, with no cash payout option. See Enterprise Innovation Scheme. Source: IRAS, Enterprise Innovation Scheme (EIS).

2025

United States, section 174A (Public Law 119-21, 2025)

Section 174A, added in 2025, allows domestic research or experimental expenditures paid or incurred in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024 to be deducted currently, with an election to amortise over not less than 60 months. Foreign research or experimental expenditures remain subject to 15-year amortisation under section 174. See Section 174. Source: 26 U.S. Code section 174A.

United States (Georgia), research credit carryforward period (taxable years beginning on or after 1 January 2025)

Unused Georgia research credit can be carried forward for 10 years for credits from taxable years beginning before 1 January 2025, and for 5 years for credits from taxable years beginning on or after that date. See Georgia research credit. Source: O.C.G.A. section 48-7-40.12, Georgia Department of Revenue.

United States (California), Senate Bill 711 (taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2025)

For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2025, Senate Bill 711 repealed the alternative incremental credit and adopted an alternative simplified credit of 3 percent of qualified research expenses above 50 percent of the average for the three preceding years. California does not apply the federal research expenditure amortization changes for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2022. See California. Source: Franchise Tax Board, 2025 Instructions for Form 3523.

Ireland, first instalment threshold of €75,000 (periods commencing on or after 1 January 2025)

The first instalment is the greater of 50% of the claim or a fixed threshold: €75,000 for periods commencing on or after 1 January 2025 that end before 31 December 2026. Finance Act 2024 raised it from 50,000 euro to 75,000 euro. See Payable credit instalments. Source: Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, section 766C.

Canada, Budget 2025 and Bill C-15 (tax years beginning after 15 December 2024)

The expenditure limit is C$6 million a year, for tax years beginning after 15 December 2024. Eligible Canadian public corporations can access the enhanced 35 percent refundable credit for those years, with the expenditure limit phased out where average gross revenue over the three preceding years is between C$15 million and C$75 million. Capital expenditures for property acquired on or after 16 December 2024 are again eligible, with refundability of 40 percent for CCPCs. See CCPC enhanced refund. Source: Department of Finance Canada, Budget 2025 and Bill C-15.

2024

United Kingdom, merged R&D expenditure credit scheme and ERIS (accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2024)

For accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2024, most companies claim under the merged R&D expenditure credit scheme, and loss-making SMEs that are R&D intensive can claim ERIS instead. The expenditure credit is 20 percent of qualifying expenditure and is taxable. Notional tax on the credit is deducted at the main rate (25 percent) for companies paying the main rate, giving a net benefit of 15 percent, and at the small profits rate (19 percent) for loss-making companies and companies paying the small profits rate, giving a net benefit of 16.2 percent. See Merged scheme. Source: GOV.UK, merged scheme and ERIS guidance.

United Kingdom, R&D intensity threshold reduced to 30 percent (accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2024)

The R&D intensity threshold was 40 percent for the enhanced SME relief for expenditure from 1 April 2023 and reduced to 30 percent for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2024. See ERIS. Source: GOV.UK, merged scheme and ERIS guidance.

Ireland, 30 percent credit rate (accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2024)

The credit is 30% of qualifying expenditure for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2024. See Ireland. Source: Revenue, R&D Corporation Tax credit.

Earlier

United Kingdom, additional information form (claims submitted on or after 8 August 2023)

An additional information form is required for all R&D claims submitted on or after 8 August 2023, regardless of the accounting period. If it is not submitted before the Company Tax Return, HMRC will remove the R&D claim from the return. See Additional information form. Source: GOV.UK, Submit detailed information before you claim.

United Kingdom, claim notification (accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2023)

The claim notification requirement applies to accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2023. Where a claim notification is required and is not made within the claim notification period, the company is not entitled to make an R&D claim for the accounting period. See Claim notification. Source: GOV.UK, Tell HMRC you want to claim.

Singapore, Enterprise Innovation Scheme (Budget 2023, Years of Assessment 2024 to 2028)

The Enterprise Innovation Scheme was announced in Budget 2023 for the Years of Assessment 2024 to 2028. For those years the deduction on the first S$400,000 of qualifying staff costs and consumables for R&D carried out in Singapore is enhanced to 400 percent. See Enterprise Innovation Scheme. Source: Ministry of Finance, Budget 2023.

United States, section 174 amortisation (taxable years beginning after December 31, 2021)

For amounts paid or incurred in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2021, specified research or experimental expenditures must be charged to capital account and amortised ratably over five years beginning with the midpoint of the taxable year. See Section 174. Source: 26 U.S. Code sections 174 and 174A.

Australia, two-tier R&D intensity premium (income years commencing on or after 1 July 2021)

The two-tier intensity premium applies to income years commencing on or after 1 July 2021: the non-refundable offset premium is 8.5% (R&D intensity up to 2%) or 16.5% (above 2%). See R&D intensity. Source: ATO, Rates of R&D tax incentive offset.

New Zealand, refundability cap based on labour-related taxes (2020-21 income year)

For the 2019-20 income year the refundable credit was limited to NZ$255,000 under transitional rules, replaced by the labour-related tax cap from 2020-21. See Refundability. Source: Inland Revenue, RDTI refundability.