SR&ED Tax Credit Expert: Screen Projects and Build Your Evidence
Know which projects could qualify, and what records you still need.
The SR&ED Tax Credit Expert is the SR&ED tax credit screening agent in the Ai1 platform by MyZone AI: it scores each of your projects against CRA's core test, gives a clear readiness verdict, shows which records are missing and estimates your filing deadline, while a qualified practitioner prepares any claim.
We'll walk through what the SR&ED Tax Credit Expert will do for your team. Your Ai1 team will tell you when SR&ED Tax Credit Expert is ready for your account.
A clear verdict on each project tells you whether a claim is worth taking to a practitioner before you pay for one.
No missed deadlines
Your filing deadline is worked out from your year-end and flagged early, because it cannot be extended.
Better records, stronger claims
It tells you exactly which records are missing, so the evidence is gathered while the work is still fresh.
Straight answers on the rules
What work counts, which costs count and how grants change the picture, each answer sourced and dated.
Meet your agent
Get to know Geneviève
Geneviève enjoys baking bread and comparing the crumb of each loaf. She helps your business screen research projects and identify missing evidence, without promising eligibility or preparing a tax claim.
AI agent. Fictional persona; not a real person.
Geneviève, the persona of the SR&ED Tax Credit Expert
Name
Geneviève T.
Role
Research Tax Credit Adviser
Experience
17 years
Work history
Innovation funding analyst at a regional research advisory practice Project evidence reviewer at an independent food research cooperative
Personality
Careful about uncertainty, never promises a refund
Based in
Québec City, Canada
Why Geneviève has a personality
AI does better work as a specific expert, so the SR&ED Tax Credit Expert works as Geneviève (Research Tax Credit Adviser, Québec City, Canada). You can rename Geneviève or change the personality, experience and profile settings at any time.
Your projects, your year-end and any grants you received
Each project
Scored on uncertainty, systematic investigation and advancement, the heart of CRA's test
Your verdict
Strong candidate, possible with better records, unlikely or not eligible, with reasons and next steps
Your deadline
Estimated from your year-end; confirm it with your practitioner
Missing records
Listed plainly and never filled in by guesswork
What it never does
Prepare, sign or file a claim, write claim wording or promise an amount
Capabilities
What the SR&ED Tax Credit Expert does for you
Explains the program in plain English
Who qualifies, what work and costs count, the credit rates, deadlines and how CRA reviews claims, with the source and date checked.
Screens each of your projects
A short conversation scores each project on technological uncertainty, systematic investigation and technological advancement, the heart of CRA's test.
Gives a clear readiness verdict
Strong candidate, possible with better records, unlikely or not eligible, with the reasons and the next steps for each project.
Tracks your filing deadline
It estimates your deadline from your fiscal year-end and reminds you to confirm it with your practitioner.
Shows how credits and grants stack
It explains how provincial R&D credits and grants such as IRAP sit alongside SR&ED and change what you can claim.
Keeps up with rule changes
Every month it checks official government sources, and it tells you whether a budget change is only proposed or already law.
How the SR&ED Tax Credit Expert differs from finding out at filing time
Finding out whether work qualifies at filing time is costly: the records are thin and the deadline is close. The SR&ED Tax Credit Expert screens each project early, gives a clear readiness verdict and lists exactly which records are missing. It works out your deadline from your year-end, flags it early, never prepares or files a claim and never promises an amount.
How it works
From your request to a finished result
It runs inside your Ai1 system and works in the tools you already use. You ask, it works, it reports, and it stops for your OK where it matters.
Tap the diagram to enlarge it
Step 1: Tell it about your work
It asks only the questions it still needs about your projects, your year-end and any grants you received.
Step 2: Score each project
Each project is scored against CRA's core test and checked for the issues that rule a project out.
Step 3: Get a verdict and next steps
You get a readiness verdict per project, the estimated deadline and a list of anything still missing, never guessed.
You approve
Step 4: You decide whether to claim
A person reviews the note with you, and you decide whether to take your claim to a qualified SR&ED practitioner or CPA.
When to use it
Hand these situations to the SR&ED Tax Credit Expert
Illustrative photo. Ask what evidence to keep from unsuccessful experiments for an eligibility review.
If this is you…
…here's what it does
You build new software and wonder if it counts
Describe the work and learn which parts may meet CRA's test, which do not and why.
Your year-end has passed and nothing is filed
See your estimated deadline straight away, with a nudge to confirm it before it slips past.
You received an IRAP grant this year
Learn how that funding changes what you can claim, before anyone starts preparing numbers.
A consultant has quoted you for a claim
Get the common fee models and the red flags to watch for, so you can ask better questions.
You are planning a project that has not started
Find out what records to keep from day one and what to ask your practitioner about CRA's pre-claim help.
What you get
Sourced, dated answers to SR&ED questions
A screening note scoring each project against CRA's core test
A readiness verdict and next steps for every project
Your estimated filing deadline, worked out from your year-end
A list of missing records and information, never filled in by guesswork
Plain notes on how provincial credits and grants stack with SR&ED
What it won't do
✕Prepare, sign or file your SR&ED claimHandled by: Your qualified SR&ED practitioner or CPA
✕Write your project descriptions for the claim formsHandled by: Your qualified SR&ED practitioner or CPA
✕Contact CRA on your behalfHandled by: Your practitioner or CPA
✕Run your company's books and tax filingsHandled by: The CFO, with your accountant
✕Write sales proposals that mention fundingHandled by: The Sales agent
Example SR&ED screening note
Example: SR&ED eligibility screening
Example with a fictional company. Names, people and figures are invented to show the agent's output. Any resemblance to a real company or person is unintended.
What it was asked: Could our robotics projects from last year qualify for SR&ED, roughly what spending would count, and what records do we need to get in order?
Example report
Screening summary: two strong candidates, one that needs better recordsProject scorecards: the three screening questionsSpending that could count: a range, not a promiseRecords to get in order, and next steps
What it found: 3 findings, with the numbers
Two of five projects, adaptive grip and fleet path planning, screen as strong candidates; low-light vision is possible if its missing trial records are rebuilt.
Likely qualifying spending of $312,000 after a $42,000 grant, within $250,000 to $409,000, is an example estimate for a practitioner to confirm, not a claim amount.
The customer dashboard rebuild is routine software work and should be left out, and time records by project are partial or missing for all three candidate projects.
This is an illustrative example of the eligibility screening SR&ED Tax Credit Expert is being built to produce: project scores on the program's screening questions, a spending range with its assumptions and an evidence checklist. It was written by hand from the agent's design for an invented company with invented projects, costs and figures, and no program rates are shown. No real data, tax records or people were involved, and nothing was filed or sent. Run date: .
Want a SR&ED screening note like this for your own research projects? Book a Credit Expert walkthrough.
Takes on deep, multi-source studies when a question goes beyond the program rules.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions about the SR&ED Tax Credit Expert
How can you tell whether your work might be eligible for SR&ED?
Check each project against CRA's core test: technological uncertainty, systematic investigation and technological advancement. SR&ED Tax Credit Expert asks a few questions, scores each project, flags anything that rules it out and gives a readiness verdict. A qualified practitioner or CPA confirms eligibility.
What documentation does an SR&ED claim need?
Records that show what you were trying to achieve, what was uncertain and what you did about it, gathered while the work is fresh. SR&ED Tax Credit Expert tells you exactly which records are missing, never guessing, so your practitioner starts from strong evidence.
How do Canadian R&D credits and grants work together?
Provincial R&D credits and grants can sit alongside the federal credit, and government funding can change what you may claim. SR&ED Tax Credit Expert explains how they stack, in sourced, dated answers, so you understand the picture before anyone prepares numbers.
What does SR&ED tax credit screening involve?
SR&ED Tax Credit Expert asks a few questions about each project, scores it against CRA's core test, flags anything that rules it out and gives you a verdict, your estimated filing deadline and next steps.
Will it prepare or file our claim?
No. It screens and explains. A qualified SR&ED practitioner or CPA confirms eligibility, writes the claim and files it, and you choose who that is.
Can it tell us how much we will get back?
It never promises an amount. Credit rates and limits come only from sourced, dated facts, and your practitioner confirms what a real claim is worth.
Does it cover provincial credits and grants like IRAP?
Yes. It explains how provincial R&D credits and grants such as IRAP stack with SR&ED and how government funding changes what you can claim.
Is our project information kept private?
Yes. Your details stay in a private note and are never used in its outside research, which uses only public program words.
Is the SR&ED Tax Credit Expert available now?
Not yet. Your Ai1 team will tell you when the SR&ED Tax Credit Expert is ready for your account. You can talk to us today about the projects you would want screened.
About Ai1
How much does Ai1 cost?
Two paths, one platform. Build it yourself on a developer plan, or let our team run your AI operations for you. Every plan runs on its own private server, and every price is shown in full. See Ai1 pricing →
Do I get just the SR&ED Tax Credit Expert, or the whole platform?
The whole platform. The SR&ED Tax Credit Expert is not sold on its own: every Ai1 agent, including this one, is included on Developer Pro and every Fully Managed option, with no per-agent charge. Developer Core includes the development agents. Compare plans →
We'll walk through what the SR&ED Tax Credit Expert will do for your team. Your Ai1 team will tell you when SR&ED Tax Credit Expert is ready for your account.
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