Question 1

What is the deadline to register R&D activities for FY2024-25?

Accepted Answer

30 April 2026. This is an absolute deadline with no extensions. Registration must be completed through the DISR customer portal before this date or the claim for the entire income year is lost.

Question 2

What is the R&D Tax Incentive offset rate for small businesses?

Accepted Answer

For companies with aggregated turnover under $20 million, the refundable offset is 43.5% of eligible R&D expenditure. This is the standard 25% company tax rate plus an 18.5% premium. Companies in a loss position receive the full 43.5% as a cash refund from the ATO.

Question 3

Can I still register for FY2024-25 if the income year has already ended?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The registration portal for FY2024-25 opened on 1 July 2025 and remains open until 30 April 2026. Most businesses register after the income year ends, once they have a complete picture of the R&D activities conducted during the year.

Question 4

What happens if I miss the 30 April 2026 deadline?

Accepted Answer

You lose the R&D Tax Incentive claim for FY2024-25 entirely. The legislation does not provide for extensions or late registrations. Neither DISR nor the ATO has any discretion to accept a registration after the 10-month deadline.

Question 5

Is the registration the same as claiming the offset in my tax return?

Accepted Answer

No. They are two separate steps. You must first register your R&D activities with DISR and receive a registration number. You then use that registration number when completing the R&D Tax Incentive Schedule in your company tax return. Both steps are required to receive the offset.

Question 6

What is the $4 million refundable offset cap?

Accepted Answer

For companies with turnover under $20 million, the refundable portion of the R&D offset is capped at $4 million per income year. If your offset exceeds $4 million, the excess becomes a non-refundable offset that can be carried forward to offset future tax liabilities. Clinical trial expenditure is exempt from this cap.

Question 7

Does Prime Partners charge a percentage of the R&D refund?

Accepted Answer

No. We charge a fixed fee for R&D Tax Incentive advisory, agreed before work begins. We do not charge contingency fees, success fees or any fee calculated as a percentage of your offset. The ATO has identified contingency-fee arrangements as a compliance risk factor.

Question 8

What documentation do I need for an R&D claim?

Accepted Answer

You need contemporaneous records from the time the R&D was conducted: project plans, experiment logs, technical reports, meeting minutes, timesheets or time-tracking data, and expenditure substantiation including invoices and contracts. Records should be retained for at least five years. DISR assessors check metadata and timestamps to verify that documentation is genuine.

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