Why electrical contractors qualify
The four-part testNew designs count as R&D
A system design only has to be new to your company to count. It does not need to be new to the trade.
Every design-build job has unknowns
Will the service carry the load, and will the controls talk? Answering that is qualified work.
Coordination is experimentation
Load studies, BIM clashes, and revised routing satisfy the experimentation test. Your normal workflow is the evidence.
The science is already there
Your designs rest on electrical engineering and physics. For contractors, the science test is the easy part.
A short study shows which of your projects qualify, and proves it. Read the four-part test in the words of the statute.
What qualifies in practice
Work you already bill for- Design-build electricalDeveloping the distribution design for a building or process line is design work your company does. It qualifies.
- Load and fault studiesSizing services and gear against calculated loads and fault currents is qualified evaluation.
- Controls and automationProgramming and integrating controls, drives, and building systems into one working design counts.
- Power quality and backupDesigning generator, UPS, or solar and storage integration for a specific site raises technical questions that qualify.
- Routing and coordinationFinding a path for conduit and cable tray through a crowded building, and revising it, is documented problem solving.
- PrefabricationDeveloping assemblies built in the shop and installed once is process development.
- Lighting and energy designDesigning lighting controls or a system to hit an energy target takes iteration that counts.
- Commissioning and testingTesting a new system, finding what fails, and correcting the design is the experimentation test at work.
Where the credit comes from
The expenses that countDesign and field wages
The time your estimators, project managers, and lead electricians spend on qualified design work is the largest piece for most contractors.
Outside engineering
A share of what you pay U.S. engineering consultants on qualified design-build work counts toward the credit.
Prototypes and prefab
Materials consumed in mockups, prototype assemblies, and testing can count as supplies.
What does not count
Installation from finished drawings, service calls, and repeat work on settled designs stay out. The study draws that line honestly.
Common questions
We install from the engineer's drawings. Do we qualify?
Plan-and-spec installation rarely does. Design-build, design-assist, controls integration, and the problems the drawings leave open do.
Does controls programming count?
Yes. Developing and testing control logic to make a system perform is software and systems work under the statute.
Do our field electricians' hours count?
For the time they spend resolving a technical question, such as a prefab assembly or a routing problem, yes. Routine installation hours do not.
Most of our work is fixed price. Does that matter?
Fixed-price work generally supports a claim, because your company carries the risk if the design fails. The study reviews the contract terms.
How far back can we claim?
Up to three prior tax years, by amended return. Credits you never claimed are still there to collect.
What records do we need?
The ones you already keep. One-line diagrams, load calculations, submittals, RFIs, control programs, and job costing are the evidence. The study organizes them against the test.
What happens if the return is examined?
The people who wrote the study answer for it. Audit defense is included in every study at no added cost.
Which form does the credit go on?
Form 6765, filed with the return. From there it carries onto Form 3800 as part of the general business credit. The Form 6765 guide and the Form 3800 guide walk a CPA through both.
Thirty minutes shows whether you qualify.
Book a call and bring the person who knows the work. We will cover whether your projects qualify and what a credit could be worth.
Book a call Or write to inquiries@thefoundryfirm.com