Industry Brief  ·  Medical Practices

Your protocols are research.

The federal R&D tax credit rewards the work of bringing new technology into patient care. Most private practices never claim it.

$10,000sin credits is common. Up to three prior years can be claimed.
30 minuteson the phone shows whether you qualify and what your credit could be worth.
Every studyincludes audit defense at no added cost.

Why medical practices qualify

The four-part test
01

New to your practice counts

A technology or method only has to be new to your practice to count. It does not need to be new to medicine.

02

New technology brings unknowns

How does a new scanner or printer fit your clinical workflow? Answering that is qualified work.

03

Protocol building is experimentation

Working a new device or method into your protocols takes rounds of adjustment. Those rounds are the evidence.

04

The science is already there

Your work rests on biological science. For medical practices, the science test is the easy part.

A short study shows where your practice qualifies, and proves it. Read the four-part test in the words of the statute.

What qualifies in practice

Work you already do
  • New imaging and scannersBringing a new scanner into the practice and working out how it fits your diagnostic protocols is qualified work.
  • 3D printingAdopting a printer for guides, models, or appliances means developing the workflow around it. That development counts.
  • New proceduresBuilding the protocol for a procedure your practice has not offered before is qualified research.
  • Device integrationWorking a new clinical device into exam and treatment workflows takes technical iteration. The iterations count.
  • New therapiesIntroducing a therapy new to your practice and establishing how to deliver it is qualified work.
  • Technique refinementAdjusting settings and technique until a new method produces reliable outcomes satisfies the experimentation test.
  • Digital dentistry and orthodonticsDigital appliance and aligner workflows are engineering work when your practice develops them.
  • Materials evaluationTesting whether a new material or supply performs in your procedures is qualified evaluation.

Where the credit comes from

The expenses that count
01

Clinical wages

The time your doctors and clinical staff spend developing new protocols is the largest piece for most practices.

02

Outside contractors

A share of what you pay U.S. contractors who help stand up new technology counts toward the credit.

03

Supplies and materials

Raw materials consumed while developing a new procedure or method can count as well.

04

What does not count

Routine visits, established procedures, and billing work stay out. The study draws that line honestly.

Common questions

Does the work have to be new to medicine?

No. It has to be new to your practice. A device or method your practice has not used before is enough.

Our practice has been running for decades. Do we qualify?

The credit follows recent activity. A practice of any age qualifies in the years it brings in new technology or methods.

Is this a one-time credit?

No. The credit is a permanent part of the tax code, claimed with your return each year you do qualifying work. It gets easier after the first study.

How far back can we claim?

Up to three prior tax years, by amended return. Credits you never claimed are still there to collect.

We already have an accountant. How does this work with them?

We prepare the study and the forms, and your CPA files them with the return. Think of it as a specialist working with your general practitioner.

What records do we need?

The ones you already keep. Procedure reports, clinical records, and vendor invoices are the evidence. The study organizes them against the test.

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 practice qualifies and what a credit could be worth.

Book a call Or write to inquiries@thefoundryfirm.com