Your Ontario corporation could qualify for a tax credit of 20% of the costs of scientific research and experimental development, up to a maximum of $4 million per tax year.
Small businesses may claim this tax credit and the Ontario innovation tax credit on qualified expenditures.
Do I qualify?
You can claim the credit, if the corporation:
- carries on business in the tax year through a permanent establishment in Ontario
- is not exempt from corporation income tax
- entered into an eligible contract with an eligible research institute
- is not connected to the eligible research institute.
Eligible research institutes
Eligible research institutes are generally:
- Ontario universities or Ontario community colleges
- hospital research institutes (large teaching hospitals)
- Ontario Centres of Excellence or federal Network of Centres of Excellence (operating in Ontario)
- non-profit organizations designated as eligible research institutes by the Ontario Minister of Finance.
Corporation connected to an eligible research institute
Your corporation is generally considered to be connected to an eligible research institute during a tax year if:
- the eligible research institute owned shares of the corporation that
- carry more than 10 per cent of the voting rights attached to voting securities
- had a fair market value of more than 10 per cent of the fair market value of all of the corporation’s issued shares
- the eligible research institute and the corporation were members of the same partnership or did not deal at arm’s length
- a partnership of which the eligible research institute is a member owned, any of the shares of the corporation
- the corporation and the eligible research institute are connected under prescribed rules.
Eligible contract
An eligible contract is an agreement between your corporation and an eligible research institute to perform scientific research and experimental development on behalf of the corporation if:
- the scientific research and experimental development is performed in Ontario by the eligible research institute and is related to a business carried on in Canada by the corporation
- your corporation is entitled to exploit the results of the scientific research and experimental development carried out under the agreement
- the contract is entered into after May 6, 1997.
Qualified expenditure
A qualified expenditure with an eligible research institute is:
- made as a payment of money (not a payment-in-kind)
- a current expenditure that qualifies for the federal investment tax credit for purposes of section 127 of the federal Income Tax Act
- incurred for scientific research and experimental development performed by the eligible research institute in Ontario.