R&D tax transparency reports

About the transparency reports

We're required by law to publish certain information on Research and Development tax incentive (R&D TI) claims reported to us by R&D entities. Publishing this information will provide transparency on the benefits derived by companies from the R&D TI and encourage voluntary compliance with the R&D program.

Each year, we'll publish:

• the information about R&D TI entities on data.gov.auExternal Link
• information to assist users understand the data included in the R&D tax transparency report.

R&D information we'll publish

The information we'll publish in the report is the:

• name of the R&D entity claiming the R&D TI
• entity's Australian business number (ABN) or Australian company number (ACN)
• entity’s total expenditure on R&D (known as total notional deductions claimed – label Z in Part A of the R&D TI schedule) less any feedstock adjustments (label B in Part B of the R&D tax incentive schedule).

We’ll base this on:

• what the R&D entity provided in the R&D entity's company tax return
• if the R&D entity amended its company tax return, the amended return.

If an R&D entity amended its company tax return, or its R&D TI schedule, we'll report both the original information provided by the entity and the last client-initiated amendment lodged with us – including any voluntary disclosures provided during a review or audit.

Commissioner-initiated amendments won't be published. If, during a review or audit, the Commissioner amended the labels, we're required to publish the total expenditure on R&D based on the company return lodged before the Commissioner-initiated amendment.

You're unable to opt out of your R&D information being published in the report. There are no exclusions.

Due to tax law confidentiality provisions in the Taxation Administration Act 1953, we can't give information beyond what will be published in the report.

When we'll publish the report

We're required to publish the R&D information 2 years after the end of the financial year. The first publication will be as soon as practicable after 1 July 2024 for the income year ending 30 June 2022. We'll publish the 2022 report in late September 2024 and then annually.

The first report will apply to companies that lodged a 2022 company tax return with an R&D TI offset claim and their income year began on or after 1 July 2021.

Making amendments

If you've reviewed your R&D claims and believe that there's an error in the information that we'll publish, you're able to correct any errors by lodging an amendment with us in writing.

If you submitted your amendment before 31 March 2024, we'll endeavour to process the amendment before we extract the data for the report. If you made an amendment after this date, and it's not processed in time, we'll publish the updated information in next year's report.

If you've amended your R&D TI claim, we'll publish both the original R&D expense amount and the amended R&D expense amount. If you've withdrawn your claim in full, we'll publish the original R&D expense amount with the amended R&D expense amount published as nil (0).

Common errors

We jointly administer the R&D TI program with Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR). DISR looks after the registration of core and supporting activities.

DISR has identified some common errors made by entities and their representatives during the registration process. These errors delay the progression of applications. To avoid delays, ensure you check the following:

• You're applying for the correct income year. The income year needs to match the income period on the company’s income tax return submitted to us. This can't be amended by a variation.
• The correct entity is applying. Only the head company of a consolidated or multiple entry consolidated group can apply to register R&D activities. The head company must register R&D activities performed by any member of the group. This information can't be later amended by a variation.
• The contact details are correct. The primary contact must be a company representative with their correct email address – not the email for a tax agent, adviser or consultant. Contact details for agents, advisers and consultants are required elsewhere in the application form. Any amendments made after submission will require you to complete a variation, resulting in a delay in registration.

If you have any concerns regarding your R&D registration, contact DISR by:

• email – rdtaxincentive@industry.gov.au
• phone – 13 28 46.

To avoid delays in processing your company tax return and R&D TI schedule with us, ensure you check that:

• the AusIndustry – IISA number is correct on the R&D TI schedule and corresponds to the income year of the return
• label D – preliminary calculation on the R&D TI schedule matches item 7 label D on the company tax return
• Part D – reporting entity annual turnover has been correctly calculated and placed under the correct label on the R&D TI schedule (Note: The annual turnovers of connected and affiliated entities must be included in the calculation of aggregate turnover of the reporting entity)
• Part E label R tax rate is correct.

For further information about the R&D program integrity rules, refer to Helping you get R&D claims right.