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IP & Royalties

§174 R&D Amortization Planning (Post-TCJA)

TCJA forces 5-yr (US) / 15-yr (foreign) amortization of R&D — plan expense timing carefully.

Overview

TCJA (effective 2022) requires capitalization and amortization of R&D — 5 years US-based, 15 years foreign-based. Massive cash-flow hit for software/tech/biotech. Planning moves: shift R&D onshore (5 vs 15 yr), reclassify what's truly §174 vs §162 (only qualifying research), pair with §41 R&D credit (still allowed on §174-capitalized). Congress has repeatedly proposed reversal — model both scenarios.

Best fit
Software / SaaS companiesBiotech / hardware startupsAny tech co with meaningful R&D
Estimated impact
Cash-flow acceleration + optimization of §41 credit

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