How the R&D credit applies to marine companies and boat builders
The federal R&D tax credit rewards work that tries to improve a product or process through engineering and testing. Boat builders and marine suppliers do this whenever they design a new hull, try a new composite or work out a better way to build. Most of it never gets called research, and it happens in the yard as much as in the design office.
Florida boat builders and marine companies claim the credit on their federal returns. Many are S corporations or LLCs, so the credit passes through to the owners, and your CPA files it with the return.
Work that often qualifies
Designing a new hull, deck layout or structural system
Testing new materials, composites or coatings
Developing custom tooling, molds and build methods
Building and testing prototypes, sea trials and performance changes
Integrating new propulsion, electrical or control systems and solving the problems that follow
Work that usually does not
Routine builds from an existing mold with no design changes
Repairs and refits that follow a known procedure
Cosmetic finishing, styling and interior decoration
Costs that count
Wages for designers, engineers, fabricators and technicians doing the work count, along with materials and supplies used in prototypes and testing, and a share of what you pay outside contractors. We tie each cost to a specific project so your CPA has a file that holds up if the IRS asks.
What to have ready
A list of new models, custom builds and design changes from the last few years
The people who worked on them and roughly how much time they spent
Materials, testing and trial costs tied to those projects
Drawings, test notes or photos from the work
You do not need all of this to start. The free screening takes 5 to 10 minutes and tells you whether a full study is worth it.
We also work with boat builders and marine companies outside Florida. The federal credit works the same in every state, and we run the screening remotely or in person.
Find out what your work has earned
Free 5 to 10 minute screening. See which of your projects can earn a credit.
Why us
Why businesses choose Strategic Incentive
We are a Sarasota firm that pairs R&D credit specialists with a practicing CPA, so every study is built for the return it feeds.
A CPA partner behind every study
A practicing CPA is part of our team, so the work is built for the return it feeds.
Project-level documentation
Each qualifying project is documented on its own, not covered by boilerplate.
An audit-ready file
Your CPA gets the calculations, narratives and records in one organized package.
How it works
How a study works
Four steps from the first screening to a filed, audit-ready claim.
1
Free screening
A 5 to 10 minute screening based on the IRS four-part test. We review your answers and estimate whether a credit is likely.
2
Discovery interview
A guided conversation and a questionnaire built for your business document each qualifying project.
3
Calculation
We calculate the credit and prepare Form 6765 support, project narratives and employee time allocations.
4
CPA hand-off
We work with your CPA or tax preparer and hand over an audit-ready package. If the IRS asks questions, we respond.
FAQ
Common questions
Straight answers before you start a screening.