Real accounting records
Work from dates, vendors, descriptions, accounts, and amounts already maintained by your business.
Start with the records you have
The first pass is already in your accounting data.
QuickBooks contains real spending detail your team recognizes. Starting there means less manual reconstruction and a more organized path from transaction to professional discussion.
Existing spending detail
Keep the source transaction in view while asking whether it may warrant closer R&D review.
Less manual reconstruction
Avoid beginning with a blank spreadsheet or a second source of truth.
More organized review
Make the records, reviewer decisions, and open questions easier to bring forward.
What the review can surface
Signals for the next question, not answers in disguise.
ClearLedgerHQ helps bring potentially relevant records into view. Your team and qualified professional add the project, technical, and tax context that a transaction alone cannot provide.
Potentially relevant transactions
See accounting entries that may relate to research and development activity without treating a transaction row as proof.
Spending patterns worth a closer look
Group the detail into a review queue that gives your finance and technical teams a more practical starting point.
Records for a professional discussion
Keep the source details and open questions together so a qualified professional can assess the underlying facts.
Potential IRC §41-related signals
Organize transaction-level signals in a U.S. federal R&D tax-credit context, without making a legal or tax conclusion.
A potentially relevant transaction is a starting point for review, not a conclusion about eligibility or credit amount.
The review, in plain language
Move from QuickBooks transaction to informed next conversation.
The workflow keeps the source data, AI-assisted suggestions, manual decisions, and estimate-level view connected without pretending the ledger tells the whole tax story.
01
Connect QuickBooks Online
Start with the QuickBooks Online company your team already uses. ClearLedgerHQ begins with existing accounting records instead of asking you to reconstruct spending in a separate file.
02
Review the relevant transaction data
Bring dates, vendors, descriptions, accounts, and amounts into a focused review so potentially relevant records are easier to examine.
03
Consider AI-assisted suggestions
Suggestions can help surface records that may relate to R&D activity or warrant a closer look. They are signals for review, not eligibility decisions.
04
Tag records and view an estimate
Manually retain, remove, or add context to records, then view reviewed amounts at an opportunity-estimate level before professional follow-up.
IRC §41 context
A practical way to organize the early review.
The U.S. federal R&D tax credit is associated with IRC §41. ClearLedgerHQ can help organize transaction-level signals for professional review; transaction data alone does not determine eligibility.
US
Federal context
U.S. R&D / IRC §41 review
01
Transaction signal
A record may point toward a spending pattern worth asking about.
02
Human context
Your team adds the project, technical work, and supporting detail behind the record.
03
Professional assessment
A qualified professional evaluates the facts, eligibility, calculations, and claim position.
Opportunity estimate vs. filing-ready calculation
Useful preparation, clear limits.
ClearLedgerHQ can help organize and estimate a potential opportunity. It does not determine final eligibility or replace the professional work required for a formal U.S. R&D tax-credit claim.
- No guaranteed eligibility or credit amount
- No automatic IRC §41 eligibility determination
- No filing-ready calculation or tax forms
- No technical documentation or claim preparation
- No claim filing or IRS endorsement
- Qualified professional review remains necessary
Designed for the first pass
A focused workflow for teams preparing for the right conversation.
ClearLedgerHQ is built for businesses that want to know what may be worth discussing before a deeper R&D tax-credit review begins.
U.S. startups
Get a grounded first read on transaction activity before a deeper conversation about potential R&D work.
Founders and operators
Start with the records you know instead of becoming a tax-credit specialist to find the next question.
Finance teams
Use a repeatable review process that keeps decisions, context, and source transactions visible.
Cross-border companies
Keep Canadian and U.S. opportunity conversations organized while recognizing that the frameworks are different.
The QuickBooks advantage
A spreadsheet can hold a list. It cannot keep the review loop together.
Starting with accounting data gives your team a repeatable place to review actual transactions, retain manual control, and prepare a clearer handoff.
| Review question | Disconnected spreadsheet | QuickBooks review |
|---|---|---|
| Where did this amount come from? | Copied row | Source transaction |
| What should I look at first? | Sort and filter manually | AI-assisted suggestion |
| Who made the call? | Cell or comment | Manual review and tagging |
| How much might it represent? | Separate formula tab | Estimate-level summary |
CA
Canadian context
SR&ED opportunity review
ClearLedgerHQ supports opportunity review across Canadian SR&ED and U.S. R&D contexts. The two frameworks are different, their rules are not interchangeable, and each requires its own professional assessment.
Learn about Canadian SR&ED reviewUS
U.S. federal context
R&D / IRC §41 review
Organize potentially relevant QuickBooks transactions and review an opportunity estimate in a U.S. R&D / IRC §41 context before professional assessment.
You are on the U.S. R&D review
Straight answers
What to expect from a U.S. R&D opportunity review
The product is most useful when the scope is clear. These answers describe the current workflow and its professional boundaries.
What is a U.S. R&D tax-credit opportunity review?
It is a first-pass review of QuickBooks transactions that may relate to research and development activity, organized to help frame a potential opportunity for professional discussion.
Does ClearLedgerHQ determine whether an expense qualifies?
No. ClearLedgerHQ surfaces potentially relevant transactions and provides AI-assisted suggestions for review. It does not make an automatic eligibility determination.
Does ClearLedgerHQ calculate the final R&D tax credit?
No. ClearLedgerHQ can organize reviewed amounts into an estimate-level opportunity view. Final calculations depend on the underlying facts, records, and professional assessment.
Does ClearLedgerHQ prepare or file an R&D tax-credit claim?
No. ClearLedgerHQ does not prepare tax forms, technical documentation, a filing-ready calculation, or a formal claim. A qualified tax professional should handle that work.
Does ClearLedgerHQ connect to QuickBooks Online?
Yes. The current private beta connects one QuickBooks Online company so transaction data can be reviewed in ClearLedgerHQ.
Can Canadian and U.S. opportunities be reviewed in the same platform?
Yes. ClearLedgerHQ supports estimate-level opportunity review in both Canadian SR&ED and U.S. R&D contexts. The frameworks are different, and each requires its own professional assessment.
Should a tax professional review the results?
Yes. A qualified tax professional should review the underlying records, technical context, eligibility, calculations, and any formal claim before filing.