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Budget 2024-2025: What You Need to Know About Quebec’s CDAE and Multimedia Tax Credits

Quebec’s Budget 2024-2025 unveils significant adjustments to tax assistance measures, particularly targeting the  IT and video game development sectors.

In response to Quebec’s $11 billion budget deficit for 2024, adjustments to the tax credit for the development of e-business (CDAE) and tax credit for multimedia titles (MMTC) aim to rein in costs, which reached nearly $850 million CAD in 2023. With the proposed changes, the cost of tax assistance programs for businesses is estimated to decrease by approximately $1B over four years.

This blog post explores the key changes announced for the CDAE and MMTC programs.

The E-Business Tax Credit (CDAE)

The CDAE enables businesses that are developing and selling software licenses or services (ie. Software-as-a-Service or SaaS) to receive a tax credit for each eligible employee. By providing tax credits for qualified expenditures related to software development, the CDAE encourages businesses to embrace digital transformation and expand their online presence.

First, a run-down on eligibility:

To be eligible, corporations in Quebec’s IT sector must demonstrate that at least 75% of their activities fall within specific NAICS codes related to information system design or software publishing. Additionally, during a taxation year, they must maintain a minimum of six eligible full-time employees. These employees must dedicate at least 75% of their time to relevant activities.

Budget 2024-2025 announced significant adjustments to the CDAE, aimed at optimizing the support offered. Here is a breakdown of the key changes:

Adjustment of Tax Credit Rates

To ensure greater harmony in the support offered by both CDAE and MMTC, the Quebec government is gradually adjusting the tax credit rates of both programs, harmonizing the levels refundability.

Currently, the CDAE comprises a refundable portion at 24% and a non-refundable portion at 6%. Over the next 5 years, the non-refundable portion will increase by 1% annually until reaching 10%, while the refundable portion will decrease to 20% accordingly. This gradual adjustment aims to maintain the competitiveness of businesses while managing costs effectively.

CDAE
Fiscal year beginning during the year Refundable Non-refundable
2024 24% 6%
2025 23% 7%
2026 22% 8%
2027 21% 9%
2028 20% 10%

Labour Expenditure Limit Replaced by Exclusion Threshold

The budget also announced the removal of the $83,333 limit on qualified labour expenditure per eligible employee under the CDAE. Instead, an exclusion threshold per eligible employee will be introduced, aligning with the Quebec basic personal amount ($18,056 for 2024).  In other words, the tax credit is now offered only on the portion of salary that is typically taxable for personal income tax purposes.

Effectively, these changes enable businesses to claim the tax credit for higher-salary employees. Additionally, this adjustment means that the effective rate will increase based on an employee’s salary rather than decrease.

Find the effective rates of the CDAE based on an employee’s eligible salary below:

Employee’s eligible salary 2024

(Before Budget 2024-2025)

2028

(After Budget 2024-2025)

$50,000 30.0% 18.1%
$100,000 25.0% 24.1%
$150,000 16.7% 26.0%

The Multimedia Tax Credit (MMTC)

The MMTC is designed to support the creation and production of multimedia titles, including video games, interactive media, and digital content. By offering tax credits for qualified labour expenditures incurred during multimedia production, the MMTC aims to incentivize companies to invest in multimedia projects, attract talent, and develop high-quality content, thereby fostering innovation and creativity in Quebec’s multimedia sector.

Like CDAE, the MMTC will undergo several adjustments to better align with the evolving landscape of multimedia production. Here are the key changes proposed in Budget 2024-2025:

Adjustment of Tax Credit Rates

To harmonize tax credit rates with CDAE, the MMTC now comprises both a refundable and non-refundable portion. The non-refundable portion will be introduced gradually, starting at 2.5% in 2025 and increasing by 2.5% annually until reaching 10%. At the same time, the refundable portion will incrementally decrease to 20%.

MMTC
Fiscal year beginning during the year Refundable Non-refundable
2024 30%
2025 27.5% 2.5%
2026 25% 5%
2027 22.5% 7.5%
2028 20% 10%

Note that the MMTC will continue to offer a 7.5% refundable premium for titles available in French, promoting the production of French video games.

Qualified Labour Expenditure Limit Replaced by Exclusion Threshold

Similar to CDAE changes, the MMTC’s $100,000 limit on qualified labour expenditure per eligible employee will be removed and replaced by an exclusion threshold per eligible employee that mirrors the Quebec basic personal amount.

Effective rates of the MMTC based on an employee’s eligible salary:

Employee’s eligible salary 2024

(Before Budget 2024-2025)

2028

(After Budget 2024-2025)

$50,000 37.5% 22.7%
$100,000 37.5% 30.1%
$150,000 25% 32.6%

Final Thoughts

The changes outlined in Quebec’s Budget 2024-2025 signify a strategic move towards optimizing tax assistance programs for businesses while managing costs effectively. These changes are generally positive for the CDAE program, which now permits claims for higher-salary employees. However, for the MMTC, these changes are less favourable; the introduction of a non-refundable portion may discourage smaller companies with limited cash flow from submitting claims. Additionally, the MMTC effective rates suffer a more considerable decrease.

However, by reducing the overall “generosity” of these programs, the government seeks to reduce government expenditures while still supporting key sectors like e-business development and multimedia production. As Quebec strives to achieve a fully balanced provincial budget by 2028, the successes of the local software and multimedia industries are poised to play a pivotal role in revitalizing economic conditions across the province.

Changes to the C3i Tax Credit: Fostering Business Investment and Innovation

In the Fall 2023 Budget Update, the Quebec government announced an investment of $1.3B into the Investment and Innovation Tax Credit (C3i), extending its support for businesses for another five years until January 1, 2030. Initially introduced in the March 2020 budget to replace prior investment and innovation tax credits, the C3i tax credit aims to boost productivity in Quebec businesses while encouraging increased investments in economically disadvantaged areas.

Alongside the 5-year extension, several modifications have been announced to better serve the needs of Quebec businesses and bolster their efforts to improve productivity. This article will explore these changes.

Eligible Businesses and Expenses

The C3i tax credit remains accessible to businesses across diverse industries, with certain exceptions such as aluminum producers and oil companies. Eligible businesses, which are investing in equipment to improve their processes and increase productivity, can benefit from the C3i tax credit. This includes Quebec businesses that acquire manufacturing or processing equipment, general-purpose electronic data processing equipment, or eligible management software packages between March 10, 2020 and January 1, 2030.

As before, two exclusion thresholds apply. For manufacturing and processing equipment, only expenses over $12,500 are eligible for the tax credit. For the purchase of computer hardware and management software packages, a lower minimum, $5,000, applies.

Businesses claiming the C3i credit are also subject to a cumulative $100 million limit on eligible expenses over four years—an update compared to the previous five-year period.

Enhancement of Tax Credit Rates

The improvements to the tax credit rates are perhaps the most prominent change announced. C3i rates have increased by 5%, across all regions of Quebec. The tax credit rates vary depending on the location of the business, offering higher rates to businesses operating in areas deemed to have “low economic vitality”. These regions have been assigned an economic vitality index amongst the lowest 25% in the province.

As announced in the Information Bulletin 2023-4, RCM Appalaches and Témiscamingue are now included in the lowest quartile, while RCM Matawinie and Argenteuil are no longer included. These regional changes will apply to expenses incurred after June 30, 2025, ensuring a proper transition period for affected businesses. Consult the latest Regional Economic Vitality Index for the classification of regions across Quebec.

Below are the new rates for the regions across Quebec, applicable beginning January 1, 2024:

These new rates apply to eligible expenses incurred after December 31, 2023; or after March 25, 2021, and before January 1, 2024, for equipment acquired after December 31, 2023.

Please note, however, that some exceptions apply. Please consult Information Bulletin 2023-6 for more details.

Fully Refundable Tax Credit

Before the amendments to the C3i, the ability to receive a refundable tax credit was dependent on the businesses’ assets and gross income. Only businesses with assets and gross income below $50 million were eligible for a fully refundable tax credit.

However, in the recent budget update, requirements related to assets and gross income were removed. Now, all eligible companies can fully benefit from the refundable nature of the Investment and Innovation Tax Credit regardless of their assets or gross income.

Final Thoughts

The recent changes to the C3i Tax Credit represent a step forward in supporting Quebec businesses and fostering innovation and investment across the province. With the extension of the tax credit until 2029, increased rates, and various improvements, businesses, especially those in regions with low economic vitality, now have greater incentives and opportunities to improve productivity and expand their operations.

As businesses continue to navigate challenges and seize opportunities, the C3i Tax Credit stands as a valuable tool for driving progress and success in Quebec’s evolving economy.

The Funding Landscape for Canadian AI Startups

The exponential growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized industries worldwide, offering transformative potential and unprecedented opportunities for innovation. In Canada, the AI startup ecosystem is vibrant and dynamic, with pioneering companies continuously pushing the boundaries of what is possible in these fields.

However, as is the case with most startups, securing financing is a crucial step for AI entrepreneurs in bringing their visions to life. In this blog post, we will dive into the government funding landscape for AI and machine learning startups in Canada, to help them secure the necessary funding for their ventures.

IRAP and SR&ED

In Canada, technology companies benefit from two major funding programs: the National Research Council Canada’s IRAP (Industrial Research Assistance Program) and the Canada Revenue Agency’s SR&ED (Scientific Research and Experimental Development) funding. The National Research Council offers IRAP grant funding of up to $10 million (although generally less than $300k) for innovative R&D projects. Meanwhile, the Canada Revenue Agency offers SR&ED tax credits for eligible R&D activities. While the two programs are very different, both play vital roles in fostering technological advancements and driving innovation within the tech sector in Canada.

Beyond these programs, there are several funders in Canada that offer government programs specifically designed for AI companies. These programs offer a tailored funding experience for businesses developing AI and machine learning technologies, often offering industry expert advice in addition to financial support. Below are a few funders to consider:

Mitacs

Mitacs is a Canadian non-profit organization that fosters research collaborations between academic institutions and industry partners to support innovation and professional development. Mitacs’ AI, Quantum Computing, and Cybersecurity Initiative aims to advance research and development in these cutting-edge fields by connecting academic researchers with industry partners. The initiative provides funding for collaborative projects that address real-world challenges, facilitating knowledge transfer, and driving innovation in AI, quantum computing, and cybersecurity domains.

Scale AI

As part of Canada’s Innovation Supercluster initiative, Scale AI accelerates the adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in various industries through funding and collaborative projects. It offers funding for projects that utilize AI in supply chain, involve the development or transformation of new technology, and involve multiple partners, including at least one SME.

NSERC  

NSERC, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, is a federal agency that supports and funds research and innovation in the fields of natural sciences and engineering. NSERC offers a variety of programs to support R&D projects. Among them, Alliance Grants provide up to $1M in funding and up to 100% of project costs for collaborative projects with partner organizations. Idea to Innovation Grants (I2I) and the Discovery Grants (Individual) Program may also offer support to AI companies engaging in R&D. As an artificial intelligence-focused program, NSERC Alliance – Alberta Innovates (AI) Advance grants supports projects by NSERC eligible researchers and Alberta-based universities.

Alberta IoT (Alberta)

Alberta IoT is an organization dedicated to promoting and supporting the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) industry in the province. Alberta IoT’s Fast Track accelerator offers a technology ecosystem to help established IoT businesses in Calgary and the surrounding areas grow and increase collaboration. The program provides eight weeks of business training and courses, and one year of mentorship.

Québec Ministry of Economy and Innovation (Quebec)

The Québec Ministry of Economy and Innovation is a government department responsible for promoting economic growth, innovation, and investment in Quebec to enhance the province’s competitiveness. PARTENAR-IA, initiated by the Québec Ministry of Economy and Innovation, supports collaborative research projects in artificial intelligence by providing funding and resources to foster partnerships between academic institutions and industry, driving innovation in Quebec.

Ivado Labs (Quebec)

Ivado Labs is a research center based in Quebec specializing in data science and operational research, and focuses on generating innovative solutions to real-world problems. Its Invest-AI Program offers financial support and expertise to startups and small- and medium-sized enterprises in order to accelerate the development and commercialization of AI-based solutions, helping them overcome barriers and achieve growth in the evolving AI landscape.

Final Thoughts

Securing financing is a critical step for AI startups to thrive and bring their innovations to the market. Government funding initiatives, venture capital investments, research grants, strategic partnerships, and competitions all present opportunities for startups to access the necessary capital. By leveraging these funding sources, AI startups can fuel their growth, drive innovation, and make a significant impact across industries.

Need support applying for funding?

If you have questions about any of the above programs or are considering submitting an application, don’t hesitate to contact R&D Partners at 1-800-500-7733 for more information or to schedule a meeting with one of our funding experts.

Federal Budget 2023: Key Measures for Canadian Innovators

On March 23, 2023, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, unveiled the federal government of Canada’s budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. Titled “A Made-in-Canada Plan,” the budget is focused on ensuring Canadians have access to the resources they need to thrive, supporting businesses and workers to build a strong and inclusive economy, and taking a stand against climate change to ensure that Canada keeps pace with the large strides being made in the highly competitive global clean economy.

We have highlighted some of the key initiatives in the 2023 Federal budget and the impact these new measures may have on innovative Canadian companies in the years to come.

Scientific Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED) Tax Credit

Before delving into the new programs and initiatives outlined in Budget 2023, let us re-examine a critical Canadian program: the SR&ED Tax Credit. In the 2022 budget, the government announced their plan to review the SR&ED tax credit program, hoping to support Canadian R&D more effectively. To date, the results of this review have not been released. In fact, in the 2023 budget, there was no mention of any change to the program. It will be interesting to see what comes of this long-awaited review, and how the government endeavours to “provide adequate support” to Canadian innovators.

Read more.

Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit

The Canadian government has proposed a 15% refundable tax credit to accelerate investments in clean electricity technologies, including non-emitting electricity generation, abated natural gas-fired electricity generation, stationary electricity storage systems, and equipment for electricity transmission. The tax credit will be available for new projects and the refurbishment of existing facilities. The government has also introduced labor requirements and commitments to achieve a net-zero electricity sector by 2035. The tax credit is expected to cost $6.3 billion over four years starting in 2024-25 and $19.4 billion from 2028-29 to 2034-35.

Learn more.

Clean Technology Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit

The Clean Technology Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit is introduced in Budget 2023 to support Canadian companies in the manufacturing and processing of clean technologies and critical minerals. This refundable tax credit is equal to 30% of the cost of investments in new machinery and equipment used to manufacture or process key clean technologies, and extract, process, or recycle key critical minerals. The investment tax credit is estimated to cost $4.5 billion over five years and an additional $6.6 billion from 2028-29 to 2034-35. The credit would apply to property acquired and available for use on or after January 1, 2024, and would expire after 2034.

Learn more.

Reduced Tax Rates for Zero-Emission Technology Manufactures

Budget 2023 proposes to extend the reduced corporate tax rates for zero-emission technology manufacturers for another three years beyond the expiry date in 2032, subject to a phase-out starting in 2032. The eligibility for the reduced rates will also include nuclear energy equipment and the processing/recycling of nuclear fuels and heavy water. The enhancements will cost $20 million over five years and an additional $1.3 billion from 2028-29 to 2034-35.

Learn more.

Canada Growth Fund

The Canadian government has established the $15 billion Canada Growth Fund to attract private capital for low-carbon projects, technologies, businesses, and supply chains. The fund will be managed by the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) and will use investment instruments to absorb certain risks and encourage private investment in Canada’s clean economy. The Growth Fund will begin investing in the first half of 2023, and PSP Investments will establish an independent investment team with extensive experience to make investment decisions. The Growth Fund will maintain a reporting framework for public transparency and accountability, and contracts for difference will be provided to support clean growth projects.

Learn more.

Additional Funding for the Strategic Innovation Fund

Since 2018, the Strategic Innovation Fund has created over 105,000 jobs and leveraged $67 billion in private investment across 107 projects. In Budget 2023, the federal government announces plans to provide $500 million over ten years to support clean technology development, and up to $1.5 billion of existing resources will be directed toward clean technologies, critical minerals, and industrial transformation.

Learn more.

Final Thoughts

Budget 2023 focuses heavily on developing a green economy and innovating in clean technologies. It will be interesting to see how the proposed tax credits, funds, and programs incite change and affect the business ecosystem. Is this budget perhaps a turning point for Canada in the competitive global green economy? Only time will tell.

SR&ED vs CDAE: Everything You Need to Know

For innovators in Canada, investments in research and development (R&D) are vital; however, funding innovation often proves challenging, especially for growing companies with limited resources.

The Canadian and Provincial Governments have several programs to help propel investment in R&D in companies across the country. Among them are the Canada Revenue Agency’s Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit and Revenu Quebec’s Tax Credit for the Development of E-Business (TCBE), often referred to as “CDAE,” its French-language abbreviation.

We will explore the key similarities and differences between the two programs available to companies operating in Quebec so that you can get a better idea of whether the programs are the right fit for your company. Keep in mind that CDAE and SR&ED are not necessarily mutually exclusive—we will explore this later.

Nature of funding

Both the SR&ED and CDAE programs are tax credits.

A tax credit is an amount of money that a company can subtract from the taxes they owe the CRA and their provincial agency or it can be a direct refund regardless of taxes paid or owing.

In the case of a refundable tax credit, a company will receive a cash reimbursement at the end of the year, deducting any taxes due. Meanwhile, non-refundable tax credits are capped at the company’s tax liability—even if the credit exceeds the owed taxes, the company will not receive any additional reimbursements and the full value of the credit will not be used. Having said that, non-refundable tax credits can often be carried forward or back.

SR&ED is generally a refundable tax credit for Canadian-controlled Private Corporations (CCPCs). When claimed by non-CCPCs, the program offers a non-refundable tax credit. On the other hand, CDAE offers a combination of refundable and non-refundable tax credits.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Companies

Most significantly, SR&ED supports companies across Canada, while CDAE only offers credits to companies in Quebec.

The CDAE requires that eligible companies be focused on developing and selling software licenses or services. Your company’s gross revenue must be at least 75% derived from IT sector activities; 50% of these activities must be related to a core subset of the IT sector, as defined here.

Additionally, to qualify for CDAE credits, your company must have at least 6 full-time, eligible technical employees for the entire fiscal year of the claim.

This minimum requirement is more flexible for startups that have existed for less than 2 years. For these companies, they will meet the eligibility criteria once they reach 6 eligible technical employees in the fiscal year.

The SR&ED credit does not have revenue requirements, nor does it require a minimum number of employees.

Beyond the eligibility of the company, there is a second level of eligibility for CDAE: the eligibility of employees and their salaries.

Eligible Activities

SR&ED supports R&D activities in any industry. R&D activities must demonstrate a systematic approach, an attempt at technological advancement, and technological uncertainty. As such, projects related to technology that have already been validated and for which there is readily accessible information cannot be claimed.

Contrarily, the CDAE covers activities in E-business, SaaS, and B2B software companies. While CDAE’s revenue requirements are more restrictive, its eligible activities are less rigid and can include routine development.

It is important to note that CDAE does not cover programs that involve software that controls hardware or is built into hardware. As such, projects in the IoT or robotics are essentially ineligible because they involve software that controls mechanical elements.

Additionally, projects that rely on external data sets, such as AI or AI-adjacent projects, are ineligible for CDAE as well. To be eligible, data used in the project must be internally owned and generated by your clients.

Interested in learning more about SR&ED Eligibility? Read our guide here.

Eligible Expenses and Amounts

Both tax credits cover salaries; however, they have different requirements and credit amounts.

CDAE covers only the salary of employees in technical roles across the product development life cycle – including developers and QA. The CDAE offers a refundable tax credit of up to 24% and a non-refundable tax credit of up to 6% of each eligible employee’s salary. These credits are applied to the total salary, regardless of the portion that is directly related to the CDAE activities.

Note, however, that the CDAE only covers salaries up to $83,333, meaning that companies can only receive up to $20,000 in refundable credit and up to $5,000 in a non-refundable credit per employee salary. There are no restrictions on the number of employees that can be covered by CDAE; however, a fee must be paid to Invest Quebec for the annual eligibility certificates requested and this fee varies based on the number of employees claimed.

Unlike CDAE, companies applying to SR&ED can only claim tax credits on expenses such as salaries, wages, materials consumed or transformed, subcontractor expenses, and overhead.

The SR&ED tax credit covers only the portion of employee salaries and subcontractor expenses that are related to eligible R&D activities in Canada. In other words, the SR&ED refundable tax credit is based on the percentage of time spent on R&D activities relative to the employee’s salary. However, there is a tradeoff: this program also covers the salaries and wages of support employees, such as HR or payroll employees who specifically spend time recruiting engineers for the SR&ED project or handling payroll for project employees. This is known as indirect SR&ED and is claimed in different manners federal and provincially.

Note that, unlike CDAE, SR&ED tax credits are not restricted by a maximum eligible salary amount for non-owners.

Application Process

The CDAE’s application process is done in two levels: first, you must apply to Invest Quebec within 15 months of the fiscal year-end in which the expenses were incurred to receive an eligibility certificate confirming eligibility of the company and for all employees for which a tax credit is being requested. These CDAE applications automatically get reviewed—the process is standardized and systematic. Then, you must submit an application to Revenue Quebec (RQ) within 18 months of the same fiscal year.

Meanwhile, SR&ED tax credit must be claimed within 18 months of the fiscal year within the tax return to CRA and RQ and do not always get audited, but you can expect at least a first-year visit by the CRA.

SR&ED vs CDAE

So, we’ve discussed the two programs and their differences. Now, which one will be more beneficial to your business?

CDAE can help companies that are more advanced and are looking to scale up. Many companies receive more SR&ED tax credits in the early days of their innovation projects and then move towards increasing their CDAE funding amounts as SR&ED covers fewer of their activities.

Because routine development activities are covered under CDAE, businesses that are looking to maintain or improve existing technology will benefit. Meanwhile, these activities are not covered under SR&ED.

CDAE is also more beneficial to large or foreign companies since its tax credits are fixed regardless of size or ownership structure, unlike SR&ED which offers lower, non-refundable credits to non-CCPC and larger companies.

Stacking SR&ED and CDAE

If both programs seem like they’d benefit your business, how do you choose which one to claim? There’s good news: it is possible to claim both SR&ED and CDAE.

A few options exist if you want to benefit from both programs. Claiming federal SR&ED tax credits and provincial CDAE tax credits is a great combination. It is also possible to optimize both CDAE and SR&ED on the provincial level to maximize the tax credit amount, but this is tricky.

If you like to learn more about how to stack SR&ED and CDAE or need some help, speak with our experts to find the best option for your company’s specific needs.

Still Have Questions?

Read what our experts have to say in our SR&ED FAQ and CDAE FAQ articles.

If you’re considering submitting a CDAE claim or combining credits, don’t hesitate to contact R&D Partners at 1-800-500-7733 for more information or to schedule a meeting with one of our expert consultants.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended to nor can it replace the evaluation of your specific SR&ED or e-business tax credit claim by a dedicated professional.

Changes to the Tax Holiday Program for Foreign Researchers and Foreign Experts

The Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation (MEI) recently announced changes to the eligibility criteria for the Tax Holiday Program for Foreign Researchers (FR) and Foreign Experts (FE). This program is designed to facilitate the recruitment of foreign researchers or foreign experts capable of aiding in the commercialization of innovation activities or the advancement of technology, respectively, within private companies in Quebec. Quebec companies remain competitive by attracting highly qualified researchers/experts to perform scientific research and experimental development (SR&ED).

What’s New?

1. The tax holiday is applicable as of the date of hire on contract.

The tax holiday is now based on the hiring date and the number of months that pass after this date, rather than in calendar years following the year in which the hiring date fell – making it much more beneficial.  If a candidate is hired October 9, 2021, the tax holiday begins on October 9, 2021, and lasts for 60 months, i.e., October 9, 2026.

2. Applications must be submitted prior to moving to Quebec.

The rules also state that candidates now need to apply before their arrival to Québec. This means that employers should apply prior to the candidate’s hiring date and arrival into Québec. Those who are already in Québec and that have not yet applied should move forward with applications as soon as possible to avoid any issues. These changes are on-going and may be further refined in the next couple months.

3. The comparative evaluation requirement has been updated.

Previously, the approval of the tax holiday depended on the receipt of the comparative evaluation certificate. Going forward, the comparative evaluation may not be required for approval. However, it may be requested during the review process on a case-by-case basis; it is therefore recommended to apply in advance to minimize the processing time as the comparative evaluation issuance process is the longest part.

One of the following documents must now be submitted with the tax holiday application:

  1. Copies of post-secondary diplomas with a list of courses taken for each diploma and a certified copy of the applicant’s last relevant diploma, OR;
  2. Comparative evaluation of studies completed outside Quebec issued by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) and sent directly to MEI

4. No annual renewal is required for FRs, but it is still required for FEs.

Foreign researchers only need to submit one application to receive the full tax holiday, no longer needing to submit annual follow-ups. For foreign experts, annual renewal applications are still required for the five-year duration of the tax holiday. Once the initial expert certificate has been issued and the candidate is employed in Québec, the employer must submit an annual application for the expert certificate annually before March 1 of the calendar year following the tax year for which the applicant is taking the tax holiday.

Additional information on the comparative evaluation

Along with the comparative evaluation document, the candidate should include certified copies of all post-secondary diplomas they wish to have evaluated by the Ministry, noting that the minimum education requirement for the tax holiday is a graduate degree for foreign researchers and a first cycle university degree (bachelor’s) for foreign experts. If you would like to learn more about the tax holiday program requirements, please read our previous article.

To find recognized authorities to certify your degree as a true copy please see the List of authorities recognized by the Ministère for certifying documents. It explains how to obtain a certified copy of your diploma depending on the country or territory where your documents were issued. A copy certified by the issuer of the document (your university) is always the preferred format.

Further reading

If you have any questions about the Tax Holiday Program that this blog post left unanswered, or if you are considering submitting a claim, don’t hesitate to contact our team at:  1-800-500-7733, ext.102.

 

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended to nor can it replace the evaluation of your specific tax credit claim by a dedicated consultant.

Your Questions About CDAE, Answered by an R&D Partners Expert

Introduction

The Tax Credit for the Development of E-Business, commonly referred to as “CDAE” – its French-language abbreviation – is a provincial tax credit available in Quebec for businesses developing e-business software solutions in the province.

To be eligible, a business must have a minimum of 6 eligible employees spending 75% or more of their time on technical activities, and 75% of the company’s gross revenue must be coming from IT sector activities.

The funding is structured as a maximum 24% refundable and 6% non-refundable tax credit for each eligible employee’s salary.

This quick overview does not cover every detail of the CDAE tax credit. For more information on the program, read our dedicated blog post.

We often get questions about CDAE, so we’ve asked a member of our team of experts to answer the most common ones for you below.

The expert

Sahar Ansary, M. Eng.

Sahar has assisted hundreds of small to large-sized organizations across Canada with SR&ED and E-business tax credit programs for over ten years and has led work on over $50M in related claims.

She specializes in identifying and optimizing the technical and financial aspects of various funding programs, maximizing overall tax credits, and managing major accounts. Sahar has significant experience in the aerospace, medical device, and software industries.

The questions

What is meant by “e-business” when it comes to the CDAE credit?

The CDAE Tax Credit criteria defines “e-business” much more broadly than just e-commerce.  It is not limited to the transactional side of e-commerce that we traditionally think of; the program guidelines state that it “concerns the organization of work in a company as well as how the company communicates and exchanges data with its customers, subcontractors, suppliers and partners.”

Eligible companies are therefore those who develop software for other businesses to evolve in that direction and digitize their operations at various levels – HR, procurement, accounting, and more. Traditional e-commerce is also eligible if a company is developing a software solution allowing monetary transactions, but the program includes a lot more than this under the umbrella of “e-business.”

Who can be considered an eligible employee?

Eligible employees for the CDAE tax credit are full-time indeterminate salaried employees in Quebec that work a minimum of 26 hours per week and spend over 75% of their time on technical activities.

When an individual is temporarily absent from his or her work for grounds considered to be reasonable (e.g. temporary illness, maternity leave, paternal etc.), Investissement Québec (IQ) may deem that the employee continued to work throughout the period of absence for the purpose of determining tax credit eligibility. For instance, someone who worked  20 weeks during the fiscal year because they were on sick leave during the rest will still be considered as an eligible full-time employee.

What counts as a “technical activity”?  

The CDAE eligibility guidelines stipulate that an employee must be devoting at least 75% of his/her time to carrying out, supervising, or directly supporting eligible activities to be eligible. Those activities must be technical and some examples include the following:

  • Design and development of e-business solutions
  • Quality control (testing, 2nd and 3rd level support)
  • Maintenance and evolution of e-business solution
  • IT consulting services for e-solution (customization, integration, deployment)
  • Technical coaching and supervision of technical employees/team.

If an employee spends more than 25% of their time on non-eligible activities during the fiscal year, then that employee will not be eligible for the CDAE tax credit because they won’t respect the 75% rule (ex. an HR employee or a CEO would not be eligible, because they spend a lot of time on administrative tasks and very likely do not spend 75% of their time on eligible technical work).

Do you need to continuously have 6 technical employees or more to remain eligible for the CDAE credit?

Yes, and no. What you need are 6 eligible positions maintained throughout the year. The requirement is not tied to any individual employee because you obviously do not control if someone leaves the company during the year.

For example – if one back-end developer leaves, and you fall below the 6 required eligible employees, you do not suddenly become ineligible. As long as you have the intention to replace this employee with another back-end developer (i.e. someone in the same position) and do so within around 6 months, everything should work out fine. You will essentially have had two employees in one role in the year, and both will be eligible.

Past the 6 month timeline, you may need to provide stronger arguments to explain why a replacement could not be found. However, note that none of this applies if you “lay off” an employee (i.e. ROE indicates code A in box 16 ) as no replacement can be justified in this case.

Can employees join during the year and still be eligible?

If an employee was hired towards the end of the fiscal year and, as such, worked for less than 40 weeks, they are eligible if they still hold the same position at the company beyond the fiscal year end. If an employee worked less than 40 weeks and quit during the fiscal year, they will only be eligible for the tax credit if the company found a replacement or if the company is still actively looking for one. The rule stating that they must have spent 75% of their time on eligible technical activities also still applies, of course.

How is the CDAE calculated if an employee joins during the year?

When employees join during the year and they meet the 75% rule, their maximum eligible salary cap of $83,333 is prorated based on the number of days they worked in that fiscal year.

For example, if an employee is hired at the beginning of Q3 and worked 100 days before the end of the fiscal year, their salary cap will be prorated by the following ratio:  Once we apply it to the maximum cap offered by the program, we get 100/365 x $83,333 = $22,830.

 

If you have any questions about CDAE that this blog post left unanswered, or if you are considering submitting a claim, don’t hesitate to contact our team at:  1-800-500-7733, ext.102.

 

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended to nor can it replace the evaluation of your specific e-business tax credit claim by a dedicated consultant.

SR&ED vs IRAP: Everything You Need to Know

The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) and the CRA’s scientific research and experimental development tax credit (SR&ED) are two programs of major importance for Canadian innovators.  

In this article, we will examine the key similarities and differences between SR&ED and IRAP and how these programs can work together to maximize your government funding for your innovative technology project.   

Nature & Timing of Funding 

The first fundamental difference between SR&ED and IRAP is that the former is a tax credit, while the latter is a grant. This mainly affects when the funding is received from each program, but also the administrative overhead necessary to access funds, as well as the reporting requirements that come with the funding.  

A tax credit – like SR&ED – provides funding after the expenses are incurred. For Canadian Controlled Private Corporations, the SR&ED program offers a refundable tax credit disbursed after the CRA receives the claim. Therefore, SR&ED is typically less useful in cases when a business is looking to sustain their cash flow as they undertake a project.  

This is especially true when a business submits their first SR&ED claim, since the retroactive funding will not arrive until after the end of the fiscal year. However, when claiming SR&ED every year, the refund from the previous year helps sustain the cash flow for the next period.   

IRAP, on the other hand, requires monthly refund requests after the initial application is received and accepted. This means that a grant program such as IRAP is naturally more apt at sustaining a business’ cash flow while a specific project requires it. This is especially true for first-time applicants.  

Funding Amounts 

Once the federal and provincial tax credits are combined, SR&ED typically offers a refundable tax credit ranging from 54% (no provincial tax credit) to 74% (Quebec, beyond the threshold) of eligible salary expenditures to Canadian controlled private corporations. The exact tax credit rate depends on the size of the claimant company and a few other factors.  

IRAP on the other hand is a grant and its funding is allocated on a discretionary basis. A certain amount is approved with the initial application when a budget is submitted. Therefore, the final funding amount will vary depending on  the project, but typically goes up to 80% of salaries expenditures.  

Eligible Expenses 

IRAP and SR&ED share salaries as eligible expenditures, but treat them very differently. Since IRAP is a grant program and must be applied for before the project starts, applicants submit a budget which will end up dictating the amounts of funding they are entitled to receive, if accepted into the program.  

For example, ABC Corp plans to assign 2 employees to work on a project they wish to fund through IRAP. They include this in their application, and the NRC agrees to fund up to 50% of those 2 employees’ salaries. Three months later, they realize they will need an additional team member to complete the project. The additional employee who ends up working on the project will, in this example, not be covered by the initial agreement, and therefore, their salary will have to be paid by ABC Corp, with no additional support from the NRC.  

Since SR&ED is a refundable tax credit, it is able to account for all the actual costs incurred for a given project for the past fiscal year. Those costs are eligible salaries, subcontracting expenses, and other eligible expenditures related to eligible R&D activities for the SR&ED project. This may also include certain overhead expenses. 

This level of specificity is why time tracking is important for a company planning to claim SR&ED.  

Let’s consider ABC Corp again. Say they decide to forego IRAP funding altogether for simplicity’s sake – we will return to stacking IRAP & SR&ED later. They decide to attempt to claim SR&ED for their project at the end of the year instead and are tracking their employees’ time as it is spent on different tasks and projects.  

We will assume, for simplicity sake, that ABC Corp is eligible for the maximum 74% refundable credit and have 5 employees in total. 2 of them begin working on the SR&ED project, but at some point during the year a third employee joins the project. When the time comes to submit the SR&ED claim, their eligible expenses would be as follows, assuming they did not receive any other overlapping funding for the project:  

First, because they did not work on the R&D project at all, 0% of the salary of the 2 employees who did not do any experimental development work would be eligible for SR&ED.  

For the 3 remaining employees who did do eligible experimental development work, the amount of time spent on the project needs to be taken into account in order to determine which portion of their salary is eligible for SR&ED. 

According to their timesheets, at the end of the year it can be concluded that: 

  • Employee #1 worked on eligible experimental development work 75% of their time.  
  • Employee #2 worked on eligible experimental development work 50% of their time. 
  • Employee #3, who joined the project much later, worked on eligible experimental development work 25% of their time. 

Therefore: 

  • 75% of Employee #1’s salary for the claim year is eligible for a 74% refundable tax credit.  
  • 50% of Employee #2’s salary for the claim year is eligible for a 74% refundable tax credit. 
  • 25% of Employee #3’s salary for the claim year is eligible for a 74% refundable tax credit. 

Of course, SR&ED claims are never this straightforward, but this example seeks to illustrate the basic principles that guide how the eligible salaries are determined.  

SR&ED can also fund materials necessary for the project, something IRAP does not do.  

Evaluation Criteria 

While there is some overlap when it comes to the eligibility criteria of SR&ED and IRAP, there are some important differences to note. 

First, neither SR&ED nor IRAP have industry specific criteria – therefore, any company could theoretically be eligible as long as they are conducting eligible experimental development activities. 

Experimental development can look drastically different depending on the industry. Find out how to determine if your project is eligible in our blog post all about the topic here.   

This does not mean either program funds anything or everything. For example, IRAP excludes any clinical trial activities from their eligible project costs. This does not exclude pharmaceutical companies altogether but is still important to keep in mind when applying for funding.  

Furthermore, neither program formally requires a minimum number of employees or years in business in order to be eligible. That said, while SR&ED can be claimed by an individual – there is no incorporation requirement – IRAP does require the company to be incorporated, and the company generally needs to be revenue-generating as well. Businesses with more than 500 employees are not eligible for IRAP, as the program is purposed to support small and medium businesses.  

While IRAP does not require a minimum number of employees, the program’s monthly reporting requirements make it more complicated to handle for small businesses with little administrative staff. A business entirely run by its two co-founders or an otherwise very small, specialized technical staff are rarely awarded IRAP funding. Therefore, the size of the team does have an impact on the usefulness of IRAP to a specific company.  

SR&ED is usually more advantageous for such smaller teams because, while it requires diligent time tracking of all activities related to the project throughout the year, the claim is only submitted once for the whole year. 

A key difference to note between SR&ED and IRAP’s evaluation criteria is that the CRA has no return-on-investment considerations when they fund a SR&ED project. On the other hand, IRAP’s mission is to advance technology in Canada and stimulate Canada’s growth as a science and technology leader on the world stage. Therefore, eligible projects are selected much like investments. Only those with the greatest commercialization potential and that advance science and technology in a way that the NRC considers significant enough will receive funding. In this way, NRC IRAP is a competitive program – not all applicants, even if they may be eligible, receive funding.  

SR&ED is not subjective. As long as a project and related corporation/individual meet the criteria according to the lawit will be accepted – assuming the claim is submitted correctly and on time.  

Stacking  

It is perfectly possible for a company to benefit from both SR&ED and IRAP for the same project. However, a few things must be kept in mind.  

Since some eligible expenses could both be covered by SR&ED and IRAP, having received IRAP funds throughout the project would necessarily reduce the amount of the future SR&ED refund. Of course, the difference here is the timing of when the funds are received. As mentioned earlier, IRAP is better designed for supporting cash flow because of its monthly reimbursement structure, so it makes sense to apply for IRAP if increasing cash flow during the project is a primary concern. It will still be possible to submit a SR&ED claim and receive the refundable tax credit amount, but it will almost certainly be reduced by the amounts that overlap with NRC IRAP funded activities.  

Want to find out more about the best practices related to stacking funding programs? Read our dedicated blog post here.   

Stacking funding programs requires paying extra attention to the stacking limits of each program and how they interact with each other. Double-dipping – covering the same expense twice – can come with its fair share of trouble.  

This is particularly true when using IRAP as the NRC conducts a systematic audit of every application, whereas SR&ED claims do not automatically get audited.  

Have questions about the SR&ED audit process and how to prepare for it? Find out more here.  

Whether you get audited or not, you should always be ready by preparing your claim carefully and having all the necessary documentation. 

 

Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

To know more about SR&ED, IRAP and any other funding program and how your business can benefit from it, contact Mike Lee at:  1-800-500-7733, 110 mlee@rdpartners.com.