There is a bill that  put $14B in tax credits back into the pockets of manufacturers back in 2013. What makes this bill unique amongst its predecessors is that manufacturers didn't have to wait around for this one to pass through its bureaucratic channels (or stall out in a constant state of delay and confusion).

Manufacturers were able to take advantage of this program before it passed. This is because a largely unknown version of the program already exists called the R&D Tax Credit. A temporary version was in place through the end of 2013 as part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. So, manufacturers can actually continue receiving funds this year based on previous years activities.

5 Reasons Manufacturers are not taking advantage of the current version of this credit:

• They don’t understand the IRS definition of R&D (see article: R&D I don’t think we do that!)
• They believe their companies are too small
• They believe the benefit won’t outweigh the work
• They believe they have to change the way they operate in order to qualify
• They believe that the credit is not being renewed

Not only was this credit renewed, but congress has continually made it easier to qualify and expanded the eligibility to include not only the Fortune 1000 but also small to mid sized firms who can utilize the credit to significantly affect their bottom line.

When working with manufacturers we ask two questions to determine qualification:

1. Are you expecting to be profitable this year, or were you profitable in any of the last 4 years?
2. Is your annual payroll for any of these years in excess of $1 million?