Ohio R&D Investment Tax Credit

Ohio's R&D Investment Tax Credit is administered by the Ohio Department of Taxation under R.C. 5751.51. It is a nonrefundable credit against the Commercial Activity Tax, self-claimed on the return, for companies with qualifying research expenses incurred in Ohio. The route is statutory rather than competitive and carries a seven-year carryforward. The credit equals 7% of incremental qualified research expenses above the three-year average, using the familiar federal-style definition of wages, supplies, and 65% of contract research. Amounts in the program run from $1,000 to $1 million, with a median near $50,000. It is aimed at for-profit firms doing product, process, software, or manufacturing development. Success depends on clean Ohio expense tracking and a defensible base-period calculation, because the credit is claimed directly and the same costs cannot be counted twice. That makes it most useful for companies with recurring in-state research spend rather than one-off projects. Manufacturers, software teams, and lab-heavy firms tend to benefit most because the credit rewards repeat Ohio research that can be documented cleanly.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.