New CRA SR&ED Client Portal

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has launched a new Client Portal for Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) claimants, now available through My Business Account. This portal is part of the CRA's ongoing mission to make the SR&ED filing process easier and more accessible for Canadian companies. Think of it as a one-stop shop that takes you from research to tax credits without all the headaches.

The Pre-Claim Workbook

At the heart of the Client Portal is the pre-claim workbook. This handy tool is there to help you write up your project descriptions and figure out your SR&ED expenditures before you even touch Form T661—the essential form for SR&ED claims. You can save your progress, get help from an SR&ED specialist if you need it, and access all the key information about the program right there in the portal. It’s all about making it easier to build and track your claim, one step at a time.

SALT Tool: Your First Step

The client portal joins the SALT tool that is already offered by the CRA. SALT is an interactive guide that helps you understand if your work qualifies for SR&ED tax credits. It's the first step in the SR&ED process. It gives you insights into what information you'll need for a successful claim, estimates how much SR&ED tax credit you might be eligible for, and explains what records you should keep to support your claim.

Private Tools: The Shredy Advantage

These tools are part of CRA's mission to make SR&ED more accessible, but you don’t have to stop there. There’s also a growing ecosystem of private tools, like Shredy, that work alongside the CRA’s offerings. Shredy is all about helping companies—especially those who already know they have SR&ED-eligible work—get their claims done in a simple, user-friendly way. Whether you’re entering data manually or just dropping in a PDF, Shredy makes it easy and gives users the confidence that they are compliant with CRA guidelines. Plus, it’s offered at cost, which makes it a really fair alternative to traditional consulting fees.

Moving Away from Traditional Consultants

On the topic of consulting fees, the idea of paying traditional SR&ED consultants around 20% of your credits is starting to feel outdated. With everything available now—CRA's Client Portal, SALT, and tools like Shredy—you don’t need to give away a chunk of your credits. You can take control of the process yourself, save money, and avoid the middleman.

A New Era for SR&ED

The new CRA Client Portal, along with SALT and Shredy, is changing the way companies approach SR&ED claims. It’s all about making things simpler, more transparent, and more affordable. Now, businesses have more options than ever to handle SR&ED claims without the stress or expense of traditional consultants. This marks a real shift towards making government support for innovation accessible to everyone. It’s a new era for SR&ED—one where you’re in control, and the process is as straightforward as it should be.