Andy Sams
Chief Executive Officer
R&D Tax Credit Consultants
Find Out If You Qualify for the Iowa R&D Tax Credit
One 15-minute call with a real advisor.
No jargon, no pressure, no obligation.
Big 4 backgrounds. Boutique attention. 100% success rate.
Iowa at a glance
Credit through 2025
6.5%
of Iowa qualified expenses above a base amount, under the old Research Activities Credit. It covers tax years beginning in 2025 or earlier and was repealed effective January 1, 2026.
Credit from 2026
3.5%
of eligible Iowa expenses is the most the new Iowa Economic Development Authority credit can award, for tax years beginning in 2026 or later.
Annual pool
$40M
IEDA can issue no more than $40 million in credits each fiscal year. If requests go over, every award is cut pro rata.
Pre-approval
Certification
Businesses must be certified by IEDA before they can apply for the credit. The 2026 certification deadline was September 30, 2026.
Apply by
January 31
Certified businesses apply by January 31 after their federal return is filed and accepted. IEDA expects to announce awards by about April 1.
Refundability
Refundable
Credit above your Iowa tax liability is refundable under the new program. Neither the old credit nor the new one can be transferred.
What Qualifies
Iowa builds on the federal definition of qualified research, so work that meets the four-part test is where we start. The research has to happen in Iowa, and your business has to fall within an industry the state has approved.
Who is eligible
Industries
Four eligible industries
For the new credit, a business has to be primarily engaged in advanced manufacturing, bioscience, insurance and finance, or technology and innovation, and its research has to happen in Iowa.
Sectors
Sectors on IEDA's list
Second-generation food innovation, hybrid seed technologies, food ingredients and supplements, diagnostic analytics and immunotherapies, crop protection, chip technologies and microelectronics, medical equipment and supplies, software and technology, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and consumer products.
Not eligible
Who is left out
Businesses primarily engaged in agriculture production, agricultural cooperatives, construction, ethanol biorefining, retail, wholesale, transportation, real estate, publishing, accounting, architecture, collection, or finance or investment are not eligible.
Iowa Special Rules
Iowa replaced its credit in 2026. These are the rules worth knowing, whether you are claiming a 2025 credit or planning for the new program.
Two programs, split at 2026
Iowa repealed its Research Activities Credit effective January 1, 2026, and it leaves the Iowa Code entirely on January 1, 2027. It can still be claimed for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2025 and before January 1, 2026. From 2026 on, a different program run by the Iowa Economic Development Authority takes over.
Certify first, then apply
For tax years beginning in 2026 or later, IEDA has to certify your business as a qualified business before you can apply for the credit. Certification can last up to five years, with an annual report each January 31, and both steps run through the Opportunity Iowa portal. The 2026 certification deadline was September 30, 2026.
A capped pool, shared pro rata
IEDA can issue at most $40 million in credits a year. If applications add up to more than that, every award is reduced pro rata, so 3.5% is a ceiling rather than a promise. You claim the credit in the tax year after the one in which you incurred the expenses.
Both programs limit who qualifies
The old credit was limited to manufacturing, life sciences, agriscience, software engineering, and aviation and aerospace. The new one covers advanced manufacturing, bioscience, insurance and finance, and technology and innovation. It also excludes businesses with a documented pattern of legal or regulatory violations.
Tighter cost rules for 2025 claims
For the old credit, wages count only if the work was done in Iowa and most of the employee's time went to research projects. Paid computer access does not count, and supplies count at just 40% for 2025. You also have to use the same method, regular or alternative simplified, that you used on the federal return.
How a 2025 credit is claimed
The old credit goes on a timely filed return, including extensions, using Form IA 128 or IA 128S with the IA 148 schedule. If you claimed it on time, an amended return cannot increase it unless you file within six months of the due date or the increase comes from an audit. Only part of any credit above your tax liability is refunded.
How It Works With the Federal Credit
The Iowa credit and the federal credit are separate claims, but Iowa ties its credit to the federal one. The old credit required you to claim the federal credit, and IEDA bases the new one on expenses filed and accepted on your federal return.
That makes the federal claim the foundation. We work alongside your CPA so the federal return, the IEDA applications, and any amended 2025 claim line up.
Federal
Iowa
Form
Form 6765
IEDA applications (2026 on), Form IA 128 (2025 and earlier)
Credit rate
20% of expenses above a base amount
Up to 3.5% of eligible expenses from 2026, or 6.5% above a base amount through 2025
Funding cap
No program-wide cap
$40 million a year for the new credit, prorated if requests exceed it
Approval
None, you claim it on your return
IEDA certification, then an annual application, for 2026 and later
Where the research happens
United States
Iowa
Refundability
Payroll tax election for qualified small businesses (IRC §41(h))
Refundable above Iowa tax liability, not transferable
Our Process
Technical interviews
We meet with your key staff to identify every qualifying project and disqualify any that don’t meet IRS criteria.
Financial analysis
Our team reviews your payroll, general ledger, and tax returns to calculate the full credit.
Compliance review
A dedicated team with an impeccable IRS defense record reviews everything through our QA process.
Deliver
& file
You receive a complete, audit ready report that your CPA files alongside your taxes or amends for prior years.
Schedule Your Free Credit Review
Start with a no-obligation call to determine what your business could claim.
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Details
As the Chief Executive Officer at RK Partners, Andy brings two decades of experience across business structuring, private wealth, and operational leadership to the business. An award-winning Chartered Tax Adviser, he spent a decade at Deloitte, rising to leadership positions within the firm, before joining the creation of a global multi-family office, where he spent seven years scaling the business as senior partner of the firm responsible for its growth, strategic direction and operational excellence. Andy has not only advised entrepreneurs on everything from start-ups to global enterprises, but has personally experienced MBOs, capital raises, and business exits. He understands how to scale a business and help the people inside it keep and compound what they build.
At RK Partners, Andy is focused on deepening the firm's capabilities, scaling its operations, and ensuring clients continue to receive the same rigorous, high-touch service RK is known for as the business grows. Andy is drawn to businesses that combine real technical expertise with genuine client impact and sees R&D tax credits as an area where that combination matters more than ever.
April Zozzaro
Chief Operating Officer, CPA
April is responsible for overseeing the entire operations of the business, as well as the R&D Tax Credit practice. A licensed CPA with a Master’s in Accounting, she brings over 12 years of specialized experience in R&D tax incentives, having worked across a broad range of industries and supported companies from early-stage startups to global Fortune 500s.
Before joining RK Partners, April held a Manager role at Deloitte, where she was instrumental in delivering over $700 million in R&D tax credits to her clients. Since joining RK, she has played a foundational role in building the firm’s consulting practice from the ground up - designing its technical approach, developing operational frameworks, and scaling a high-performing team of consultants.
Under her leadership, RK Partners has established a reputation for technical excellence, rigorous compliance, and meaningful client impact. April’s ability to bridge deep subject matter expertise with practical business acumen has made her a trusted advisor to clients and a cornerstone of the firm’s growth and delivery success.
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Sam Wooldridge
Chief Commercial Officer
With over 7 years of international experience in Tax Credits and Incentives, Sam leads the Commercial Team at RK Partners, where he combines sharp commercial acumen with strategic leadership. Throughout his career, he has helped a wide range of businesses unlock the full value of government incentives. While his client base spans multiple industries, he has developed particular expertise in Agriculture, Software, and Manufacturing.
At RK, Sam is responsible for driving the firm’s commercial strategy and leading all client engagement initiatives, ensuring clients and partners consistently receive exceptional value. Recognized for his deep industry knowledge, ability to build and scale high-performing teams, and his commitment to long-term client relationships, Sam is a trusted leader in an increasingly dynamic and competitive landscape.
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Scott H. Durepo
Chief Compliance Officer
Scott spent 19 years at Deloitte Tax in both the Research and Development Tax Credit Group and the Tax Controversy Group and has over 25 years’ experience with the Research Tax Credit. He represented Fortune 100 and 500 companies as well as much smaller clients during their IRS audits. He successfully resolved 55 cases at the Examination level and has not had even one case that went to IRS Appeals. The resolutions included amounts from a few hundred thousand to over 200 million.
At RK Partners, Scott leads the firm’s compliance and audit defense function. He directly oversees the training and development of our consulting team, ensuring they maintain a deep and current understanding of federal tax law, recent case law, and IRS examination trends. His rigorous approach to documentation, substantiation, and risk management safeguards our clients and reinforces the technical credibility of every claim we prepare.
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Randall Roisman
Chief Financial Officer
Randall Roisman's career in healthcare has spanned more than 20 years, including multiple C-level and VP/Executive-level finance and strategy roles in various large, complex, and well-respected health systems and healthcare providers in Southern California, in both for-profit and non-profit environments.
Throughout his career as a financial executive, Randall has consistently integrated his strategic vision and operational knowledge into his roles to grow organizations. He created and developed a transformative, industry-first joint venture partnership between a major integrated delivery health system and a leading national dental support organization (DSO) to build co-located medical and dental sites in which primary care and dental providers address the connection between oral and systemic health, provide patients with access to comprehensive healthcare focused on the health of the whole person, and reduce the total costs of care.
Randall also regularly assesses and implements operational improvements and efficiencies, revenue enhancement and business development opportunities, and cost containment and expense mitigation strategies.
Mark Kashinskiy
Founder & Chairman
Mark is the Founder of RK Partners; he is a serial entrepreneur with a focus on ventures at the intersection of tax incentives, technology, and consulting. With a strong background in commercial strategy and a track record of launching and scaling ventures, he has spent the past decade helping companies unlock hidden value through government incentives, while scaling high-performance teams across a range of industries.
Mark has led the firm from the ground up, growing RK into one of the most rapidly growing Tax Credits & Incentives consultancies in the US. Serving clients from high-growth startups through to large enterprises, Mark has played a hands-on role in building the firm’s commercial engine, operational structure, and leadership team – laying the foundational infrastructure for long-term success.
In his current role as Chairman, Mark is focused on shaping the strategy, vision and culture for the firm - ensuring RK continues to succeed at the highest level.
