CPA firms face a July 6 revenue cliff disguised as opportunity
The R&D credit lookback window closes in 60 days, but IRS challenge rates on rushed claims will erase most gains by 2028.
of 2017 TCJA R&D credits challenged by IRS within three years
The 2017 tax reform created identical urgency and claim volume, but subsequent IRS scrutiny turned apparent wins into multi-year realization problems that offset initial revenue.
One pattern. Trace it.
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A pattern worth naming
(2) OCC rulemaking timeline under the GENIUS Act — if proposed rules appear in Q3, the AICPA stablecoin criteria adoption question gets answered. (3) California wealth tax polling — watch for the first credible public polls after the spending surge; anything within 10 points means this is a live planning issue.
- Shift
Stablecoin attestation demand is moving to bank examiners and in-house teams, not CPA firms
- Shift
AI workflow tools launched simultaneously by four vendors signals fragmentation costs, not efficiency gains
- Shift
California wealth tax fight previews state-level planning urgency regardless of ballot outcome
“Which ten clients have unclaimed R&D credits over $100K and haven't heard from us about the July 6 deadline?”
Ask your tax partner what percentage of your 2017-2019 R&D credits survived IRS challenge without adjustment before committing June resources to July 6 filings.
By Joseph Lancaster, Editor — with research from Pine Needle's intelligence layer.
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