(a) General. In order to qualify under the expenditures test, more than two-thirds of a corporation's Massachusetts expenditures must be allocable to its research and development activities during the taxable year. For purposes of making this computation, the numerator is the corporation's total Massachusetts expenditures that are allocable to research and development activities and the denominator is the corporation's total Massachusetts expenditures, provided, however, that neither the numerator or denominator is to include the corporation's manufacturing expenses or administrative expenditures, as further described in 830 CMR 64H.6.4(6)(c), below.
(b) Definitions. For purposes of 830 CMR 64H.6.4(6)(a), supra, the following definitions apply.
1. Expenditures means any expenditure paid or incurred in the course of conducting the taxpayer's business during the taxable year, including but not limited to expenses related to sales and distribution activities.
2. Except as otherwise provided in 830 CMR 64H.6.4, Massachusetts expenditures allocable to research and development activities are expenditures that are paid or incurred for research and development performed in Massachusetts.
3. Expenditures are allocable to research and development activities if they are paid or incurred, as determined by the taxpayer's method of accounting used for federal income tax purposes, for research and development conducted or to be conducted by the taxpayer and that are treated as research and experimental expenditures under Code § 174 and the applicable regulations promulgated thereunder. The following expenditures are examples of expenditures that are allocable to research and development activities.
a. Funded research expenditures. Expenditures incurred by a corporation conducting research and development, within the meaning of 830 CMR 64H.6.4, to the extent funded by any grant or contract, or otherwise by another person or governmental entity, are considered to be expenditures allocable to research and development activities.
b. Costs incident to research and development. Costs incident to the development or improvement of a product are considered to be allocable to research and development activities. Such costs include, for example, the costs of obtaining a taxpayer's own patent, such as attorney's fees expended in making and perfecting a patent application. However, costs allocable to research and development activities do not include legal expenses, patent fees or other costs associated with the acquisition of another's patent, model, production or process.
c. Depreciable and amortizable property. Expenditures paid or incurred for the acquisition of depreciable property that is subject to an allowance for depreciation under Code §§ 167 and 168, amortization under Code § 197, or depletion under Code § 611 are not deductible under Code §174, irrespective of whether the property or improvements may be used by the taxpayer in connection with research and development activities. Nevertheless, allowances for depreciation, amortization, or depletion of property are considered research and development expenditures for purposes of Code § 174, to the extent that the property to which the allowances relate is used in connection with research and development in Massachusetts. Accordingly, for purposes of 830 CMR 64H.6.4, such allowances are allocable to research and development.
d. Development of Computer Software. Expenditures that relate to the research and development of computer software may constitute expenditures allocable to research and development, depending on the facts and circumstances surrounding the research and the use to which the software is put. However, the development and sale of standardized computer software may constitute manufacturing activity, and effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2006, the development and sale of standardized computer software as defined in 830 CMR 64H.1.3(2) is considered a manufacturing activity, without regard to the manner of delivery of the software to the customer including electronic delivery. See M.G.L. c. 63, §§ 38C, 42B.
(c) Non-includable expenditures.
1. Administrative expenditures. Expenditures related to a corporation's administrative functions, such as personnel, legal, tax and accounting expenses are not includable in either the numerator or the denominator of the expenditures fraction.
2. Manufacturing expenditures. A corporation that is engaged in research and development that also conducts manufacturing activities must exclude expenditures relating to its manufacturing activities from the numerator and denominator of its expenditures fraction, regardless of whether the manufacturing activities are substantial. The development and sale of standardized computer software may constitute manufacturing activity, and effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2006, the development of sale and standardized computer software shall be considered to be a manufacturing activity without regard to the manner of delivery of the software to the customer, including electronic delivery. Accordingly, to the extent that a corporation's development and sale of such software is a manufacturing activity, expenditures relating to such activity must be excluded from both the numerator and denominator of the corporation's total expenditures for purposes of calculating its expenditures allocable to research and development activities.
(d) Specific expenditures. The following expenditures are either included or excluded from the numerator or denominator, as noted.
1. Supplies. Amounts paid for supplies used or consumed in conducting research and development in Massachusetts are included in the numerator and denominator.
2. Payroll expenditures. Payroll expenditures paid or incurred for research and development performed in Massachusetts are included in the numerator and denominator.
a. If an employee performs qualified research and development activities and also performs other activities in Massachusetts, only the wages proportionate to the time spent on qualified research and development activities are allocable to research and development and therefore included in the numerator ( i.e., assuming the activities are performed in Massachusetts). The employee's entire wages are included in the denominator.
b. If an employee performs research and development activities both in and outside of Massachusetts, only the wages proportionate to the time spent on qualified research and development in Massachusetts are included in the numerator and denominator.
c. The wages of employees who supervise or are supervised by persons performing qualified research and development are included in both the numerator and the denominator to the extent the work of those supervising or being supervised constitutes research and development performed in Massachusetts.
3. Third party expenditures. Certain expenditures paid or incurred for research and development performed by third parties on a corporation's behalf in Massachusetts are included in the numerator and the denominator. These include expenditures allowed in Treasury Reg. § 1.174-2(a)(8) and "contract research expenses" as described in Code § 41(b)(3), provided that these expenses are incurred for research and development performed in Massachusetts. Other third party Massachusetts expenditures unrelated to research and development are included in the denominator. In order to claim third party expenditures, a taxpayer must maintain sufficient documentation substantiating the identity of any parties conducting the research on the corporation's behalf, the nature of the research, and the locations where such contract research was conducted.
4. Clinical trials. Expenditures paid or incurred in conducting clinical trials performed by the corporation itself, or for services provided by third parties performing such trials on its behalf, in Massachusetts are included in the numerator and the denominator. Generally, expenditures incurred in conducting clinical trials outside Massachusetts are not included in the numerator or denominator, even if the corporation is headquartered in Massachusetts, and even if the clinical trials are initiated, managed, and directed from within Massachusetts. However, the in-state costs of employees actually supervising, managing and directing clinical trials are includable in the numerator and denominator even if the trials themselves are conducted outside of Massachusetts.
5. Shared expenditures. Research and development expenditures that are shared across multiple locations of a corporation will be attributed to Massachusetts using a proration allocation as provided in 830 CMR 63.38M.1(4)(b)4, without regard to the sixty-five percent limitation imposed by Code § 41(b)(3) for purposes of calculating the credit for increasing research activities. When such expenses relate to amounts paid for research and development services performed both within and without Massachusetts, the amount of the expense must be prorated between Massachusetts and non-Massachusetts activity based on the ratio of days the service provider or tangible personal property was employed in research and development in Massachusetts to the total number of days the service provider or tangible personal property was employed in research and development both within and without Massachusetts.
6. Computer expenses. Expenditures for the use of computers and information technology to store, collect, manipulate, translate, disseminate, produce, distribute or process data or information, or expenditures for similar uses of computers and information technology are included in the numerator and denominator if they are Massachusetts expenditures and are deductible as research and development expenditures. In general, unless otherwise provided in 830 CMR 64H.6.4, amounts paid for the right to use computers in the conduct of a corporation's research and development in Massachusetts are includable expenditures to the extent that they are treated as in-house expenses under Code § 41(b)(2)(A)(iii). Depending on the facts and circumstances, eligible computer expenses may include the lease, rental, or repair of equipment used in research and development in Massachusetts. In addition, amounts paid to another person for the right to use computers are included in the numerator and the denominator to the extent the computer is used in the conduct of performing research and development that takes place in Massachusetts.