SR&ED Clinic

How long till I receive my refund?

  • Processing and issuing time varies widely.
  • At one end of the spectrum, a joint filing (SR&ED filed with your T2 tax return within the 6 month year end) can be fast, sometimes as quickly as 1 week, more often it takes a month or two. The CRA service standard is 60 days.
  • At the other end of the spectrum, a claim that goes into review can delay payment to 180 days (the CRA service standard) or longer (they only have to meet this 90% of the time, whatever that means).
  • Amended filings (SR&ED filed after the T2 tax return has been filed) are more likely to be reviewed, if not officially, then in practitioners’ collective experience.
  • The moral of the story: make sure your SR&ED filing is done properly (explains your SR&ED activity in a way that CRA can understand so they are less likely to review your claim) and file jointly with your T2 return.