Tax Credit
Provincial
Active
Nova Scotia Research and Development Tax Credit
Government of Nova Scotia / Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
Maximum Credit
15% of eligible costs
Ongoing; claimed annually on Schedule 340 of the Nova Scotia T2 corporate tax...
Difficulty
Easy
Payment
Tax Credit Offset
Trend
Stable
First-Timers
Friendly ✓
Credit rate
Varies
Nova Scotia Research and Development Tax Credit provides up to 15% of eligible SR&ED expenditures. A refundable provincial tax credit for Nova Scotia corporations — refundable once applied against total taxes payable, with the province making refunds available where the corporation has, or would have, taxable income allocated to Nova Scotia that incur qualified scientific research and experimental development expenditures in the province, equal to 15% of eligible SR&ED spending. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
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Program Description
A refundable provincial tax credit for Nova Scotia corporations — refundable once applied against total taxes payable, with the province making refunds available where the corporation has, or would have, taxable income allocated to Nova Scotia that incur qualified scientific research and experimental development expenditures in the province, equal to 15% of eligible SR&ED spending.
Eligibility Requirements
- Must be a Nova Scotia corporation
- Must incur qualified SR&ED expenditures in Nova Scotia
- Must follow federal SR&ED eligibility rules (federal credit claimed on form T661)
- Must file a T2 corporate tax return for taxation years 1998 or later, claiming on Schedule 340
- Refund of the credit is available where the corporation has or would have taxable income allocated to Nova Scotia
Provinces
Industries
Business Stage
Quick Assessment
Difficulty
Easy
Competition
Low
First-Timer
Friendly
Funding Details
- Amount
- 15% of eligible SR&ED expenditures
- Type
- Tax Credit
- Level
- Provincial
- Deadline
- Ongoing; claimed annually on Schedule 340 of the Nova Scotia T2 corporate tax return
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Competition
Low
Deadline
Ongoing
Approval
Entitlement
Accessibility
--/5
Competition
--/5
Approval Rate
--%
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How to claim
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
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Insider TipFile the credit on Schedule 340 of the Nova Scotia T2 corporate tax return; because the credit is fully refundable, any excess over Nova Scotia taxes payable is returned.
Rejection Pitfalls 9
- Expenditures do not qualify for the federal SR&ED tax credit — no technological advancement or systematic investigation, adjudicated by CRA rather than the province
+8 more pitfalls
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Success Profile
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Evaluation Criteria
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All 9 pitfalls, the checklist and the reviewer notes are in the Playbook below. See what it includes ↓
What's in this Playbook
Everything you need to claim Nova Scotia Research and Development Tax C...
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 9 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 3-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 5-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 1-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what the program administrators check
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Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
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5 steps
3 docs
Application Steps
1
Confirm the permanent establishment and location-of-work tests Both must hold: "You can claim this credit if you have a permanent establishment in Nova Scotia and if you made eligible expenditures for research and development carried out in Nova Scotia." The province frames the same test as expenditures "made in Nova Scotia." A Nova Scotia address without Nova Scotia research activity does not qualify. There is no size test — the 15% rate applies "to all corporations that incur SR&ED expenditures in Nova Scotia, regardless of size."
Required Documents 3
✓ Schedule 340 tax form
✓ SR&ED expenditure records
Eligible Expenses 3
Ineligible Expenses 4
Claim timing
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
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Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
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1 partners
Compatible Programs
Federal SR&ED Investment Tax Credit (ID 4)
Combined Funding Potential
See your total funding potential
Clawback Risk
Medium Risk
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How Nova Scotia Research and Development Tax C... Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Scotia Research and Development ... | 15% of eligible SR&ED expenditures | Easy | Tax Credit Offset | Ongoing; claimed... |
| Strategic Response Fund (formerly Str... | Minimum $10 million contribution | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing — continuous... |
| CanExport SMEs | Up to $50,000 | Moderate | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Between intakes — the... |
| Innovative Solutions Canada | up to $150,000 | Hard | Milestone-Based | Challenge-specific — new... |
| Ocean Supercluster | Up to $5 million | Hard | Reimbursement | Continuous intake (Core... |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Nova Scotia Research and Development Tax C...
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Is there a size limit on the Nova Scotia R&D tax credit?
No. A 15 per cent rate applies to all corporations that incur SR&ED expenditures in Nova Scotia, regardless of size — there is no expenditure limit, no cap and no taxable-capital phase-out of the kind other provinces apply.
Will I get a cash refund if I owe no Nova Scotia tax?
Usually, but it is conditional. CRA describes the credit as fully refundable once applied against total taxes payable, while the province makes refunds available where the corporation has or would have taxable income allocated to Nova Scotia. Confirm your allocation position before counting on the cash.
What is the deadline to claim?
File a completed Schedule 340 with your return no later than 18 months after the corporation's tax year-end. Enter the credit earned in the year on line 566 of Schedule 5. The credit applies to taxation years 1998 and later.
Do I have to claim the credit if I qualify?
No — you can renounce the research and development tax credit for eligible expenditures incurred during the year under subsection 41(7) of the Income Tax Act (Nova Scotia). That matters when claiming the provincial credit would reduce a more valuable federal refundable credit.
Can the credit be taken back later?
Yes. If you dispose of a property used in research and development, or convert it to commercial use, you may have to report a recapture — calculated on Schedule 340 and entered on line 221 of Schedule 5 — which creates or increases Nova Scotia tax otherwise payable.
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Full Playbook: Nova Scotia Research and Development Tax C...
5 steps · 3 docs · reviewer insights