Ways to Get Your R&D Agent
Pick how much you want us to do. The same agent is available at four levels of help, from a template you run yourself to a white-label product from Swanson Reed.
One agent, four routes
The R&D Tax Credit AI agent captures evidence, screens activities against the four-part test, pulls costs, allocates time, calculates the credit and drafts forms for professional review. What differs between routes is who builds it, who runs it and how much support you get. Choosing the right route is mostly a question of how much technical capacity you have and how much of the work you want to keep.
Compare the routes
Contact us for pricing on each.
| Route | Who builds it | Who runs it | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY kit | You, from a template | You | You have technical staff and want control |
| Done with you | Our team with yours | You | You want to learn the system as it is built |
| Done for you | Our team | We host and maintain it | You want the least ongoing effort |
| White-label (TaxTrex, creditARMOR) | Swanson Reed | You, under your own brand | You are a firm offering R&D services to clients |
Routes
DIY R&D Agent Kit
A self-serve template for an in-house R&D tax credit agent that you set up and run, with our guidance.
Learn moreDone-With-You R&D Agent Build
Our team builds the R&D agent together with yours, so it fits your systems and your people understand it.
Learn moreDone-For-You R&D Agent
A fully built, hosted and maintained R&D agent: you add notes and your reviewer reviews drafts.
Learn moreCheapest first
The white-label route is separate and aimed at CPA firms and partners. Contact us for pricing.
Level 1
DIY kit
A template you set up and run, with our guidance.
Level 2
Done with you
We build the agent alongside your team.
Level 3
Done for you
We build, host and maintain it.
Questions to help you choose
- Do you have someone technical who can configure and run a template?
- How many systems need to be connected, and how unusual are they?
- Do you want your own people to understand how the agent works?
- How much ongoing effort are you willing to give to keeping it running?
- Are you a firm that wants to offer R&D services to clients under its own name?
A worked example (illustrative)
This scenario is invented. A software company with a small engineering team and a technically minded finance lead chooses the DIY kit. They configure the capture and costing modules themselves and ask for help with screening. A manufacturer with an in-house IT person but unusual systems chooses done-with-you, so the unusual parts are built jointly and its IT person learns how they work. A professional services firm with no technical staff chooses done-for-you. And a regional accounting firm that wants to offer R&D documentation to clients chooses the white-label route.
Moving between routes
Starting at one level does not lock you in. A business that begins with the DIY kit can move to done-with-you if it needs help, and one that starts with done-for-you can later take over running it. The agent uses the same records at every level, so moving does not mean starting again.
What every route shares
At every level, a licensed CPA or enrolled agent reviews the drafts, and forms are filed through an authorized IRS e-file provider or tax software, not by Cost Guru. Integrations are confirmed for your setup. And nothing on this site is tax advice or a guarantee of a credit.
White-label
CPA firms and other partners can offer TaxTrex and creditARMOR, Swanson Reed products, under their own brand. See the white-label pages for details. Terms, review tiers and partner pricing are proposals until confirmed by Swanson Reed.
What to prepare whichever route you choose
- A list of the systems that hold your project, time and cost records.
- The name of the person who will own the process on your side.
- The name of the CPA or enrolled agent who will review the claim.
- A rough list of the projects you expect to claim for.
- Any earlier claims or documents that show how work was described before.
What affects timing
Timelines depend on the route, the number of systems to connect, how clean your records are and how quickly your people can answer questions. A template with common systems can be running quickly. A joint build with unusual systems takes longer, and a managed service takes as long as the set-up requires. We give timelines in the quote, based on your situation, and we do not promise them before we have seen it.
Common situations and a sensible route
This is a rule of thumb. We will suggest a route on the call.
| Situation | A sensible route to discuss |
|---|---|
| Technical team, common systems, tight budget | DIY kit |
| In-house IT, unusual systems, wants to learn | Done with you |
| No technical staff, wants least effort | Done for you |
| Accounting firm offering R&D services to clients | White-label |
| Not sure the credit applies | A free call, before choosing a route |
How to compare quotes
If you are comparing our quote with another supplier's, check what each includes. Does it cover connecting your systems, or only providing a template? Does it include support, and for how long? Who reviews the output? What happens to your data if you leave? And what is not included? A lower price that leaves out the hard parts is not cheaper. We try to write quotes so these questions are answered in the document, not in a later conversation. Contact us for pricing and we will itemize it.
Questions to ask any supplier
- What exactly will I receive, and in what form?
- Which of my systems can it connect to, and which are proposals?
- Who has access to my data, and where is it held?
- What does a licensed professional need to review, and how do they see it?
- What happens if I want to move to a different route later?
Route questions
Which route is cheapest?
The DIY kit is the lowest-cost route, but it needs technical effort from you. Contact us for pricing on each.
Can I change route later?
Yes. The agent uses the same records at every level.
Who reviews the output?
A licensed CPA or enrolled agent, yours or one we work with.
Is white-label different?
Yes. It is for firms offering R&D services under their own brand, using Swanson Reed products.
Keep exploring
How the R&D Tax Credit Agent Works
The seven steps from evidence to e-filing, and who does what at each one.
Learn moreR&D Agent Modules
The parts of the R&D agent, what each does and how they fit together.
Learn moreR&D Credit Forms and Filing
Federal forms, state credits and how e-filing works for the research credit.
Learn morePlease note: Estimates and drafts are prepared by software for review by a licensed CPA or enrolled agent. This is not tax advice.
Find out what AI would cost you
Book a free call. We will map three opportunities and give you a rough idea of cost and payback.