Data
R&D Tax Incentive statistics
13,490 companies claimed $16.7 billion of R&D expenditure under the R&D Tax Incentive in 2023-24, up 4% in claimants and 3% in expenditure on the year before. Small businesses made up 51% of claimants, while public and multinational businesses claimed more than half the expenditure. Every figure below comes from the ATO or Treasury, with the source and period beside it.
Last verified 27 September 2026. Claims data ends at 2023-24; offset data ends at 2022-23.
- companies claimed in 2023-24
- 13,490
- R&D expenditure claimed
- $16.7b
- of claimants were small businesses
- 51%
- of claims from professional, scientific and technical services
- 44%
Claimants and expenditure by year
Claims grew from 12,956 companies and $16.2 billion in 2022-23 to 13,490 companies and $16.7 billion in 2023-24. The first report, for 2021-22, left out some companies, so compare it with care.
| Income year | Companies | R&D expenditure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22Excludes about 850 companies whose substituted accounting period began before 1 July 2021, so not directly comparable with later years. | 11,545 | $11.2 billion | ATO, R&D tax incentive transparency report 2021-22: R&D population overview |
| 2022-23 | 12,956 | $16.2 billion | ATO, R&D tax incentive transparency report 2022-23: R&D population overview |
| 2023-24 | 13,490 | $16.7 billion | ATO, R&D tax incentive transparency report 2023-24: R&D population overview |
R&D expenditure is total notional deductions claimed less feedstock adjustments, as reported in company tax returns. The ATO counts companies with more than $20,000 of eligible expenditure and does not publish the offset each company received.
By business size
Small businesses are the majority of claimants but claim the least: in 2023-24 they grew 15% in number and 28% in expenditure. The ATO attributes part of the shift between segments to companies moving segment and to improved classification.
| Business population | Companies 2023-24 | Expenditure 2023-24 | Average claim 2023-24 | Average claim 2022-23 | Average claim 2021-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small businessesAggregated turnover under $10 million | 6,92051% | $3.1b | $448,088 | $403,232 | $395,191 |
| Privately owned and wealthy groupsTurnover over $10 million, not public or foreign owned | 4,11631% | $4.6b | $1,118,305 | $1,111,133 | $931,824 |
| Public and multinational businessesPublicly listed Australian and multinational companies | 2,44918% | $9.0b | $3,661,002 | $3,599,102 | $3,095,496 |
Sources: ATO, R&D tax incentive transparency report 2023-24: R&D population overview; ATO, R&D tax incentive transparency report 2022-23: R&D population overview; ATO, R&D tax incentive transparency report 2021-22: R&D population overview. Not-for-profit claimants (five in 2023-24) are excluded from the ATO's breakdown.
By industry
Professional, scientific and technical services claimed $6,506.6 million in 2023-24, more than any other industry, followed by manufacturing and mining. Industry is the ANZSIC division each company chose for its main business, which may not be where the R&D happened.
| Industry | 2023-24 ($m) | 2022-23 ($m) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 6,506.6 | 6,193.6 | +5.1% |
| Manufacturing | 3,557.7 | 3,572.7 | -0.4% |
| Mining | 1,371.6 | 1,480.3 | -7.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 946.3 | 924.4 | +2.4% |
| Information media and telecommunications | 890.5 | 824.6 | +8.0% |
| Financial and insurance services | 888.3 | 797.9 | +11.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 412.8 | 399.0 | +3.5% |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | 396.9 | 327.4 | +21.2% |
| Retail trade | 361.4 | 349.3 | +3.5% |
| Health care and social assistance | 297.0 | 265.7 | +11.8% |
| Construction | 265.8 | 265.4 | +0.1% |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | 158.6 | 146.1 | +8.5% |
| Arts and recreation services | 119.5 | 142.0 | -15.8% |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | 118.8 | 121.4 | -2.2% |
| Administrative and support services | 117.8 | 114.9 | +2.5% |
| Education and training | 94.5 | 85.1 | +11.0% |
| Other services | 77.8 | 69.5 | +11.9% |
| Public administration and safety | 57.6 | 62.7 | -8.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 31.2 | 31.3 | -0.4% |
| Special ATO Division (out of ANZSIC scope) | 0.5 | 0.5 | -12.5% |
Claimants by industry
| Industry | 2023-24 | 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 5,955 | 5,663 |
| Manufacturing | 2,648 | 2,638 |
| Wholesale trade | 749 | 734 |
| Information media and telecommunications | 662 | 621 |
| Financial and insurance services | 494 | 530 |
| All other industries | 2,982 | 2,770 |
Source: ATO, R&D tax incentive transparency report 2023-24: R&D industry overview (Tables 3 and 4). The change column is calculated by Rand from the ATO figures.
Refundable and non-refundable offsets (2022-23)
In 2022-23, 10,882 companies claimed the refundable offset (turnover under $20 million) for total payments of $4 billion, and 1,034 companies used $2.2 billion of the non-refundable offset.
Refundable offset
29% of refundable offset recipients had company turnover between $2 million and $20 million, and they used 50% of the total refundable offset.
| Largest industries by share of offset | Share |
|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 52% |
| Manufacturing | 15% |
| Mining | 7% |
Non-refundable offset
Companies with turnover above $100 million used 80% of the non-refundable offset while making up 40% of recipients.
| Largest industries by share of offset | Share |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 27% |
| Mining | 21% |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 20% |
Tax expenditure estimates
Treasury measures the offsets against a benchmark tax treatment, so these figures are revenue forgone relative to that benchmark, not the total value of offsets. The refundable offset shows as negative because recipients give up the ordinary deduction for their R&D spend. Later years are Treasury projections.
| Year | Non-refundable offset, B85 ($m) | Refundable offset, B84 ($m) |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 550 | -560 |
| 2022-23 | 800 | -670 |
| 2023-24 | 750 | -760 |
| 2024-25 | 800 | -800 |
| 2025-26 | 800 | -850 |
| 2026-27 | 800 | -910 |
| 2027-28 | 800 | -940 |
| 2028-29 | 800 | -970 |
Source: Treasury, 2025-26 Tax Expenditures and Insights Statement (17 December 2025), sections 2.11 and 2.12 (Tables 2.17 and 2.18, Charts 2.19 to 2.22).
Where the data ends
- Claims data runs to the 2023-24 income year, extracted by the ATO at 30 June 2026 and published on 23 September 2026. It includes 269 company-initiated amendments; ATO-initiated amendments are never published.
- Offset use by turnover and industry runs to 2022-23, from Treasury's December 2025 statement.
- Nothing here covers AusIndustry registration counts or compliance outcomes, which are published separately.
How to cite this page
You are welcome to use these tables in articles, reports and presentations. Please cite the original ATO or Treasury source for each figure and link to this page as the compilation:
Rand, "R&D Tax Incentive statistics", https://randadvisory.com.au/rd-tax-incentive-statistics, updated 27 September 2026. Compiled from ATO R&D tax incentive transparency reports (2021-22 to 2023-24) and Treasury's 2025-26 Tax Expenditures and Insights Statement.
Frequently asked questions
- How many companies claim the R&D Tax Incentive?
- 13,490 companies claimed R&D expenditure for the 2023-24 income year, 4% more than in 2022-23, according to the ATO's R&D tax incentive transparency report.
- How much R&D expenditure is claimed under the R&D Tax Incentive?
- $16.7 billion for 2023-24, up 3% from $16.2 billion in 2022-23. Public and multinational businesses claimed $9.0 billion of it, privately owned and wealthy groups $4.6 billion and small businesses $3.1 billion.
- What is the average R&D Tax Incentive claim?
- In 2023-24 the average R&D expenditure claimed was $448,088 for small businesses (turnover under $10 million), $1,118,305 for privately owned and wealthy groups, and $3,661,002 for public and multinational businesses.
- Which industries claim the most R&D expenditure?
- Professional, scientific and technical services, which includes scientific research and computer system design, claimed $6,506.6 million in 2023-24 and made up 44% of claims. Manufacturing and mining were next by expenditure.
- How much do R&D tax offsets cost the government?
- Treasury reports that in 2022-23, 10,882 companies claimed a refundable R&D tax offset worth $4 billion in total payments, and 1,034 companies used $2.2 billion of non-refundable offsets.
- When is the next data release?
- The ATO must publish each income year's data two years after that year ends. The 2023-24 data came out on 23 September 2026, so 2024-25 data is due after 30 June 2027. Treasury updates its offset analysis in each annual Tax Expenditures and Insights Statement.
Sources
- ATO, R&D tax incentive transparency report 2023-24 (published 23 September 2026)
- ATO, R&D tax incentive transparency report 2023-24: R&D population overview
- ATO, R&D tax incentive transparency report 2023-24: R&D industry overview
- ATO, R&D tax incentive transparency report 2022-23: R&D population overview
- ATO, R&D tax incentive transparency report 2021-22: R&D population overview
- ATO, R&D tax incentive transparency reports (method and data notes)
- data.gov.au, Research and Development tax incentive (entity-level data report, CC BY 2.5 AU)
- Treasury, 2025-26 Tax Expenditures and Insights Statement (17 December 2025), sections 2.11 and 2.12
General information only, not tax, legal or financial advice. See also how the R&D Tax Incentive works.