Maximise the value of your
research tax credit
The Research Tax Credit (CIR) is currently one of the most important tax incentives for innovative companies in France. It provides significant financial support for research and development expenses, including salaries, equipment purchases, subcontracting, depreciation, and, most importantly, the time spent by teams on eligible projects.
And this is precisely where one of the biggest challenges of the CIR lies: proving the reality, nature, and duration of the work carried out.
Tax audits conducted by the French tax authorities or the Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR) are becoming increasingly demanding. Without a structured, detailed, and compliant tracking system, a company may see part of its CIR reduced, reclassified… or even lost.
To meet these growing requirements, companies must rely on reliable and easy-to-use tools that teams can adopt on a daily basis. This is where Acollab becomes a true ally in building a strong and defensible CIR file.
In this article, we will explain why rigorous time tracking is essential, and how Acollab helps secure and optimize CIR declarations through its time tracking module.
Why time tracking is critical for the research tax credit ?
For a project to qualify for the CIR, a company must demonstrate several key elements:
- That the work carried out falls under R&D or innovation
- That the work was performed by dedicated personnel
- That time was actually spent on the declared tasks
- And that the tracking is precise enough to withstand an audit
In recent years, tax authorities have required a much higher level of detail.
Gone are the days of approximate Excel files, rough estimates, or global declarations. Any data that is not rigorously documented is now highly likely to be challenged.
Auditors increasingly request:
- Detailed timesheets by task and by day
- A precise description of the work performed
- A clear link between tasks and scientific or technical objectives
- Timestamped, tamper-proof or hard-to-edit records
- Consistency between declared time and delivered outputs
Without reliable justification, authorities may:
- Reduce the CIR amount
- Reject unproven expenses
- Apply penalties and late interest
- Demand repayment of overclaimed credits
Conversely, rigorous time tracking protects the company and strengthens the credibility of its R&D activities.
The limits of traditional tools
Many companies still manage their CIR documentation using Excel spreadsheets, monthly summaries, or manual tracking systems. This creates several challenges:
High risks of human error
Manual data entry often leads to omissions, duplicates, or misallocated time, weak points during audits.
Lack of reliable timestamps
Documents can be modified after the fact without leaving a trace, which is closely scrutinized by auditors.
Insufficent level of detail
Auditors may require daily, task-by-task tracking. High-level or aggregated tracking is no longer accepted.
Low team adoption
Overly complex or time-consuming systems discourage employees from logging their time accurately or consistently.
No centralized data repository
Time records, technical documents, communications, and deliverables are often scattered across multiple tools and locations.
For all these reasons, a professional time tracking tool becomes essential. This is where Acollab stands out.
How Acollab secures CIR declarations through time tracking
Acollab is a French collaborative management platform designed to streamline internal organization. Among its key features, its time tracking module fully meets CIR compliance requirements.
A reliable and user-friendly time tracking system
Accurate daily or weekly time entry
Team members can log:
- Hours worked
- Tasks performed
- The associated project (including R&D projects)
- Optional comments for additional context
This level of granularity enables the generation of precise and audit-ready timesheets.
An easy-to-use tool
Acollab is designed to ensure even busy teams can log their time without friction:
- Intuitive interface
- Smooth navigation
- Automated reminders
A simple tool leads to more complete data, and therefore a stronger CIR file.
Reliable tracking and full traceability
Each time entry is:
- Automatically timestamped
- Linked to a specific user
- Versioned if modified
While edits remain possible, all changes are logged, ensuring strong traceability—far beyond what Excel can provide.
Full centralization: time + documents + deliverables
Acollab goes beyond time tracking by centralizing all supporting evidence, including:
- Technical documents
- Prototypes
- Meeting notes
- Analyses
- Team communications
- Decisions
- Scientific deliverables
As a result, all supporting materials required for CIR justification are stored in one place, making year-end reporting and audits significantly easier.
A collaborative tool that supports R&D teams and project managers
A global view of R&D projects
Project leaders can:
- Monitor progress in real time
- Analyze time spent by project phase (design, testing, iterations…)
- Compare planned vs. actual workloads
- Prepare justification documents more efficiently
Improved internal communication
With collaborative features such as:
- Internal messaging
- Shared documents
- Task management
Teams collaborate more effectively, and these exchanges also serve as valuable supporting evidence in CIR documentation.
Clear allocation of time per contributor
Acollab makes it easy to identify:
- Who worked on each project
- How many hours were invested
- How time was distributed throughout the year
This is essential to justify personnel-related CIR expenses.
How Acollab strengthens your CIR in case of an audit ?
During a tax or scientific audit, Acollab becomes a powerful safeguard.
On-demand generation of detailed reports
With just a few clicks, you can export:
- Time by project
- Time by person
- Time by period
- Activity history
These reports are structured, dated, and consistent, exactly what auditors expect.
Centralized documentary evidence
No more scattered files : everything is organized, accessible, and verifiable in one place.
Significantly reduced risk of CIR rejection
By using a compliant, traceable tool like Acollab, you demonstrate good faith, rigor, and professionalism, greatly reducing the risk of reassessment or penalties.
Concrete benefits for companies
Companies that adopt Acollab to structure their CIR tracking experience several tangible advantages:
- Time savings when preparing CIR documentation: everything is already organized and exportable
- Secured CIR amounts: precise tracking strengthens the claim and reduces ambiguity
- Improved internal transparency: employees understand expectations and can track their contributions
- Real tax optimization: accurate tracking often reveals previously unreported eligible time, increasing CIR value