{"id":15347,"date":"2026-04-09T21:22:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T01:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/?p=15347"},"modified":"2026-04-09T21:22:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T01:22:26","slug":"maximize-sred-refund-payroll-data-gaps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/maximize-sred-refund-payroll-data-gaps\/","title":{"rendered":"Is your SR&amp;ED claim leaking cash? How to maximize your 2026 refund"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull blog-template-header has-neutral-100-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--16)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div style=\"--bb--crumb-gap:.4em;\" class=\"blog-template-breadcrumb wp-block-employmentherocom2025-breadcrumb-block\"><nav role=\"navigation\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\" class=\"breadcrumb\"><ol class=\"breadcrumb-items\"><li class=\"breadcrumb-item breadcrumb-item--current breadcrumb-item--home\"><span class=\"breadcrumb-item-name\">Home<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/nav><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"item\":{\"name\":\"Home\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/employmenthero.com\\\/en-ca\\\/\"}}]}<\/script><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group blog-template-tags-row is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--9)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group blog-template-tags is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-1 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-ghost is-style-ghost--1\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-btn-black-background-color has-background wp-element-button has-icon__eye\"><span class=\"wp-block-button__link-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg width=\"20\" height=\"20\" viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"> <g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_5893_17419)\"> <path d=\"M19.8727 9.55732C19.7127 9.30315 15.8927 3.33398 10.0002 3.33398C4.10771 3.33398 0.287713 9.30315 0.127713 9.55732C0.0442677 9.69013 0 9.8438 0 10.0007C0 10.1575 0.0442677 10.3112 0.127713 10.444C0.287713 10.6982 4.10771 16.6673 10.0002 16.6673C15.8927 16.6673 19.7127 10.6982 19.8727 10.444C19.9562 10.3112 20.0004 10.1575 20.0004 10.0007C20.0004 9.8438 19.9562 9.69013 19.8727 9.55732ZM10.0002 15.0007C5.88605 15.0007 2.80271 11.299 1.84855 10.0007C3.12342 8.22835 4.79779 6.78123 6.73605 5.77648C6.15544 6.50283 5.83739 7.40411 5.83355 8.33398C5.83355 9.43905 6.27253 10.4989 7.05394 11.2803C7.83534 12.0617 8.89514 12.5007 10.0002 12.5007C11.1053 12.5007 12.1651 12.0617 12.9465 11.2803C13.7279 10.4989 14.1669 9.43905 14.1669 8.33398C14.1629 7.40674 13.8468 6.50785 13.2694 5.78232C15.2033 6.78886 16.8752 8.23337 18.1519 10.0007C17.201 11.3015 14.1277 15.0007 10.0002 15.0007Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/> <\/g> <defs> <clipPath id=\"clip0_5893_17419\"> <rect width=\"20\" height=\"20\" fill=\"white\"\/> <\/clipPath> <\/defs> <\/svg><\/span>Blog<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group blog-template-social-desktop is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-3 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2)\"><div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"facebook\" data-social-type=\"facebook\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"24px\" height=\"24px\" viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"> <title>Group<\/title> <path d=\"M14.4446 6.47609H11.4173V4.40033C11.4173 3.62078 11.9115 3.43904 12.2596 3.43904C12.6068 3.43904 14.3958 3.43904 14.3958 3.43904V0.0120058L11.4537 0C8.18772 0 7.44447 2.55599 7.44447 4.19168V6.47609H5.55566V10.0075H7.44447C7.44447 14.5394 7.44447 20 7.44447 20H11.4173C11.4173 20 11.4173 14.4856 11.4173 10.0075H14.0981L14.4446 6.47609Z\"><\/path><\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n<div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"twitter\" data-social-type=\"twitter\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"17\" height=\"18\" viewBox=\"0 0 17 18\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"> <g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_2187_1527)\"> <path d=\"M6.88269 10.3821L0.554058 18H2.05374L7.54889 11.3855L11.9379 18H17L10.363 7.99774L17 0.00924304H15.5002L9.69721 6.99436L5.06215 0.00924304H-5.51343e-07L6.88306 10.3821H6.88269ZM8.93683 7.90961L9.60929 8.90561L14.9598 16.8309H12.6563L8.33833 10.4349L7.66587 9.43894L2.05303 1.12518H4.35659L8.93683 7.90923V7.90961Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path> <\/g> <defs> <clipPath id=\"clip0_2187_1527\"> <rect width=\"17\" height=\"18\" fill=\"white\" transform=\"matrix(-1 0 0 -1 17 18)\"><\/rect> <\/clipPath> <\/defs> <\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n<div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"linkedin\" data-social-type=\"linkedin\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"17px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 17 16\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"> <title>Shape<\/title> <g id=\"Symbols\" stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"> <g id=\"Icons\/Social\" transform=\"translate(-74.000000, -2.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\" fill-rule=\"nonzero\"> <path d=\"M74.2155762,7.20409322 L77.8588786,7.20409322 L77.8588786,18 L74.2155762,18 L74.2155762,7.20409322 Z M76.0616143,2 C74.8146643,2 74,2.80609002 74,3.86411056 C74,4.90036967 74.7908238,5.72989508 76.0139333,5.72989508 L76.0371667,5.72989508 C77.3079571,5.72989508 78.0993476,4.90032981 78.0993476,3.86411056 C78.0755071,2.80609002 77.3079976,2 76.0616143,2 Z M86.8041976,6.95048874 C84.8702857,6.95048874 84.0038929,7.99790755 83.5205667,8.73245583 L83.5205667,7.20409322 L79.8761714,7.20409322 C79.924419,8.21687707 79.8761714,18 79.8761714,18 L83.5205667,18 L83.5205667,11.9708054 C83.5205667,11.6478911 83.5444071,11.3261725 83.6402952,11.0948476 C83.9041595,10.4502147 84.5037738,9.78266458 85.5095667,9.78266458 C86.8291714,9.78266458 87.3561714,10.773129 87.3561714,12.2237722 L87.3561714,18 L91,18 L91,11.8093881 C91,8.49339883 89.2027762,6.95048874 86.8041976,6.95048874 Z\" id=\"Shape\"><\/path> <\/g> <\/g> <\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n<div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"link\" data-social-type=\"copy\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"18px\" height=\"19px\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 19\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"> <title>Group 7<\/title> <defs> <polygon id=\"path-1\" points=\"0 0 11.3597146 0 11.3597146 13.250495 0 13.250495\"><\/polygon> <polygon id=\"path-3\" points=\"0 0 11.4438464 0 11.4438464 13.237235 0 13.237235\"><\/polygon> <\/defs> <g id=\"Symbols\" stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"> <g id=\"Icons\/Social\" transform=\"translate(-115.000000, 0.000000)\"> <g id=\"Group-7\" transform=\"translate(115.000000, 0.000000)\"> <g id=\"Group-3\" transform=\"translate(6.640285, 0.000000)\"> <mask id=\"mask-2\" fill=\"white\"> <use xlink:href=\"#path-1\"><\/use> <\/mask> <g id=\"Clip-2\"><\/g> <path d=\"M9.6365839,1.06427739 L9.6365839,1.06407143 C7.63313006,-0.581342526 4.71799441,-0.287025772 3.06469376,1.72767436 L1.68152847,3.42787366 C1.2637913,3.94153775 1.3305731,4.70585509 1.8305341,5.13486964 C2.33069565,5.56409016 3.0749216,5.4955055 3.49265877,4.98184141 L4.8760246,3.28143615 C5.71089731,2.25863908 7.1949372,2.1243532 8.19104884,2.98176443 C8.20769415,2.99597567 8.22413891,3.01059882 8.24038313,3.02522198 C9.18174573,3.92361924 9.26838157,5.42383144 8.43691815,6.43015171 L5.5610895,9.96627791 L5.53461744,9.99634806 C5.38079871,10.1792405 5.20090901,10.3370058 5.00076417,10.4640831 C4.04676718,11.0718709 2.80719278,10.901748 2.04211006,10.0579301 C1.59709864,9.56877523 0.850065046,9.54303024 0.374169553,10.0002613 C-0.100522665,10.4562566 -0.127195273,11.2205739 0.315008503,11.7099348 C1.3991598,12.9045024 2.99670869,13.4575049 4.56377459,13.1800768 C4.80503134,13.1364133 5.04287882,13.0742134 5.27470991,12.9934771 C6.09434113,12.7094584 6.82152068,12.1980598 7.37542854,11.5155086 L10.2440375,7.98947441 C11.0680808,6.96832503 11.4617524,5.65182909 11.3372134,4.33183184 C11.2235039,3.05137889 10.6100339,1.87267016 9.6365839,1.06427739\" id=\"Fill-1\" fill=\"#000000\" mask=\"url(#mask-2)\"><\/path> <\/g> <g id=\"Group-6\" transform=\"translate(0.000000, 5.762765)\"> <mask id=\"mask-4\" fill=\"white\"> <use xlink:href=\"#path-3\"><\/use> <\/mask> <g id=\"Clip-5\"><\/g> <path d=\"M7.78481199,8.39527139 L6.54864687,9.91484383 C5.73222439,10.9339336 4.27946967,11.1129128 3.25127068,10.3214088 C2.2300908,9.49612727 2.05361038,7.97696676 2.85719793,6.92821874 C2.87083505,6.91050619 2.88447217,6.89299959 2.89851039,6.87569896 L5.82387388,3.27984437 L5.84553284,3.25492322 C5.99915102,3.07203079 6.17924127,2.91447144 6.37938611,2.78739415 C7.23972815,2.23645131 8.34754387,2.31595185 9.12506044,2.98449782 C9.2157072,3.06235067 9.30073868,3.14700021 9.37915214,3.23782854 C9.60657122,3.50207514 9.93486491,3.6513961 10.2784001,3.64665902 C10.6175233,3.64171598 10.9377951,3.48498047 11.155588,3.21764447 L11.1696262,3.20034383 C11.5426416,2.74620216 11.5342187,2.07930388 11.1497722,1.63546021 C9.42768425,-0.367088286 6.45118155,-0.55698335 4.50107292,1.21159465 C4.32298813,1.37306725 4.15713665,1.54813319 4.00472174,1.73555674 L1.08738009,5.32173121 C-0.548874157,7.35084854 -0.312430505,10.3492133 1.62043117,12.0813364 C2.56821124,12.921447 3.80678291,13.3317192 5.05377751,13.2188532 C5.20097822,13.2064956 5.34697566,13.1875473 5.49176982,13.1613904 C6.61362375,12.9593437 7.63039162,12.3585585 8.36398864,11.4636626 L9.59594229,9.94923914 C10.0136795,9.43578101 9.94709821,8.67146367 9.44693666,8.24224316 C8.94677511,7.81302264 8.20254916,7.8816073 7.78481199,8.39527139\" id=\"Fill-4\" fill=\"#000000\" mask=\"url(#mask-4)\"><\/path> <\/g> <\/g> <\/g> <\/g> <\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n            <span class=\"eh-social-sharing-button__copied_text\">\n            URL copied for sharing!        <\/span>\n    <\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-5 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><h1 class=\"blog-template-title wp-block-post-title\">Is your SR&amp;ED claim leaking cash? How to maximize your 2026 refund<\/h1><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-7 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-query wp-block-hosts-query has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-query-is-layout-1 wp-block-query-is-layout-constrained\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group blog-template-meta-row is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-employmentherocom2025-custom-post-date has-sm-font-size\">\n    <span>Published<\/span>&nbsp;<time datetime=\"2026-04-09T21:22:25-04:00\">Apr 9, 2026<\/time>\n<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sm-font-size\" style=\"border-left-color:var(--wp--preset--color--neutral-700);border-left-width:1px;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2)\"><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull blog-image-container has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized blog-template-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1728\" height=\"1014\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/Graduate-hiring-thumbnail-35.webp\" alt=\"Purple background with white text: &quot;Is your SR&amp;ED claim leaking cash? How to maximize your 2026 refund.&quot; Includes a green check mark in a ribbon icon. 91爆料 logo.\" class=\"wp-image-15383\" style=\"aspect-ratio:16\/9;object-fit:cover;width:864px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/Graduate-hiring-thumbnail-35.webp 1728w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/Graduate-hiring-thumbnail-35-300x176.webp 300w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/Graduate-hiring-thumbnail-35-1024x601.webp 1024w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/Graduate-hiring-thumbnail-35-768x451.webp 768w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/Graduate-hiring-thumbnail-35-1536x901.webp 1536w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/Graduate-hiring-thumbnail-35-864x508.webp 864w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/Graduate-hiring-thumbnail-35-440x258.webp 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1728px) 100vw, 1728px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:66px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:30%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group sticky-side-panel is-vertical is-content-justification-stretch is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-11 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex wp-container-2 is-position-sticky\">\n<p class=\"has-lg-font-size\" style=\"border-bottom-color:var(--wp--preset--color--neutral-200);border-bottom-width:0.1rem;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--4);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--4)\"><strong>Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"content-single-table-content\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:70%\">\n<div id=\"content-wrapper\" class=\"wp-block-group content-wrapper has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p>Tax season is never the time to leave money unclaimed, especially when it comes to SR&amp;ED. <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/resources\/sred-claim-2026-what-to-claim-before-filing-webinar\/\">In our recent webinar<\/a> (hosted by Sarah Lesperance, Head of SR&amp;ED Growth and Ali Afshar, Head of Claims Solutions at 91爆料), we broke down the most common mistakes businesses make when preparing their SR&amp;ED claims and why the quality of your payroll, finance and time-tracking data can make or break the value of your claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/revenue-agency\/services\/scientific-research-experimental-development-tax-incentive-program.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SR&amp;ED is the largest government program<\/a> for innovation funding in Canada, with more than $5B disbursed annually. But despite the scale of the opportunity, many businesses miss out on eligible dollars because their records aren\u2019t structured well enough to support a strong, defensible claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The three tests that matter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To qualify for SR&amp;ED, businesses need to be able to document and prove three core elements: technological uncertainty, technological advancement and systematic investigation or experimentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That means SR&amp;ED isn\u2019t just about having innovative work underway. It\u2019s about showing clear evidence of the work, the costs tied to it and the reasoning behind why that work mattered from an R&amp;D perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Technological uncertainty vs. routine engineering<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A key takeaway from Sarah and Ali was the distinction between routine engineering and SR&amp;ED. To pass the three tests, you must prove you encountered a &#8216;roadblock&#8217; that standard, publicly available knowledge couldn&#8217;t solve. It\u2019s not just about the success of the project; documenting your &#8216;failed&#8217; iterations and the reasons why a standard approach didn&#8217;t work is often your strongest evidence for a claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where claims lose value<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the biggest themes from the session was simple: your SR&amp;ED claim is only as strong as the data behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most common problem we see is disconnected systems. Payroll lives in one place, finance in another and engineering work gets tracked somewhere else entirely, often in tools like Jira or GitHub. When those systems don\u2019t line up, the result is missed eligible costs, inconsistent reporting, and increased audit risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mistake 1: Payroll not structured for SR&amp;ED<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If your payroll setup doesn\u2019t clearly identify R&amp;D employees, tie compensation to eligible work, or include variable pay where appropriate, you may be under-claiming salaries and creating avoidable issues during CRA review. A common mistake we see is customers who promote someone internally and their new title no longer reflects the R&amp;D work they are still responsible for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hidden contributors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t stop at your software engineers. Ali pointed out that many businesses miss eligible &#8216;support&#8217; work. This includes Product Managers who define technical requirements to overcome uncertainties, or QA testers who are performing the &#8216;experimental&#8217; portion of the work. If they are directly contributing to the technical problem-solving, their salary\u2014and even a portion of their manager&#8217;s salary\u2014can often be included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mistake 2: Weak time allocation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Estimating time at year-end is a major red flag. Without consistent time tracking and a clear link between time and work performed, businesses weaken the credibility of their claims and increase the risk of adjustments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mistake 3: Financial data that doesn\u2019t tie out<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Claims need to reconcile across payroll, contractor costs, and expenses. If the numbers don\u2019t match, or project costs aren\u2019t mapped properly, that can create delays, scrutiny, and questions during review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mistake 4: Filing too early<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Rushing to file before payroll and time data have been validated can lock in mistakes. Filing without a complete SR&amp;ED review can lead to amendments, delayed refunds, and lost claim value<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to fix before you file<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The webinar also walked through a practical pre-filing checklist. Before submitting your claim, you should identify all SR&amp;ED-eligible employees, align roles with actual work performed, validate your time allocation method, reconcile payroll and financials with the claim, capture missed contributors, and make sure your documentation supports everything you\u2019re claiming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That preparation matters because most tax-season mistakes are preventable. When payroll and HR data are set up properly, they become the foundation for a stronger, more defensible SR&amp;ED claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How 91爆料 helps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At 91爆料, we help businesses <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/products\/sred\/\">simplify the SR&amp;ED process<\/a> by bringing the right data together earlier, before filing becomes a scramble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our approach starts with a discovery call to understand the work being done and estimate claim potential, followed by a technical kickoff, data gathering, claim writing and a final check-in before submission to CRA. For our platform users, we can pull payroll, timesheets and project data directly, helping save 15+ hours while protecting the claim in an audit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather than a manual year-end scramble, we help you target the maximum possible refund\u2014which can be up to 64% of technical salaries. Because our platform acts as the &#8216;source of truth&#8217; for <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/products\/payroll-software\/\">payroll<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/products\/time-and-attendance-software\/\">time-tracking<\/a>, we can map your technical work (from tools like Jira) directly to your financial data. This doesn&#8217;t just save 15+ hours of manual work; it creates the &#8216;nexus&#8217; between work and cost that the CRA requires to approve a claim without a lengthy audit<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Calculate the value of your SR&amp;ED refund with our <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/products\/sred\/sred-calculator\/\">SR&amp;ED calculator<\/a> today!&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final takeaway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If there\u2019s one message from the webinar, it\u2019s this: SR&amp;ED success starts with your data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The businesses that win at tax time are the ones that prepare early, keep their records aligned, and treat payroll, HR and finance as part of the claims strategy, not an afterthought. If you want a more confident, higher-quality claim, the best time to fix the gaps is before you file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ready to get started?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-2 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/products\/sred\/\">Book a SRED discovery call today<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-13 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related Resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-link-arrow is-style-link-arrow--3\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-btn-brand-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"\/resources\/?topic%5B0%5D%5B0%5D=Product\">View all<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-query blog-3-col-query-loop is-layout-flow wp-block-query-is-layout-flow\"><ul class=\"columns-3 alignfull wp-block-post-template is-layout-grid wp-container-core-post-template-is-layout-1 wp-block-post-template-is-layout-grid\"><li class=\"wp-block-post post-16721 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorised resource-type-blog\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color has-neutral-100-border-color has-white-background-color has-background is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-16 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"border-width:1px;min-height:100%\"><figure style=\"aspect-ratio:auto; padding-bottom:0;padding-top:0;margin-bottom:0;\" class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/10-things-learnt-employment-hero-partner-summit\/\" target=\"_self\"  ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-GLOBAL-Website-resource-thumbnail-Blogs-7.webp\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"10 Things We Learnt at the 91爆料 Partner Summit\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:fill;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-GLOBAL-Website-resource-thumbnail-Blogs-7.webp 1600w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-GLOBAL-Website-resource-thumbnail-Blogs-7-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-GLOBAL-Website-resource-thumbnail-Blogs-7-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-GLOBAL-Website-resource-thumbnail-Blogs-7-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-GLOBAL-Website-resource-thumbnail-Blogs-7-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-GLOBAL-Website-resource-thumbnail-Blogs-7-440x248.webp 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-15 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-14 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" class=\"taxonomy-resource-type eh-resource-type wp-block-post-terms\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-post-terms-icon\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"icon-blog\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/11\/eye-logo.png\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/resources\/blog\/\" rel=\"tag\">Blogs<\/a><\/div>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/10-things-learnt-employment-hero-partner-summit\/\" target=\"_self\" >10 Things We Learnt at the 91爆料 Partner Summit<\/a><\/h3>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt has-text-color has-contrast-2-color has-small-font-size wp-container-content-2\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Bold leadership, smarter partnerships and 10 key insights from 91爆料\u2019s Canadian Partner Summit. Discover what Canada\u2019s top SMB advisors&hellip; <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<a style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600;\" class=\"wp-elements-9dfcbcb7662772ecb2d671e8976a6c51 wp-block-read-more has-text-color has-violet-500-color\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/10-things-learnt-employment-hero-partner-summit\/\" target=\"_self\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">: 10 Things We Learnt at the 91爆料 Partner Summit<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/10-things-learnt-employment-hero-partner-summit\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"group-block-link\"><\/a>\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-16735 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorised resource-type-blog\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color has-neutral-100-border-color has-white-background-color has-background is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-19 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"border-width:1px;min-height:100%\"><figure style=\"aspect-ratio:auto; padding-bottom:0;padding-top:0;margin-bottom:0;\" class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/arlene-dickinson-partner-summit-recap\/\" target=\"_self\"  ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1710\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Arlene-Dickinson-Employment-Hero-talk-scaled.webp\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Arlene Dickinson\u2019s call to Canadian business: Raise your hand higher\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:fill;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Arlene-Dickinson-Employment-Hero-talk-scaled.webp 2560w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Arlene-Dickinson-Employment-Hero-talk-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Arlene-Dickinson-Employment-Hero-talk-1024x684.webp 1024w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Arlene-Dickinson-Employment-Hero-talk-768x513.webp 768w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Arlene-Dickinson-Employment-Hero-talk-1536x1026.webp 1536w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Arlene-Dickinson-Employment-Hero-talk-2048x1368.webp 2048w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Arlene-Dickinson-Employment-Hero-talk-440x294.webp 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-18 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-17 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" class=\"taxonomy-resource-type eh-resource-type wp-block-post-terms\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-post-terms-icon\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"icon-blog\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/11\/eye-logo.png\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/resources\/blog\/\" rel=\"tag\">Blogs<\/a><\/div>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/arlene-dickinson-partner-summit-recap\/\" target=\"_self\" >Arlene Dickinson\u2019s call to Canadian business: Raise your hand higher<\/a><\/h3>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt has-text-color has-contrast-2-color has-small-font-size wp-container-content-4\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Arlene Dickinson challenged Canadian business leaders at the 91爆料 Partner Summit to lead with courage and purpose. Read the&hellip; <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<a style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600;\" class=\"wp-elements-9dfcbcb7662772ecb2d671e8976a6c51 wp-block-read-more has-text-color has-violet-500-color\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/arlene-dickinson-partner-summit-recap\/\" target=\"_self\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">: Arlene Dickinson\u2019s call to Canadian business: Raise your hand higher<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/arlene-dickinson-partner-summit-recap\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"group-block-link\"><\/a>\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-16661 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorised resource-type-blog\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color has-neutral-100-border-color has-white-background-color has-background is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-22 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"border-width:1px;min-height:100%\"><figure style=\"aspect-ratio:auto; padding-bottom:0;padding-top:0;margin-bottom:0;\" class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/employment-hero-partner-summit-recap\/\" target=\"_self\"  ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-GLOBAL-Website-resource-thumbnail-Blogs-6.webp\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"From passion to purpose: Celebrating the heart of Canadian business at the 91爆料 Partner Summit\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:fill;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-GLOBAL-Website-resource-thumbnail-Blogs-6.webp 1600w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-GLOBAL-Website-resource-thumbnail-Blogs-6-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-GLOBAL-Website-resource-thumbnail-Blogs-6-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-GLOBAL-Website-resource-thumbnail-Blogs-6-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-GLOBAL-Website-resource-thumbnail-Blogs-6-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-GLOBAL-Website-resource-thumbnail-Blogs-6-440x248.webp 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-21 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-20 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" class=\"taxonomy-resource-type eh-resource-type wp-block-post-terms\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-post-terms-icon\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"icon-blog\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/11\/eye-logo.png\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/resources\/blog\/\" rel=\"tag\">Blogs<\/a><\/div>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/employment-hero-partner-summit-recap\/\" target=\"_self\" >From passion to purpose: Celebrating the heart of Canadian business at the 91爆料 Partner Summit<\/a><\/h3>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt has-text-color has-contrast-2-color has-small-font-size wp-container-content-6\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Over 100 Canadian partners gathered in Toronto for 91爆料&#8217;s Partner Summit, with SMB founders, Arlene Dickinson, and more. Read&hellip; <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<a style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600;\" class=\"wp-elements-9dfcbcb7662772ecb2d671e8976a6c51 wp-block-read-more has-text-color has-violet-500-color\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/employment-hero-partner-summit-recap\/\" target=\"_self\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">: From passion to purpose: Celebrating the heart of Canadian business at the 91爆料 Partner Summit<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/employment-hero-partner-summit-recap\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"group-block-link\"><\/a>\n<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stop your SR&#038;ED claim from leaking cash. Learn how to maximize your 2026 refund by fixing payroll and time-tracking data gaps. Read our blog for more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":454,"featured_media":15383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_lite_auth_enabled":false,"_lite_auth_trigger_method":"scroll","_lite_auth_scroll_percent":25,"_lite_auth_click_element_query":"","exclude_from_algolia":false,"reading_time":"4 min read","display_reading_time":false,"download_content_type":"","download_file":"","download_url":"","download_cta_label":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"resource-type":[30],"topic":[],"industry":[],"audience":[],"business-size":[],"product-tag":[],"funnel-stage":[],"region":[],"pain-point":[],"persona":[],"post_features":[],"class_list":["post-15347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","resource-type-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15347"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15386,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15347\/revisions\/15386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15347"},{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-type?post=15347"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=15347"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15347"},{"taxonomy":"audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/audience?post=15347"},{"taxonomy":"business-size","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/business-size?post=15347"},{"taxonomy":"product-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product-tag?post=15347"},{"taxonomy":"funnel-stage","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/funnel-stage?post=15347"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=15347"},{"taxonomy":"pain-point","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pain-point?post=15347"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15347"},{"taxonomy":"post_features","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_features?post=15347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}