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What Happens After You Lodge Your R&D Registration | Link R&D Advisory

You are here: Home Practical Reflections After LodgementWhat Happens After You Lodge Your R&D Registration

Lodging your R&D Tax Incentive application with DISR is not the end of the process. For many companies, the period between lodgement and registration is the least well understood part of the program, and the most anxious. This is a short guide to what to expect.

You will receive a receipt confirmation.

DISR sends an automated acknowledgement once your application is submitted, including a receipt number. Keep this. It is your reference if you need to follow up with DISR directly. The confirmation also includes the processing timeframes DISR is working to (as at May 2026):

40 business days for first-time registrants.
20 business days for applications lodged within six months of the end of the income period.
80 business days for applications lodged more than six months after the end of the income period.

These are targets, not guarantees. DISR notes that delays can occur during peak periods (April to June and October to November) and where applications are complex or selected for review.

If you lodged in April, you are in peak period. Expect the longer end of the applicable range.

Registration is not approval.
This is the most important thing to understand while you wait. A registration number from DISR confirms your application has been processed. It does not confirm your R&D activities are eligible, and it does not validate your expenditure. The R&D Tax Incentive operates on a self-assessment basis. The company asserts eligibility, and the ATO and DISR reserve the right to review that position.

The ATO consistently reinforces this in a communication to claimants: "Your receipt of the registration number from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) is not an approval of your R&D activities."

You can monitor your application status.

DISR's R&D portal at incentives.business.gov.au shows the real-time status of your application. It is worth checking periodically rather than waiting for a notification that may not arrive promptly.

What triggers a delay or review.

Applications can be held for a number of reasons (though sometimes even for reasons unknown):

The application is a first-time registration.
Activity descriptions are unclear or incomplete.
The claimed work appears commercial rather than experimental.
Expenditure figures are unusually large relative to the described activities.
The application has been referred from the ATO.

If DISR requires additional information, they will contact you or your registered tax agent. Responding promptly and with well-structured documentation will minimise further delay.

While you wait.
The registration period is a good time to confirm your records are in order. DISR and the ATO can request supporting documentation at any point (during registration, after registration, or in subsequent years). Records should be retained for five years from the date of lodging the company tax return.

If you are uncertain whether your documentation is sufficient, an independent review of your technical and financial records before any formal request arrives is worth considering.

If you have questions about your application.

DISR can be contacted at rdtaxincentive@industry.gov.au or on 13 28 46. Your registered R&D tax agent can also correspond with DISR on your behalf.

This article was posted on 5 May 2026. If you have lodged an R&D claim and would like an independent review of your claim documentation, get in touch.

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harley@linkrd.com.au

0492 933 806