InnoFund Ireland · Knowledge Development Box
Knowledge Development Box.
Irish innovation. Lasting value.
Your R&D may create value long after development ends. InnoFund Ireland helps you assess whether income from qualifying software or protected inventions can benefit from Knowledge Development Box relief—and build the evidence to support that position.
- 30-minute first conversation
- Irish-led advice
- Technical and financial expertise
Irish expertise. One connected team.
Local knowledge.
People you can rely on.
Led by Kirsten Winsryg, our team brings together Irish tax, grant, financial and technical expertise to support businesses throughout Ireland.
For Irish innovators earning from their IP
The next question
after the R&D claim.
Once a development project becomes a product, a licence or a working software platform, its tax story changes. KDB considers qualifying profits from the intellectual property, rather than simply the amount spent developing it.
Our job is to establish whether a commercially worthwhile opportunity exists before asking your team to build a detailed calculation. We examine the asset, its R&D history and how it earns money, alongside your accountant and existing IP advisers.
- Start with the asset
- Tell us what you developed, what rights you hold and how customers pay for it.
- Test the commercial value
- We consider the likely qualifying profit and the work needed to support a claim.
- Connect existing records
- Development records, IP agreements and management accounts form the starting point.
- Plan beyond one return
- A repeatable asset-level approach helps keep future calculations consistent.
Why InnoFund
A qualifying asset.
A credible profit calculation.
KDB sits between technical development, intellectual property and Irish tax. Reviewing any one of those in isolation can miss the issue that determines the claim.
Technical origins
Explain how it was created.
Our specialists examine the development history and the scientific or technological questions behind the asset.
Asset eligibility
Know what the right protects.
We examine copyright, patent or other qualifying-right documentation and coordinate questions with your IP advisers.
Financial analysis
Follow the earnings.
We work through the revenue streams and attributable costs to establish a supportable profit position.
Expenditure tracking
Connect the development spend.
Own R&D, outsourced work and acquired IP are considered separately in the expenditure analysis.
Not a blanket rate for your business. KDB applies to qualifying profits under the Irish rules. Owning IP, having a patent or previously making an R&D claim does not by itself establish the relief.
Where Irish KDB may be relevant
From developed technology
to income-generating IP.
We review the specific asset and the company’s development work. These are potential routes into an assessment, not a list of automatically qualifying businesses.
Original software
Copyrighted computer programs created through qualifying R&D, including software that earns subscription or licensing income.
Patented inventions
Technology protected by a qualifying patent, where the research history and ownership can be established.
Life-sciences rights
Certain supplementary protection certificates can be relevant, subject to the underlying asset and statutory conditions.
Plant varieties
Qualifying plant breeders’ rights may warrant a review of the R&D work and associated income.
Smaller-company innovation
Certain smaller companies can use the certified patentable-IP route. Certification and company conditions need to be established.
Technology within a product
A qualifying asset can be embedded in a wider offering. The calculation must isolate the relevant income and profit.
The Irish relief, in context
Understand the benefit.
Then prove the basis.
Since 1 October 2023, KDB provides a deduction equal to 20% of qualifying profits, giving a potential effective Corporation Tax rate of 10% on those profits. This is not a 20% cash credit or a rate applying to all company earnings.
The current relief covers accounting periods beginning before 1 January 2027. We check the period, qualifying-asset conditions and any wider tax interactions before advising on a claim.
Irish guidance checked 6 September 2026: Revenue: Knowledge Development Box · KDB Tax and Duty Manual. The applicable period, facts and scheme conditions must be checked for your business.
The asset file
IP ownership, agreements and development records should tell a consistent story about the asset being claimed.
The R&D connection
Explain which development activities created the qualifying asset, using the people and records closest to the work.
Income and expenses
Identify the relevant revenue and associated costs, including a supported allocation within mixed products or services.
The nexus calculation
Trace qualifying R&D expenditure, acquisition and group-outsourcing costs through the statutory profit calculation.
Consistent records
Keep the methodology and evidence organised by asset so changes can be explained in later periods.
The final tax position
Review the calculation with your accountant, including other relevant reliefs and wider group tax considerations.
How we work
Make the opportunity clear.
Make the calculation usable.
We begin with feasibility, then build the detail around the assets that merit further work.
- 01
Explore
Discuss the IP, development history, ownership, income streams and relevant accounting periods.
- 02
Assess the asset
Consider the qualifying right and the R&D that created it, identifying evidence or certification gaps.
- 03
Map the numbers
Connect development expenditure to the asset and analyse attributable income and expenses.
- 04
Review the claim
Test the assumptions and calculation with your finance team and existing advisers.
- 05
Support implementation
Prepare the claim information, agree filing responsibilities and establish an evidence trail for future periods.
Support from first assessment to recurring claims
Use expertise where
the judgement matters.
A useful KDB service fits the maturity of your IP and your internal reporting. We agree the scope and fee basis before detailed work begins.
First assessment
KDB feasibility
Establish the assets, likely profit opportunity and information needed before committing to a full calculation.
Claim preparation
A supported first claim
Bring technical, IP and financial work together into a position your directors and accountant can review.
Existing claim
Review and refinement
Examine the asset analysis, expenditure tracking and income allocations behind an established methodology.
Ongoing support
Keep the position current
Consider new versions, development work, rights and income streams, with Revenue-response support agreed in the engagement.
See the full innovation lifecycle
Development costs today.
Qualifying profits tomorrow.
The R&D Tax Credit and KDB ask different questions. One considers qualifying expenditure; the other considers profits from qualifying assets. Good development records can inform both assessments without making the two claims interchangeable.
We connect your Irish R&D Tax Credit review to the IP and income conversation, so the evidence you retain now remains useful when your innovation reaches the market.
- The asset connected to its R&D history
- Income and costs explained together
- Irish reliefs considered in one plan
The people behind our Irish service
Irish tax understanding. Technical depth behind it.
Led by Kirsten, our team combines Irish tax and funding expertise with software, engineering and science experience. We work with your accountant and IP advisers to connect the asset, its development and its earnings, bringing financial and technical understanding to your KDB assessment.
Connected support in Ireland
See the wider
innovation opportunity.
Different reliefs answer different questions. Our Ireland team helps you consider the appropriate services together, with a clear distinction between expenditure, funding and qualifying profits.
R&D Tax Credit
Identify qualifying development work and prepare an evidence-led Irish claim.
R&D Capital Allowances
Review capital investment in research equipment, machinery and facilities.
Innovation Grants
Assess relevant funding routes and prepare a credible application.
Claim Review & Revenue Support
Review a claim or coordinate an evidence-backed response to Revenue.
Your Irish service questions
Questions before you start.
A first conversation can clarify the position for your Irish business, the information needed and the right next step.
Book a consultationIs the Knowledge Development Box Ireland’s Patent Box?
KDB is Ireland’s own intellectual-property tax relief. It has its own asset, expenditure and profit rules. A claim should be assessed under Irish legislation, not prepared by applying another country’s Patent Box calculation.
Can software qualify without a patent?
Potentially. Copyrighted computer programs can be qualifying assets where they result from eligible R&D. Copyright alone does not establish the R&D connection. We examine the development history and commercial use of the program.
Do brands and trade marks qualify?
Marketing-related IP, including brands and trade marks, is outside KDB’s qualifying-asset scope. A valuable brand is not the same as a qualifying technological asset.
Must we already have claimed the Irish R&D Tax Credit?
No. A previous credit claim is not a prerequisite for KDB, although its project records may be useful. The qualifying R&D and asset conditions still need to be demonstrated.
Does all product income benefit from the 10% rate?
No. The asset-related income, expenses and expenditure calculation determine the qualifying profits. Where a product or service includes other components, a supported allocation is needed.
Can smaller Irish companies claim?
Yes, subject to the conditions. Smaller-company rules may allow certified patentable IP as well as the usual qualifying-asset routes. We check the company thresholds and certification position before recommending this route.
When does a KDB election need to be made?
The initial election for an asset is generally due within 24 months of the end of the accounting period to which it relates. We confirm the actual deadline and filing position with your accountant.
Can you coordinate with our accountant and patent adviser?
Yes. We connect the technical assessment and financial calculation with the information your IP adviser holds. You retain those relationships, with a clear division of responsibilities and an agreed claim position.
Your next step
Is there more value
in the IP you have built?
Bring a short description of your software or protected invention, how it was developed and how it generates income. Our Ireland team will help you understand whether a KDB assessment is a worthwhile next step.
- 30 minutesA focused first conversation
- Expert guidanceTechnical, tax and commercial context
- Commitment freeA clear next step, without obligation