SR&ED consultant fees in Canada are not always easy to find out and that has a direct effect on how much of your refund you keep.
Most SR&ED consultants in Canada charge a contingency fee of 10 percent to 25 percent of the refund. SRED.ca charges a flat fee set by refund range: $15,000 for refunds up to $349,000, $30,000 for refunds between $350,000 and $999,000, and $60,000 for refunds of $1 million or more.
For a closer look, read this comparison of SR&ED contingency fee vs flat fee.
Most SR&ED consultants in Canada work on contingency. That means they take a percentage of your refund, and the fee is typically anywhere from 10 percent to 25 percent. As a general rule, the larger your claim, the lower the percentage you can get. But there is a catch: the lower rates are usually reserved for claims above $1 million, and you often only get them if you ask. Many businesses never negotiate, and end up paying a higher percentage than they needed to.
Here is why that matters. On a contingency model, the more successful your claim, the more you pay. A bigger refund means a bigger fee, even though the work involved did not necessarily grow at the same rate. Your cost is tied to your outcome, not to the effort.
There is another way to pay: a flat fee. With flat-fee pricing, you agree on a fixed price before the work starts, and that price does not change no matter how large your refund turns out to be. You know your cost up front, and a larger credit stays in your pocket.
SRED.ca is the only SR&ED firm in Canada with flat-fee pricing. The fee is set by your refund range: $15,000 per claim for refunds up to $349,000, $30,000 for refunds between $350,000 and $999,000, and $60,000 for refunds of $1 million or more. That is it. No percentage, no surprise at the end.
To see how the math plays out and understand the program in full, read the State of SR&ED 2026 report. When you are ready, our flat-fee pricing lays out exactly what a claim will cost.
Most SR&ED consultants charge between 10 percent and 25 percent of your refund on a contingency basis. The lower rates are typically only available for claims above $1 million and usually require negotiation.
With contingency pricing, the consultant takes a percentage of your refund, so a larger credit means a larger fee. With flat-fee pricing, you pay a fixed amount regardless of how large your refund turns out to be.
Yes. SRED.ca offers flat-fee pricing at $15,000 for refunds up to $349,000, $30,000 for refunds between $350,000 and $999,000, and $60,000 for refunds of $1 million or more.
You can negotiate contingency rates, particularly for larger claims, but lower rates are rarely offered upfront. A flat fee eliminates negotiation entirely because the price is set before work begins.
Sources: Canada Revenue Agency SR&ED program statistics; SRED.ca flat-fee pricing
About the Author
Jude Brown is a co-founder and CEO of SRED.ca. He has helped Canadian businesses recover millions in SR&ED refundable tax credits and writes on SR&ED policy, consultant pricing, and how Canada’s R&D incentive program works in practice.
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