Defense, Aerospace & Government Contracting

How to Account for IR&D Costs

Records Independent Research and Development (IR&D) costs for inclusion in indirect rate calculations.

Account NameTypeDebit ($)Credit ($)
IR&D Expense PoolExpense25,000.00-
Research Materials InventoryAsset-15,000.00
Accrued PayrollLiability-10,000.00

💡 Accountant's Note

IR&D is a requirement for maintaining technical competency in defense. These costs are allowable if they meet the criteria of FAR 31.205-18.

Practitioner & Systems Framework

💻 ERP Architecture

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Defense (Project Operations) tracks these in a separate cost pool.

⚠️ Audit Flags

Inclusion of IR&D costs that are actually required by a specific contract (Direct Research).

📄 Required Documentation

Technical IR&D project description and annual summary report to the DCAA/DCMA.

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