(a) Effective dates.      
        (1) The provisions of this section apply to franchise tax reports originally due on or after January 1, 2014.       
        (2) These provisions expire on December 31, 2026. The credits allowed under this section cannot be established on a report originally due after December 31, 2026. The expiration does not affect the carryforward of a credit authorized under these provisions as provided in subsection (l) of this section and established on a report originally due prior to the expiration date of these provisions.       
      (b) Definitions. The following words and terms, when used in this section, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.      
        (1) Business component--A business component is any product, process, computer software, technique, formula, or invention, which is to be held for sale, lease, or license, or used by the taxable entity in a trade or business of the taxable entity.       
        (2) Combined group--Taxable entities that are part of an affiliated group engaged in a unitary business and that are required to file a combined group report under Tax Code, §171.1014 (Combined Reporting; Affiliated Group Engaged in Unitary Business).       
        (3) Controlling interest--                  (A) For a corporation, either more than 50%, owned directly or indirectly, of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the corporation, or more than 50%, owned directly or indirectly, of the beneficial ownership interest in the voting stock of the corporation.                   (B) For a partnership, association, trust, or other entity other than a limited liability company, more than 50%, owned directly or indirectly, of the capital, profits, or beneficial interest in the partnership, association, trust, or other entity.                   (C) For a limited liability company, either more than 50%, owned directly or indirectly, of the total membership interest of the limited liability company or more than 50%, owned directly or indirectly, of the beneficial ownership interest in the membership interest of the limited liability company.         
        (4) Four-Part Test--The test described in IRC, §41(d) (Qualified research defined) that determines whether research activities are qualified research. The four parts of the test are the Section 174 Test, the Discovering Technological Information Test, the Business Component Test, and the Process of Experimentation Test.       
        (5) Internal Revenue Code (IRC)--The Internal Revenue Code of 1986 in effect on December 31, 2011, excluding any changes made by federal law after that date, but including any regulations that are later adopted under that code applicable to the tax year to which the provisions of the code in effect on that date applied. A regulation adopted after December 31, 2011 is only included in this term to the extent that a taxable entity could have applied the regulation to the 2011 federal income tax year. Examples of treasury regulations included in this definition are:                  (A) Treasury Regulation, §1.174-2 (Definition of research and experimental expenditures) as contained in 26 CFR part 1 (revised as of July 21, 2014);                   (B) Treasury Regulation, §1.41-4 (Qualified research for expenditures paid or incurred in taxable years ending on or after December 31, 2003) as contained in 26 CFR part 1 (revised as of November 3, 2016), except for paragraph (c)(6) (Internal use software). For paragraph (c)(6), as provided in the last sentence of Treasury Regulation, §1.41-4 (e) (Effective/applicability dates), taxable entities may elect to follow either of the following versions of paragraph (c)(6):                      (i) Treasury Regulation, §1.41-4(c)(6) (Internal-use computer software) as contained in 26 CFR part 1 (revised as of April 1, 2003) and IRB 2001-5; or                       (ii) Proposed Treasury Regulation, §1.41-4(c)(6) (Internal use software for taxable years beginning on or after the December 31, 1985) as contained in IRB 2002-4.           
        (6) Public or private institution of higher education--                  (A) an institution of higher education, as defined by Education Code, §61.003 (Definitions); or                   (B) a private or independent institution of higher education, as defined by Education Code, §61.003.         
        (7) Qualified research--This term has the meaning given in IRC, §41(d), except that the research must be conducted in Texas. Qualified research activities must satisfy each part of the Four-Part Test.       
        (8) Qualified research expense--This term has the meaning given in IRC, §41(b) (Qualified research expenses), except that the expense must be for qualified research conducted in Texas. IRC, §41(b) defines qualified research expenses as the sum of in-house research expenses and contract research expenses.                  (A) In-house research expenses include any wages paid or incurred for qualified services performed by an employee; any amount paid or incurred for supplies used in the conduct of qualified research; and any amount paid or incurred to another person for the right to use computers in the conduct of qualified research.                      (i) Qualified services include an employee either engaging in qualified research or engaging in the direct supervision or direct support of qualified research.                          (I) For the purposes of this clause, the term "engaging in qualified research" means the actual conduct of qualified research. For example, a scientist conducting laboratory experiments could be engaging in qualified research.                           (II) For the purposes of this clause, the term "direct supervision" means the immediate supervision (first-line management) of qualified research. For example, a research scientist who directly supervises laboratory experiments, but who may not actually perform experiments, could be directly supervising qualified research. "Direct supervision" does not include supervision by a higher-level manager to whom first-line managers report, even if that manager is a qualified research scientist.                           (III) For the purposes of this clause, the term "direct support" means services in the direct support of either: Persons engaging in actual conduct of qualified research, or persons who are directly supervising persons engaging in the actual conduct of qualified research.                              (-a-) Direct support of research includes, but is not limited to, the services of: a secretary for typing reports describing laboratory results derived from qualified research; a laboratory worker for cleaning equipment used in qualified research; a clerk for compiling research data; and a machinist for machining a part of an experimental model used in qualified research.                               (-b-) Direct support of research activities does not include general administrative services, or other services only indirectly of benefit to research activities. For example, services of: payroll personnel in preparing salary checks of laboratory scientists; an accountant for accounting for research expenses; a janitor for general cleaning of a research laboratory; or officers engaged in supervising financial or personnel matters do not qualify as direct support of research. This is true whether general administrative personnel are part of the research department or in a separate department.                               (-c-) Direct support does not include supervision. Supervisory services constitute "qualified services" only to the extent provided in subclause (II) of this clause.                           (ii) Supplies are any tangible property other than land, improvements to land, or property of a character subject to the allowance for depreciation.                       (iii) If a taxable entity claimed a sales or use tax exemption under Tax Code, Chapter 151 (Limited Sales, Excise, and Use Tax) when it purchased a taxable item, and that exemption is for a use other than use in qualified research, the item is excluded from being an in-house research expense, even if it otherwise meets the definition of supplies in clause (ii) of this subparagraph. Exemptions or exclusions that are not based on the use of an item do not result in an exclusion from being an in-house research expense under this clause.                          (I) For example:                              (-a-) An item for which a taxable entity claimed the manufacturing exemption under Tax Code, §151.318 (Property Used in Manufacturing) or the sale for resale exemption under Tax Code, §151.302 (Sales for Resale) is excluded from being an in-house research expense under this clause.                               (-b-) Water, sulphur, and items for which a taxable entity paid sales or use tax to another state are not subject to sales or use tax under Tax Code, §151.315 (Water), Tax Code, §151.3171 (Sulphur), and Tax Code, §151.303 (Previously Taxed Items: Use Tax Exemption or Credit), but are not excluded from being an in-house research expense under this clause.                             (II) If an item is excluded from being an in-house research expense under this clause, and the taxable entity used that item in qualified research activities rather than the use for which the sales or use tax exemption was granted, the taxable entity may pay any sales or use tax, and any applicable penalty or interest, related to the purchase or use of the item. Once the applicable sales or use tax, penalty, and interest is paid, the taxable entity may include the cost of that item as an in-house research expense.                         (iv) The term wages has the meaning given such term by IRC, §3401(a) (Wages). In the case of an employee within the meaning of IRC, §401(c)(1) (Self-employed individual treated as employee) the term wages includes the earned income as defined in IRC, §401(c)(2) (Earned income) of such employee. The term wages does not include any amount taken into account in determining the work opportunity credit under IRC, §51(a) (Determination of amount).                       (v) If an employee performed both qualified services and nonqualified services, only wages for qualified services constitute an in-house research expense. Unless the taxable entity can demonstrate another method is more appropriate, the amount of wages that are in-house research expenses shall be determined by multiplying the total amount of wages paid to or incurred for the employee during the report year by the ratio of the total time actually spent by the employee in the performance of qualified services for the taxable entity to the total time spent by the employee in the performance of all services for the taxable entity during the report year.                       (vi) Notwithstanding clause (v) of this subparagraph, if the ratio of the total time actually spent by an employee in the performance of qualified services for the taxable entity to the total time spent by the employee in the performance of all services for the taxable entity during the report year is greater than 80%, all services performed by that employee are considered qualified services.                     (B) Contract research expenses are 65% of any amount paid or incurred by the taxable entity to any person, other than an employee of the taxable entity, for qualified research. If a taxable entity satisfies the requirements of IRC, §41(b)(3)(C) (Amounts paid to certain research consortia) or IRC, §41(b)(3)(D) (Amounts paid to eligible small businesses, universities, and Federal laboratories) the percentage of allowable contract research expenses is increased as provided by those subparagraphs.                      (i) An expense is paid or incurred for qualified research only to the extent that it is paid or incurred pursuant to an agreement that:                          (I) is entered into prior to the performance of the qualified research;                           (II) provides that research be performed on behalf of the taxable entity; and                           (III) requires the taxable entity to bear the expense even if the research is not successful.                         (ii) If an expense is paid or incurred by the taxable entity pursuant to an agreement under which payment is contingent on the success of the research, then the expense is not a contract research expense because the expense is considered paid for the product or result of the research rather than the performance of the research. This clause only applies to that portion of a payment that is contingent on the success of the research.                       (iii) Qualified research is performed on behalf of the taxable entity if the taxable entity has a right to the research results, even if that right is not exclusive.                       (iv) If any contract research expenses are paid or incurred during one report year for qualified research that is conducted in a subsequent report year, the expenses shall be treated as paid or incurred during the report year in which the qualified research is conducted.                       (v) See IRC, §41(b) for special circumstances that change the percentage that applies to contract research expenses.           
        (9) Registration Number--The Texas Qualified Research Registration Number issued by the comptroller to a person who submits the Texas Registration for Qualified Research and Development Sales Tax Exemption form.       
        (10) Research and development activities credit (credit)--A credit against franchise tax for qualified research expenses that is allowed under Tax Code, Chapter 171, Subchapter M (Tax Credit for Certain Research and Development Activities).       
        (11) Tax period--The period on which a franchise tax report is based as provided by §3.584(c) of this title (relating to Margin: Reports and Payments).       
      (c) Application of the Four-Part Test. Research activities must satisfy each part of the Four-Part Test, as described in paragraph (1) of this subsection, to be qualified research.      
        (1) Four-Part Test.                 Cont'd...