R&D Ledger is not affiliated with or endorsed by Source Advisors. This independent comparison is based on publicly available information and is provided for educational purposes.
Last competitor information verified: August 2026
Businesses evaluating R&D tax credit support options may encounter Source Advisors, which provides consulting and software for R&D tax credits. This page provides an independent comparison of Source Advisors’ publicly described model and the year-round internal documentation approach represented by R&D Ledger. For a broader framework, see our page on how to choose an R&D tax credit provider.
What Source Advisors Publicly Offers
According to Source Advisors’ current website, Source Advisors provides R&D tax credit services for businesses in multiple industries looking to reduce federal and state tax liability. The website describes a team of experienced CPAs, attorneys, engineers, and technology experts who help companies assess R&D tax credit opportunities.
Source Advisors’ website describes services including federal and state R&D tax credits, retroactive claims (amended returns typically going back up to three years), Section 174 amortization, and automated R&D tax credit software. The website also describes an R&D tax credit calculator and state tax credit maps.
Source Advisors’ website describes the R&D tax credit as a federal and state incentive that rewards businesses for investing in innovation, and discusses qualified research expenses including wages, materials and supplies, and contract research expenses.
Provider and Engagement Model
Source Advisors describes itself as a consulting firm with a software component. According to its website, the team includes CPAs, attorneys, engineers, and technology experts who assess R&D tax credit opportunities. The model involves professional consulting for the credit study, with an automated software option also available.
This is a hybrid consulting-plus-software model: a business can engage Source Advisors’ consultants for the study or use the automated software.
How the Process Appears to Work
According to Source Advisors’ website, the process involves assessing eligibility, documenting qualified research expenses, and filing the credit. The website describes claiming the credit by filing IRS Form 6765 as part of the timely-filed federal income tax return, and notes that amended returns can be filed for prior years.
Documentation Approach
Source Advisors’ documentation approach, as described on its website, involves the consulting team identifying and documenting qualifying expenses. The website describes qualified research expenses including wages, materials and supplies, and contract research expenses, and notes the importance of documentation for compliance.
Role of Software
Source Advisors offers automated R&D tax credit software, as described on its website. The software is one option alongside the consulting service. The website does not prominently describe the software’s specific features in detail on the main R&D tax credit page.
Role of Human Professionals
Human professionals are central to Source Advisors’ consulting model. According to its website, the team includes CPAs, attorneys, engineers, and technology experts who help companies with eligibility, documentation, and filing.
Year-Round vs. Study Considerations
Source Advisors describes a consulting engagement model with retroactive claim support. This appears oriented toward a study or engagement cycle rather than continuous year-round documentation by the internal team. Year-round internal documentation, as represented by R&D Ledger, involves the business’s own team organizing project, technical, cost, and evidence records throughout the year for professional review. For more on this distinction, see our page on year-round R&D documentation vs. annual study.
What a Buyer Should Compare
A buyer evaluating Source Advisors against year-round internal documentation software may consider:
- Consulting vs. internal documentation: Source Advisors provides consulting with CPAs, attorneys, and engineers. Does the buyer want a consulting firm to handle the study, or does it want to organize records internally?
- Software option: Source Advisors also offers automated software. Does the buyer want consulting, software, or both?
- Retroactive claims: Source Advisors describes retroactive claims going back up to three years. Does the buyer need prior-year claim support?
- State credits: Source Advisors describes state R&D tax credit maps. Does the buyer need state credit support?
- Section 174: Source Advisors describes Section 174 amortization services. Does the buyer need Section 174 support?
For a broader comparison, see our page on R&D tax credit firm comparison.
When Source Advisors’ Model May Make Sense
Source Advisors’ model may make sense for a business that:
- wants a consulting firm with CPAs, attorneys, and engineers to handle the R&D tax credit study;
- is choosing between consulting and automated software and wants both options;
- may need retroactive claims for prior years;
- needs state R&D tax credit support; and
- wants Section 174 amortization guidance alongside the credit.
When Year-Round Internal R&D Tracking May Make Sense
Year-round internal R&D documentation may make sense for a business that:
- wants to organize project, technical, cost, and evidence records throughout the year internally;
- already has a CPA who handles filing and needs organized records to support that work;
- prefers continuous documentation rather than a study-cycle engagement; and
- wants a documentation workspace that can support any CPA or consultant.
For more, see our page on best R&D tax credit consulting firms.
Can the Two Approaches Coexist?
A business could maintain year-round project and evidence records in a documentation workspace and also engage a consulting firm like Source Advisors for the study. The internal records could supply organized project, cost, and evidence data to support the firm’s analysis. The two approaches are not mutually exclusive: a business might use internal documentation for ongoing recordkeeping and a consulting firm for the study and filing support.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing
- Does the business want a consulting firm to handle the study, or does it want to organize records for its own CPA?
- Does the business need the automated software option, the consulting option, or both?
- Does the business need retroactive claims for prior years?
- Does the business need state R&D tax credit and Section 174 support?
- How does the firm’s fee structure align with the expected benefit?
Key Takeaway
Source Advisors is a consulting firm with CPAs, attorneys, engineers, and technology experts that provides R&D tax credit services, retroactive claims, state credits, and Section 174 support, with an automated software option also available. Year-round internal R&D documentation, as represented by R&D Ledger, involves the business’s own team organizing project, technical, cost, and evidence records throughout the year for professional review. The two approaches differ in who conducts the study and how records are maintained, and a buyer’s choice depends on its preference for consulting vs. internal documentation. For more on choosing a provider, see our page on how to choose an R&D tax credit provider.