Blog›Corfo Certification ›What is a Corfo R&D certificate and how do you get one?

To use the R&D Law benefit, doing research and development is not enough: the project or contract must be certified by Corfo. That certification, granted through a formal resolution, is what people usually call “the Corfo certificate”.

What is certification?

It is the process in which a company asks Corfo to verify that its project or contract meets the requirements of Law 20,241. If Corfo approves it, it issues a reasoned resolution that allows the company to apply the tax benefit to the R&D expenditure it actually incurs.

The resolution identifies the company and its tax ID (RUT), the project’s name and overall objective, the total certified cost and, where relevant, Corfo’s position on special expenses.

What does Corfo check?

Corfo reviews four things:

1. That the activities are genuinely R&D under the law’s definitions, not routine improvements or innovation in general.
2. That the expenditure properly reflects costs and is at market prices.
3. For projects: that the company has enough equipment and qualified staff, and an accounting system that accurately tracks spending.
4. For contracts: that the contract is consistent with the research centre’s organization and resources.

Corfo does not assess the relevance or commercial value of the project. You don’t need to prove it will be profitable; you need to prove it is R&D.

What you submit (projects)

• Project design: objective, activities and expected results, with a cost above 100 UTM.
• Detailed budget in Corfo’s forms, using the accepted expense categories.
• Material capabilities: the infrastructure, equipment and instruments available, and why they are relevant.
• Staff capabilities: at least one science or engineering professional or technician with demonstrable R&D experience in the last 36 months, backed by a CV, degrees and employment contract.
• A financial and accounting system that makes project spending traceable.
• A sworn statement from the legal representative, proof of authority (or ID card for individuals) and proof of payment of the fee.

Expenses you can include

• Salaries and fees of the staff involved, according to their time allocation. This is the only expense that can be valued rather than paid out; everything else must be an actual payment.
• Materials, supplies, IT services, lab analyses and bibliography.
• Subcontracts directly related to the project.
• Rentals needed for the project.
• Costs of registering industrial or intellectual property.
• Utilities, capped at 5% of current expenses.
• Investment: equipment, instruments and infrastructure required by the project.

How much does it cost?

Certification carries a fee ranging from 10 UTM up to a maximum of 4% of the project’s total cost, according to a tiered table. It is paid when the formal application is submitted (not with the notice of intent). It is not refunded if certification is rejected or partial, but it is deductible as an expense.

How long does it take?

The law sets a maximum of 180 calendar days. If the application is complete and Corfo doesn’t ask for more information, certification can come through in about 90 days.

If documents are missing, Corfo asks for them and the company has 30 days from notification to respond. If it doesn’t, the application is treated as not submitted.

The three possible outcomes

• Full certification: the benefit applies to the entire amount applied for.
• Partial certification: the benefit applies only to the certified amount.
• Rejection: the company can file administrative appeals.

According to a University of Chile study based on Corfo data, the certification rate was 54.4% in 2021, and that year only 37% of the amounts applied for were certified. A well-prepared application makes the difference.

After certification

Certification is not the end of the process:

• Changes: changes to amounts, timelines or the team must be reported to Corfo, which may re-certify or revoke. Increases in amount may trigger an additional fee.
• Audits: Corfo can request technical and financial information at any time (with 30 days to respond) and visit the company’s facilities.
• Close-out: at the end, Corfo reviews the final documentation and formally closes the project.
• Revocation: if the certified terms are breached, Corfo revokes the certification and the company must amend its tax returns.

Pre-application checklist

• I pay First Category Tax on actual income with full accounting.
• I can explain the technical uncertainty the project aims to resolve.
• The project exceeds 100 UTM and at least 50% of spending will be in Chile.
• I have a professional with R&D experience in the last 36 months.
• I keep (or can keep) a separate cost centre for the project.
• If I’ve already started spending, I’m within 30 days of the first expenditure.

This article is for information only and is not tax advice for your specific case. Sources: Certification Regulation (Supreme Decree 102/2012), Corfo Exempt Resolution No. 17, Corfo’s FAQ and Weber (2022), “Incentivo tributario de la Ley I+D en Chile: aspectos críticos de su diseño”, University of Chile.