Andy Sams
Chief Executive Officer
R&D Tax Credit Consultants
Find Out If You Qualify for the R&D Tax Credit
One 15-minute call with a real advisor.
No jargon, no pressure, no obligation.
Big 4 backgrounds. Boutique attention. 100% success rate.
Permitted Purpose
The activity must be intended to develop or improve the functionality, performance, reliability, or quality of a business component.
Technological in Nature
The work must rely on engineering, physical or biological science, or computer science principles.
Technical Uncertainty
The activity must be undertaken to discover information intended to eliminate uncertainty about the capability, method, or appropriate design of the business component.
Process of Experimentation
Your team must have a process that evaluates alternatives through modeling, simulation, systematic trial and error, or other methods to eliminate uncertainty.
If your team has said “let’s try a different approach” this year, and tested it, you might be a fit.
What clients say
The thing I was most impressed with working with RK Partners was how soberly they arrived at numbers. The biggest fear when taking advantage of a tax credit is that you'll cross a line and open yourself up to scrutiny by the IRS. Their work was so rigorous. We ended up with a generous refund on the way and zero fear of it not being justified.
Cory Hanneman
Owner - Element7/FirmeCrete
I had a key role in working with Sam and the team at RK Partners on behalf of Sydor Optics. There was some work involved, specifically in acquiring current and past data for analysis, but the ROI was well worth it!
Zach Hobbs
Director, Engineering - Sydor Optics & APOMA President
Sydor Optics has never taken advantage of R&D credits because we are a custom build to print shop. After talking with Sam, it turns out we do R&D activities every day. Whether it’s making our process more efficient through DOEs, trying out to new consumables, or our daily DFM meeting, it all counted! Sam and his team are great and easy; I highly encourage a call with them. Traditional CPAs only know so much, RK knows the tax code inside and out.
Matthew Sydor
Co-President - Sydor Optics
RK Partners did a great job of finding all qualifying R&D work in my business and documenting it professionally. We were also able to find current work that will qualify for our claim next year, so I look forward to working with them in the future! I would recommend using RK Partners to look into your current process, they have very specialist people over there that will make sure you get the best possible benefit within the regulations.
Mark Hess
Owner - E.R. Precision Optics
Our Process
Technical interviews
We meet with your key staff to identify every qualifying project and disqualify any that don’t meet IRS criteria.
Financial analysis
Our team reviews your payroll, general ledger, and tax returns to calculate the full credit.
Compliance review
A dedicated team with an impeccable IRS defense record reviews everything through our QA process.
Deliver
& file
You receive a complete, audit ready report that your CPA files alongside your taxes or amends for prior years.
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
What is an R&D Tax Credit?
The R&D tax credit is a permanent federal incentive established by Congress under IRC §41 to encourage U.S. businesses to invest in innovation. Lawmakers created it to keep American companies competitive on the global stage, rewarding businesses that take on the technical risk of developing new or improved products, processes, software, or formulas.
Does my business qualify?
The IRS applies a four-part test, regardless of industry: the work must relate to a permitted purpose, involve technical uncertainty, follow a process of experimentation, and be technological in nature. The best way to know for certain is a no-cost feasibility conversation with our team.
How much could my company receive?
Credit amounts vary based on qualifying research expenditures (QREs), which are primarily wages paid to employees conducting or directly supporting R&D activities, plus contractor costs and supplies consumed in the research process. An R&D tax credit consultant will be vital in identifying the correct activities in order to claim the correct amount.
What if I've already filed without claiming R&D tax credits?
The IRS allows companies to claim the R&D tax credit retroactively by filing amended returns for open tax years, typically going back three years (or up to four if the credit would offset tax in the earliest year). If your business has been conducting qualifying research activity but never claimed the credit, those prior-year expenses don't disappear, and they can still be captured.
One-Year Window for Retroactive Claims
Thanks to newly passed federal legislation, Precision Optics companies may now have a chance to capture additional R&D benefits for 2022-2024. This opportunity is only available for a short window, so timing is critical.
Don’t leave six figures on the table.
Your next step
See What You Could Be Claiming
One 15-minute call with a real advisor.
No jargon, no pressure, no obligation.
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Details
As the Chief Executive Officer at RK Partners, Andy brings two decades of experience across business structuring, private wealth, and operational leadership to the business. An award-winning Chartered Tax Adviser, he spent a decade at Deloitte, rising to leadership positions within the firm, before joining the creation of a global multi-family office, where he spent seven years scaling the business as senior partner of the firm responsible for its growth, strategic direction and operational excellence. Andy has not only advised entrepreneurs on everything from start-ups to global enterprises, but has personally experienced MBOs, capital raises, and business exits. He understands how to scale a business and help the people inside it keep and compound what they build.
At RK Partners, Andy is focused on deepening the firm's capabilities, scaling its operations, and ensuring clients continue to receive the same rigorous, high-touch service RK is known for as the business grows. Andy is drawn to businesses that combine real technical expertise with genuine client impact and sees R&D tax credits as an area where that combination matters more than ever.
April Zozzaro
Chief Operating Officer, CPA
April is responsible for overseeing the entire operations of the business, as well as the R&D Tax Credit practice. A licensed CPA with a Master’s in Accounting, she brings over 12 years of specialized experience in R&D tax incentives, having worked across a broad range of industries and supported companies from early-stage startups to global Fortune 500s.
Before joining RK Partners, April held a Manager role at Deloitte, where she was instrumental in delivering over $700 million in R&D tax credits to her clients. Since joining RK, she has played a foundational role in building the firm’s consulting practice from the ground up - designing its technical approach, developing operational frameworks, and scaling a high-performing team of consultants.
Under her leadership, RK Partners has established a reputation for technical excellence, rigorous compliance, and meaningful client impact. April’s ability to bridge deep subject matter expertise with practical business acumen has made her a trusted advisor to clients and a cornerstone of the firm’s growth and delivery success.
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Sam Wooldridge
Chief Commercial Officer
With over 7 years of international experience in Tax Credits and Incentives, Sam leads the Commercial Team at RK Partners, where he combines sharp commercial acumen with strategic leadership. Throughout his career, he has helped a wide range of businesses unlock the full value of government incentives. While his client base spans multiple industries, he has developed particular expertise in Agriculture, Software, and Manufacturing.
At RK, Sam is responsible for driving the firm’s commercial strategy and leading all client engagement initiatives, ensuring clients and partners consistently receive exceptional value. Recognized for his deep industry knowledge, ability to build and scale high-performing teams, and his commitment to long-term client relationships, Sam is a trusted leader in an increasingly dynamic and competitive landscape.
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Scott H. Durepo
Chief Compliance Officer
Scott spent 19 years at Deloitte Tax in both the Research and Development Tax Credit Group and the Tax Controversy Group and has over 25 years’ experience with the Research Tax Credit. He represented Fortune 100 and 500 companies as well as much smaller clients during their IRS audits. He successfully resolved 55 cases at the Examination level and has not had even one case that went to IRS Appeals. The resolutions included amounts from a few hundred thousand to over 200 million.
At RK Partners, Scott leads the firm’s compliance and audit defense function. He directly oversees the training and development of our consulting team, ensuring they maintain a deep and current understanding of federal tax law, recent case law, and IRS examination trends. His rigorous approach to documentation, substantiation, and risk management safeguards our clients and reinforces the technical credibility of every claim we prepare.
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Randall Roisman
Chief Financial Officer
Randall Roisman's career in healthcare has spanned more than 20 years, including multiple C-level and VP/Executive-level finance and strategy roles in various large, complex, and well-respected health systems and healthcare providers in Southern California, in both for-profit and non-profit environments.
Throughout his career as a financial executive, Randall has consistently integrated his strategic vision and operational knowledge into his roles to grow organizations. He created and developed a transformative, industry-first joint venture partnership between a major integrated delivery health system and a leading national dental support organization (DSO) to build co-located medical and dental sites in which primary care and dental providers address the connection between oral and systemic health, provide patients with access to comprehensive healthcare focused on the health of the whole person, and reduce the total costs of care.
Randall also regularly assesses and implements operational improvements and efficiencies, revenue enhancement and business development opportunities, and cost containment and expense mitigation strategies.
Mark Kashinskiy
Founder & Chairman
Mark is the Founder of RK Partners; he is a serial entrepreneur with a focus on ventures at the intersection of tax incentives, technology, and consulting. With a strong background in commercial strategy and a track record of launching and scaling ventures, he has spent the past decade helping companies unlock hidden value through government incentives, while scaling high-performance teams across a range of industries.
Mark has led the firm from the ground up, growing RK into one of the most rapidly growing Tax Credits & Incentives consultancies in the US. Serving clients from high-growth startups through to large enterprises, Mark has played a hands-on role in building the firm’s commercial engine, operational structure, and leadership team – laying the foundational infrastructure for long-term success.
In his current role as Chairman, Mark is focused on shaping the strategy, vision and culture for the firm - ensuring RK continues to succeed at the highest level.
