Shahla Afreen

R&D Tax Incentive Consultant | Ex- Bloxer | Ex-PwC | Ex-KPMG

Australia

About

I am an R&D Tax Incentive (RDTI) consultant with experience supporting Australian and multinational companies in accessing and navigating the Australian Government’s R&D Tax Incentive program. I work closely with clients’ finance, tax, and technical teams to assess eligibility, identify core and supporting R&D activities, and prepare compliant AusIndustry registrations and R&D tax claims. My role involves detailed R&D expenditure analysis, including reviewing financial data, mapping costs to eligible R&D activities, and preparing R&D Tax Schedules and supporting workpapers for submission with clients’ income tax returns. I collaborate closely with internal and external tax teams to ensure accuracy, consistency, and compliance with ATO requirements. I am actively involved across the full RDTI lifecycle, from new client onboarding to ongoing claim support. This includes leading introductory and discovery calls to explain how the RDTI operates and assess eligibility, as well as supporting existing clients by addressing queries, risks, or concerns relating to their RDTI claims. I also assist with managing interactions with AusIndustry and the ATO, including responses to information requests and reviews. #tax #R&Dtaxrelief #R&DConsultant #R&Dtaxincentive #ATO #AusInd

Experience

  • R&D Tax Incentive Consultant at Acclime
    Jul 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 1 mo

    • Client onboarding and RDTI education for new and prospective clients • Eligibility assessments and explanation of RDTI requirements • Identification and documentation of core and supporting R&D activities • Preparation of AusIndustry registrations and ATO R&D tax claims • R&D expenditure analysis and substantiation • Preparation of R&D tax schedule and supporting workpapers for inclusion in clients’ income tax returns • Managing client queries, risks, and concerns throughout the RDTI process • Review and response support for AusIndustry / ATO queries and audits • Cross-functional collaboration with R&D, finance, and tax stakeholders

  • Senior Tax Accountant at Infoblox
    Oct 2021 - Jun 2024 · 2 yrs 9 mos

    • Ensures tax compliance through knowledge of US corporate income tax, sales/use tax, property tax, and balance sheet reconciliations. • Prepare tax compliance workpapers for domestic operations including US Income Tax, Sales/Use Tax, Property Tax, and Franchise Tax, etc using a combination of internal and external advisor resources, • Liaise with external auditors and prepare audit support and documentation related to US tax provisions • Assist with tax audits • Review and research various domestic and international tax issues • Prepare balance sheet reconciliations and journal entries for tax-related transactions including Accrued Tax Fees, Prepaid Property taxes and Income Tax Expense general ledger accounts • Assist with other tax-related analysis and special projects • Collaboration with internal teams such as revenue, legal, accounts payable and accounts receivable in order to prepare supporting documentation to ensure tax compliance of domestic operations, including federal, state and property tax filings

  • Tax Associate at KPMG
    Jul 2019 - Sep 2021 · 2 yrs 3 mos

    • Provided US Sales and Use Tax compliance services to clients • Validated client data, interacted with U.S. Team, worked in close collaboration with US and India counterparts at all levels - managers, peers and staffs on a regular basis for client engagements and other administration related tasks • Prepared/ reviewed Sales and Use Tax return of business firms • Managed transition of new clients- request data from client, parallel testing and on-boarding • Filed (both ACH Credit & ACH Debit) US Sales & Use tax returns • Handled notices and letters received from the States

  • Senior Tax Associate at PwC
    Feb 2015 - Jan 2019 · 4 yrs

    • Provided global tax support to PwC member firms • Responsible for filing of the US Individual Tax return and US Sales & Use Tax return • Provided US Individual tax compliance and US Sales & Use tax compliance to business firms • Prepared daily, weekly and monthly client reports and responsible for meeting TAT and SLAs • Provided training to new hires and managing workflow • Provided tax return assistance and review of US individual tax return & tax equalization • Coordinated with foreign office & third party vendors to collate information related to assignment • Responsible for pulling tax data organisers and making it available to the tax returns preparer • E-filing of tax returns to the tax authorities • Conducted weekly/monthly variance analysis and reporting of any issues, risks and opportunities to managerial levels • Did analysis based on plan to actual, recommend for better resource management, planning and financial transformation • Established reconciliation processes • Interacted with clients on weekly and biweekly basis for continuous process improvements and rapport building to sustain healthy business operations

  • Placement Coordinator at Placement Cell
    Jan 2014 - 2016 · 2 yrs 1 mo

    * Part of the placement cell at RCM, coordinating all placement activities. * Scheduling of activities and acting as an interface between concerned authorities, students and companies. * Interacting with companies for campus placements.