Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC)

Our free Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) helps you estimate costs based on 15 key business variables. The calculator provides 4 detailed outputs using vendor benchmarks and company-size adjustments.

Enter your business details to get market-adjusted estimates as of 2026.

What you'll learn:

• Accurate solar investment tax credit (itc) estimates based on your specific inputs
• Low, average, and high cost ranges for budgeting
• How local factors impact pricing
• Tips for optimizing vendor selection and reducing total cost of ownership

Understanding the cost breakdown helps you budget effectively for your solar investment tax credit (itc) project. Here are the typical cost components:

Our solar investment tax credit (itc) uses a multi-variable formula that accounts for the following inputs:

1. Eligible Project Cost ($) — Required user-entered eligible basis or qualified investment amount.
2. Prevailing Wage + Apprenticeship Met — User attestation only. Eligibility is fact-dependent and should be verified against IRS/Treasury guidance.
3. Domestic Content Bonus Claimed — User attestation only. Domestic content eligibility is fact-dependent.
4. Energy Community Bonus Claimed — User attestation only. Energy community eligibility is fact-dependent.
5. Base Credit Rate (%) — Required IRS/government-source-dated user input. Do not assume eligibility.
6. PWA-Qualified Credit Rate (%) — Required IRS/government-source-dated user input for projects meeting prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements.
7. Domestic Content Adder Rate (%) — Required IRS/government-source-dated user input. Use 0 when not eligible.
8. Energy Community Adder Rate (%) — Required IRS/government-source-dated user input. Use 0 when not eligible.
9. Other Approved Adder Rate (%) — Required IRS/government-source-dated user input. Use 0 when no other approved adder applies.
10. Maximum Credit Rate Cap (%) — Required IRS/government-source-dated user input for the applicable statutory cap.
11. Depreciation Basis Reduction Rate (%) — Required IRS/government-source-dated user input for basis-reduction treatment.
12. Marginal Tax Rate (%) — Required user-entered tax-rate assumption. This calculator does not provide tax advice.
13. IRS/Government Source Name — Required official IRS/Treasury/DOE source label for statutory assumptions.
14. IRS/Government Source Date — Required source/access date for statutory assumptions in YYYY-MM-DD format.
15. IRS/Government Source URL — Required official IRS/Treasury/DOE source URL for statutory assumptions.

Based on your inputs, the calculator provides:

• User-Sourced Credit Rate — Percentage value
• Estimated Clean Electricity Investment Credit — Dollar amount based on current market rates
• Depreciable Basis After User-Sourced Credit Reduction — Dollar amount based on current market rates
• Illustrative Total Tax Benefit — Dollar amount based on current market rates

All calculations incorporate location-specific cost adjustments when a ZIP code is provided, using data from industry databases updated for 2026.

Several factors influence your solar investment tax credit (itc) estimate:

Eligible Project Cost ($)

Required user-entered eligible basis or qualified investment amount.

Base Credit Rate (%)

Required IRS/government-source-dated user input. Do not assume eligibility.

PWA-Qualified Credit Rate (%)

Required IRS/government-source-dated user input for projects meeting prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements.

Domestic Content Adder Rate (%)

Required IRS/government-source-dated user input. Use 0 when not eligible.

Energy Community Adder Rate (%)

Required IRS/government-source-dated user input. Use 0 when not eligible.

Other Approved Adder Rate (%)

Required IRS/government-source-dated user input. Use 0 when no other approved adder applies.

Maximum Credit Rate Cap (%)

Required IRS/government-source-dated user input for the applicable statutory cap.

Depreciation Basis Reduction Rate (%)

Required IRS/government-source-dated user input for basis-reduction treatment.

Marginal Tax Rate (%)

Required user-entered tax-rate assumption. This calculator does not provide tax advice.

Company Size & Scope

Enterprise pricing often differs significantly from SMB pricing. Vendor volume discounts, implementation complexity, and support tiers all scale with company size.

Market Timing

Vendor pricing changes quarterly or annually. End-of-quarter negotiations and competitive bids can reduce costs by 10-25%.

After you run the calculator, your results include interactive sections that help you make informed decisions:

Detailed Breakdown

Your results are broken down into individual components so you can see how each factor contributes to the total. Use this to identify the biggest cost drivers and focus your research or negotiation where it matters most.

Visual Chart

The chart provides a visual summary of your results, making it straightforward to compare components at a glance. This is helpful when sharing estimates with a spouse, business partner, or advisor — the visual format communicates the key story faster than numbers alone.

Save and Share Your Results

Download your complete results as a CSV spreadsheet or PDF report. The PDF includes all your inputs and key results — ready to share with contractors, service providers, or anyone else who needs to review the numbers. No account or signup required.