This credit applies to alcohol you sold or used as fuel. Alcohol, for purposes of this credit, includes ethanol and methanol. It does not include alcohol produced from petroleum, natural gas, coal, or peat. Nor does it include alcohol of less than 150 proof. For more information, see Form 6478.

This credit applies to certain contributions made to a selected community development corporation before June 30, 1999. For more information, see Form 8847.

The credit is generally equal to your (employer's) portion of social security and Medicare taxes paid on tips received by employees of your food and beverage establishment where tipping is customary. The credit applies regardless of whether the food is consumed on or off your business premises. However, you cannot get credit for your part of social security and Medicare taxes on those tips that are used to meet the federal minimum wage rate that applies to the employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act. For more information, see Form 8846.

This credit applies to the qualified expenses you paid for employee childcare and qualified expenses you paid for childcare resource and referral services. The credit is 25% of qualified expenses you paid for employee childcare and 10% of qualified expenses you paid for childcare resource and referral services. This credit is limited to $150,000 each year. For more information, see Form 8882.

The research credit is designed to encourage businesses to increase the amounts they spend on research and experimental activities. The credit is generally 20% of the amount by which your research expenses for the year are more than your base amount. However, the credit is scheduled to expire for expenses you pay or incur after June 30, 2004. For more information, see Form 6765.

This credit applies to pension plan startup costs. If you begin a new qualified defined benefit or defined contribution plan (including a 401(k) plan), SIMPLE plan, or simplified employee pension, you can receive a tax credit of 50% of the first $1,000 of qualified startup costs. For more information, see Publication 560, Retirement Plans for Small Business (SEP, Simple, and Qualified Plans.

The disabled access credit is a nonrefundable tax credit for an eligible small business that pays or incurs expenses to provide access to persons who have disabilities. You must pay or incur the expenses to enable your business to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. For more information, see Form 8826.

You may qualify for this credit if you have employees and are engaged in a business in an empowerment zone for which the credit is available. For more information, see Form 8844 and Publication 954.

This credit applies to your qualified enhanced oil recovery costs for the tax year. For more information, see Form 8830.

This credit applies to the part of the qualified wages and health insurance costs (up to $20,000 per employee) you paid or incurred during a tax year that is more than the sum of the comparable costs you (or your predecessor) paid or incurred during calendar year 1993. The employee must be an enrolled member, or the spouse of an enrolled member, of an Indian tribe. The employee must perform substantially all of his or her services within an Indian reservation while living on or near the reservation. However, the credit is scheduled to expire after 2004. For more information, see Form 8845 and Publication 954.

The investment credit is the total of the following three credits.

This credit applies to certain expenses for solar or geothermal energy property you placed in service during the tax year. For more information, see the instructions for Form 3468.

The reforestation credit applies to part of the expenses you incur each year to forest or reforest property you hold for growing trees for sale or use in the commercial production of timber products. For information about these expenses, see chapter 9 in Publication 535, Business Expenses.

This credit applies to expenses you incur to rehabilitate certain buildings. For more information, see the instructions for Form 3468.

This credit generally applies to qualified low-income housing buildings placed in service after 1986. For more information, see Form 8586.

This credit provides businesses with an incentive to hire individuals from a new targeted group of employees in the Liberty Zone. However, the credit is scheduled to expire for individuals who begin work for you after December 31, 2003. For more information, see Form 8884.

The orphan drug credit applies to qualified expenses incurred in testing certain drugs, known as “orphan drugs for rare diseases and conditions.” For more information, see Form 8820.

The renewable electricity production credit is available to sellers of electricity. It is based on electricity that was sold to unrelated persons and was produced from qualified energy resources at a qualified facility during the 10-year period after the facility is placed in service. However, the credit is scheduled to expire for facilities placed in service after 2003. For more information, see Form 8835.

The welfare-to-work credit provides businesses with an incentive to hire long-term family assistance recipients. However, the credit is scheduled to expire for individuals who begin work for you after December 31, 2003. For more information, see Form 8861 and Publication 954.

The work opportunity credit provides businesses with an incentive to hire individuals from targeted groups that have a particularly high unemployment rate or other special employment needs. However, the credit is scheduled to expire for individuals who begin work for you after December 31, 2003. For more information, see Form 5884 and Publication 954.

The empowerment zone and renewal community employment credit is subject to different rules. The credit is figured separately on Form 8844 and is not carried to Form 3800. For more information, see the instructions for Form 8844.

The New York Liberty Zone business employee credit is an expansion of the work opportunity credit to include a new targeted group of employees in the New York Liberty Zone. This credit is figured separately on Form 8884 and is generally not carried to Form 3800. For more information, see the instructions for Form 8884.

Although you may not owe AMT, you must still figure your tentative minimum tax on Form 6251 if you claim a general business credit. After you fill in Form 6251, attach it to your tax return.