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Recover · R&D tax relief
Developed or improved software, products or processes to solve a difficult technical problem? Your company could recover part of what it spent on qualifying development. Check whether your work could qualify.
Free initial review · No obligation · Check your R&D tax relief eligibility
Put a value on the opportunity
Your development work could put money back into your business. Here’s how three levels of qualifying R&D spend could translate into a tax benefit.
£50,000 qualifying spend
£7,500
Illustrative benefit after tax
Before specialist fees · Merged RDEC example
£100,000 qualifying spend
£15,000
Illustrative benefit after tax
Before specialist fees · Merged RDEC example
£250,000 qualifying spend
£37,500
Illustrative benefit after tax
Before specialist fees · Merged RDEC example
Illustrations assume a 20% merged RDEC credit taxed at 25%, with no cap restriction. The spend shown must qualify for relief; it is not automatically the whole project budget. Actual benefits and cash payments depend on your circumstances.
For £100,000 of qualifying spend: a £20,000 credit less £5,000 Corporation Tax gives a £15,000 benefit before fees. These examples use the merged scheme for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2024. They exclude ERIS, ring-fence trades and other tax-rate scenarios.
Sources: HMRC’s merged RDEC guidance and Corporation Tax rates.
Start with a conversation
You’ve invested in the work. Find out whether it could lead to a tax credit or a lower tax bill. Answer a few quick questions to see if a claim is worth exploring.
The Business Review Co. makes introductions to independent specialists. We may receive a referral fee. How we are paid.
The opportunity
Research and Development (R&D) tax relief supports eligible companies undertaking scientific or technological development. It can affect a company’s tax bill or result in a payable credit, depending on the scheme and circumstances.
The first step is understanding the work itself. An R&D specialist can examine your projects, identify any qualifying activity and assess which expenditure may be included in a claim.
The Business Review Co. helps you start that conversation. We provide an initial review and specialist introductions; the detailed tax assessment and any claim work sit with the specialist you choose.
Read HMRC’s introduction to R&D tax reliefWho may qualify
R&D tax relief is for companies within UK Corporation Tax. A specialist will look for these three features in your project.
The project aims to improve overall scientific or technological knowledge or capability. Being new to your company is not enough on its own.
A competent professional could not readily work out whether the goal was achievable, or how to achieve it, using the knowledge available.
Your team investigated, tested or developed a solution. The technical decisions, attempts and findings help explain the work undertaken.
A new product, a difficult project or money spent on development does not establish eligibility by itself. The activities must meet the R&D definition for tax purposes. See the government’s definition.
R&D in practice
Did the team have to resolve a genuine scientific or technological uncertainty? These illustrative examples show the kinds of discussions a specialist may explore.
Developing a new approach to processing data where existing methods cannot meet a technical requirement could merit investigation.
Where the distinction matters
Building a standard website, configuring software or adding familiar features would not qualify simply because the work is bespoke.
Investigating how a material or component can perform under demanding conditions may involve a technological uncertainty.
Where the distinction matters
Routine production changes, standard testing and buying newer machinery do not establish qualifying R&D by themselves.
Experiments to achieve a new formulation or production method may be worth reviewing when an advance and uncertainty can be explained.
Where the distinction matters
A change to appearance, packaging or customer appeal alone would not meet the scientific or technological test.
Illustrations only, not client case studies or confirmation that a particular project qualifies.
Start with what you were trying to achieve and what made it technically difficult. We’ll take the conversation from there.
From activity to expenditure
Once qualifying activity is identified, the relevant costs need to be separated from wider project spending. A specialist checks the categories, evidence and applicable restrictions.
The whole project budget is not automatically claimable. Capital expenditure, rent and routine business costs are generally outside these R&D expenditure reliefs. Check HMRC’s cost guidance.
For accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2024, the two routes are the merged R&D expenditure credit scheme and enhanced R&D intensive support. Earlier periods follow the previous rules.
Merged RDEC
Available to eligible trading companies within Corporation Tax. The credit is taxable, so its headline rate is different from the net benefit your company may receive.
ERIS
For eligible loss-making small and medium-sized companies that meet the R&D intensity conditions. The calculation and qualifying conditions differ from merged RDEC.
The amount depends on your accounting period, qualifying spend, tax position and any applicable caps. Read HMRC’s scheme guidance.
How we help
A few answers can open the conversation. Here’s how we help you move from a possible opportunity to a specialist assessment of your claim.
Answer a few questions about your company, development work and spending. See an initial indication before leaving any contact details.
If the work looks promising, request a free initial review. We discuss your answers and whether an R&D specialist could help you take the next step.
The specialist assesses the technical work, qualifying costs and relevant dates. They explain the potential benefit, their scope and their fees before you decide.
If a claim is appropriate and you agree to proceed, the specialist can help prepare it. The benefit may reduce your tax bill or result in a payment, depending on your position.
Useful preparation
You can enquire before gathering everything. A later assessment is more useful when the technical story and the financial records can be considered together.
Guides
What R&D means for UK Corporation Tax relief, how the government defines it, what is left out and how it differs from everyday use.
How the merged R&D scheme and enhanced R&D intensive support are calculated, which costs count and why the credit is taxable.
What the R&D expenditure credit scheme is, who can claim it, how it differs from a grant and from enhanced R&D intensive support.
The claim deadline for R&D tax relief, how the notification rules limit late claims and how far back HMRC can look.
When software development counts as R&D, which companies can claim, where software R&D starts and stops, which costs may count and the form used.
How a UK company applies for R&D tax credits: who can claim, how grants fit in, the claim notification form and the Company Tax Return.
Your questions
Straight answers to common questions before you make an enquiry.
R&D tax relief is the broader term for the support available through the tax system. ‘R&D tax credits’ is often used informally for it, including a credit that may be payable. The applicable scheme and your company’s position determine how the benefit is calculated and used.
R&D tax relief is for companies within UK Corporation Tax. Company size alone does not decide eligibility; the work does. A specialist looks for an advance in science or technology, a technical uncertainty that a competent professional could not readily resolve, and work done to resolve it. Sole traders and ordinary tax-transparent LLPs do not claim these reliefs in their own right. A specialist can check your company, project and dates.
For accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2024, the two routes are the merged R&D expenditure credit (RDEC) scheme and enhanced R&D intensive support (ERIS). Earlier periods follow the previous rules. Which route could apply depends on your accounting period, qualifying spend and tax position, so a specialist should check it against your dates.
Neither is a requirement in itself. What matters is the scientific or technological advance sought and the uncertainty your work tried to resolve. A patent, a job title or a department name does not demonstrate eligibility on its own.
Potentially. The R&D definition includes work seeking an advance even when it is not achieved. A specialist would still need to assess the uncertainty, the activities undertaken and the relevant costs.
Company size alone does not determine whether the work qualifies. Small companies may be able to claim, but the project, costs and company must meet the relevant conditions. A business simply being innovative or newly formed does not establish entitlement.
These R&D reliefs are for companies within UK Corporation Tax. Sole traders and ordinary tax-transparent LLPs do not claim them in their own right. If a group or ownership structure is involved, a specialist should confirm which entity could claim.
The deadline depends on the period of account. For periods lasting 18 months or less, HMRC normally sets the claim deadline at 24 months from the period’s final day. Longer periods have different rules. A separate, earlier claim-notification deadline may apply, so ask a specialist to check your dates before relying on a look-back period.
Yes. Tell us whether your accountant or another adviser is already involved, and whether a claim has been filed. You can discuss with a specialist how any technical review would fit with your existing arrangements before agreeing work.
Our initial review is free and there is no obligation to proceed. Any specialist fees and the scope of their work are explained separately before you agree. The Business Review Co. may receive a referral fee from a specialist it introduces.
Ask each firm to explain, in writing, how it would assess your technical work, which costs it would include and how it would describe each project. Ask who would prepare the technical report and who would speak to HMRC if questions arise. Check that the fee basis and scope are clear before you agree, including what happens if a claim is not made. HMRC asks for the contact details of every agent involved in a claim, so ask the firm to confirm it will be named. The specialists we introduce are independent firms, not part of The Business Review Co. Your own accountant can also take part in the discussion.
A specialist could start by checking that your company is chargeable to UK Corporation Tax, then look at whether the project sought an advance in the overall field of science or technology, not just for your business, by seeking to resolve scientific or technological uncertainty. HMRC guidance says you need to be able to explain the work done, including successes and failures. They could then identify the qualifying costs, the accounting period and the deadlines, including whether a claim notification form is needed. Be cautious of anyone who gives a figure before reviewing your work, as the outcome depends on your company’s facts.
Start with a few questions. See your initial result before leaving your details.
Prepared by The Business Review Co. using the official guidance linked below. Checked on . This is general information; an independent specialist must assess your company’s position.
Your business may also have questions about its premises or operating costs.