Blogs

R&D: a horror story

24 Jun 2024

The June/July edition of HMRC Tax Investigations Enquiries and Powers magazine was published today, featuring an article from MD, Paul Rosser. You can find it here...

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Collateral damage

23 Jul 2024

The R&D tax relief landscape is not a pretty one at the moment.  Issues around high levels of inaccurate and/or fraudulent claims being submitted have been all...

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Are HMRC doing anything to stop dishonest R&D advisors?

11 Jul 2024

Historically, HMRC has checked very few R&D claims which has led to two main problems: Claimants/advisors receiving no feedback on claims they have submitted an...

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Are HMRC’s compliance activities working?

09 Jul 2024

Historically, HMRC has checked very few R&D claims which has led to two main problems: Claimants/advisors receiving no feedback on claims they have submitted an...

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Don’t believe everything you read

04 Jul 2024

As anyone involved with R&D claims will be aware, for some time the ISBC R&D Tax Credit Compliance Team has been using “Open source research”, a...

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Why are many R&D advisors ‘at capacity’?

02 Jul 2024

Something we keep hearing at the moment from prospects is “We have worked for several years with another advisor, but they have said for our next claim they c...

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How do I find a good R&D advisor?

27 Jun 2024

Ever since HMRC increased its compliance activities in relation to claims for R&D tax relief, many companies have been shocked to find that their claims are act...

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Does the decision in a First-Tier Tribunal create a binding precedent in relation to other tax-payers?

25 Jun 2024

If a company has its R&D claim rejected by HMRC, it can take its case to a First Tier Tribunal (FTT) to obtain a ruling as to the validity of the claim, but doe...

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Hidden R&D Advisors

20 Jun 2024

When HMRC introduced the Additional Information Form (AIF) last August, it was designed to allow much improved screening of R&D claims as it meant HMRC could ch...

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BBC Report: “HMRC gave me £49,000 relief, but wants it back”

14 Mar 2024

LINK:  ‘HMRC gave me £49,000 tax relief, but wants it back’ – BBC News The BBC article caused a little stir this week and although we usually we...

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What does the Autumn Statement mean for R&D tax relief?

01 Dec 2023

Quite a few changes have been happening with R&D tax relief over the last year or so and the Government has just announced the next on the list.  The current S...

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How did we get where we are?

20 Nov 2023

I’ve just been thinking about how the conversation between us and our prospects has changed significantly over the last decade or so.  Prospects used to come to ...

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The difficult 3rd HMRC “Pre-decision” letter

16 Aug 2023

HMRC, for small/medium R&D claims, has recently moved away from having a dedicated inspector assigned to compliance checks (a.k.a an enquiry) in favour of a mor...

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The dreaded 2nd HMRC enquiry letter – a guide for companies who didn’t use an R&D advisor

14 Aug 2023

If HMRC decide to check your R&D claim, they will first write to you informing you they are opening an enquiry and they will also ask for some more information....

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How to deal with an enquiry into your R&D claim when you didn’t use an advisor

10 Aug 2023

Receiving a letter from HMRC saying that they are opening a compliance check (aka an enquiry) into your company’s tax affairs to ensure the right amount of tax is...

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Software based R&D claims – A guide for accountants

13 Jun 2023

Software-based R&D claims can be one of the trickier types of claims for accountants to understand as, unless they also have a background in computer science, b...

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Why are so many R&D claims inaccurate?

11 Apr 2023

This is currently a very pertinent question as evidence received at the end of 2022 by the Chair of the Economic Affairs Finance Bill Sub-Committee stated: “S...

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Are you undertaking subcontracted R&D?

28 Feb 2023

If so, you may not be able to claim R&D tax relief on this, even if you have done so in the past. What is the rule on subcontracted R&D? The relevant legisl...

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Examples of non-qualify R&D

14 Feb 2023

Last year, the House of Lords opened an enquiry into the changes with regards to R&D tax relief in the draft Finance Bill 2022–23 and undertook a consultation...

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Legitimate v Illegitimate R&D Claims

09 Dec 2022

Marketing from consultancy firm Catax estimated a few years ago that £84billion of R&D tax relief remains unclaimed.  This is a ridiculous statement and one t...

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The Times focuses on R&D

01 Nov 2022

We have been saying for a while that exciting things are happening within the R&D tax relief space but, unless you are actually working within this space, there...

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Finance Bill 22/23

21 Jul 2022

Changes are coming to the R&D tax relief schemes in respect of accounting periods beginning after 1 April 2023.  We have known this for a while but have been a...

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Exciting times for Research and Development Tax Relief

10 Jun 2022

“Exciting times” and “Research and Development Tax Relief” are not usually terms you will see used together but this is what we are heading towards. Researc...

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HMRC Freeze R&D Payments

26 May 2022

HMRC has paused some R&D tax credit payments while it investigates some irregular claims. It hasn’t given much further information apart from to highlight...

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Can you automate an R&D claim?

12 May 2022

There are a number of steps which must be taken when compiling a robust R&D claim. Some of these can be automated to a degree but there is no software currently...

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How to create supporting documentation for an R&D claim

28 Apr 2022

Currently, there is no requirement to provide supporting documentation when making a claim for R&D tax relief – it is advisable to do so though.  New legisla...

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More Examples of R&D Activity in the Construction Industry

08 Apr 2022

It’s very difficult to give examples of HMRC approved R&D activity as HMRC do not check most R&D claims so even those which seem to have been ‘a...

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Examples of R&D Activity in the Construction Industry

07 Apr 2022

It’s very difficult to give examples of HMRC approved R&D activity as HMRC do not check most R&D claims so even those which seem to have been ‘a...

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SME/RDEC – What’s the difference?

31 Mar 2022

In the UK, there are currently two R&D tax relief schemes – SME (Small & Medium Enterprise) and RDEC (Research and Development Expenditure Credit). Usuall...

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Spring Budget 2022

24 Mar 2022

We already knew that quite a few exciting things were going to be happening in the world of R&D tax relief.  HMRC has been talking for a while about the reform...

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Companies don’t qualify for R&D Tax Relief

22 Mar 2022

Companies don’t qualify for R&D tax relief.  It is the activities and costs within a specific accounting period which can qualify for R&D tax relief. Thi...

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R&D isn’t always R&D

14 Mar 2022

Research and development has been stated as being ….. “activities that companies undertake to innovate and introduce new products and services” “when busine...

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R&D Tax Relief for Subcontractors

11 Mar 2022

We often hear from companies that they don’t believe they are eligible to claim R&D tax relief as, for the majority of their work, they are acting as subcontr...

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Should I go to my accountant for help with my R&D claim?

09 Mar 2022

Well, the simple answer is “it depends”. Some accountancy firms employ specialist staff to help their clients submit claims for R&D tax relief so, in that c...

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R&D tax relief – Software development

02 Mar 2022

R&D claims for software development are one of the more complex areas when it comes to R&D tax relief as the sector moves really quickly.  What might be co...

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Frequently Asked Questions

28 Feb 2022

What does an R&D consultancy firm actually do?  An R&D consultancy firm should first ensure that the projects undertaken by a company meet the criteria for...

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What is an enquiry and can it be avoided?

22 Feb 2022

What is an enquiry? We’ve mentioned before that HMRC does not check all R&D claims.  However, it will investigate some to ensure that the claim and correspon...

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Dishonest marketing for R&D tax credits

17 Feb 2022

When deciding on a consultancy firm to assist with your R&D tax credits claims, it can be very difficult to tell the good from the bad. Whilst there are a numbe...

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When is an SME not a Small & Medium Enterprise?

15 Feb 2022

There are two R&D tax relief schemes – SME and RDEC.  SME R&D tax relief offers a much more generous benefit than RDEC but a company cannot choose which ...

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Big changes to R&D tax reliefs

11 Feb 2022

HMRC has announced that from April 2023 several significant changes will be introduced to the R&D tax relief schemes. We are currently waiting for it to release...

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Are you paying too much for your Payable Tax Credits?

09 Feb 2022

Payable Tax Credits are one of the benefits of an R&D claim which surrenders losses to create a payable amount to the company from HMRC.  Many R&D consulta...

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Autumn Budget 2021 – R&D Tax Relief

28 Oct 2021

There were a few R&D related points announced in the Autumn Budget.  These and our thoughts on them can be found below: “To ensure the R&D tax reliefs co...

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Are we wasting our time?

23 Sep 2021

We recently ran the numbers and 50% of the prospects we speak to are not eligible for Research and Development Tax relief.  It’s easy to see these calls as a was...

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Payable tax credit cap: Draft legislation

17 Nov 2020

In the 2018 budget the government announced a cap on payable tax credits* of 300% of a company’s PAYE/NIC liabilities as an anti-fraud measure and a way to preven...

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R&D Stats – More interesting than you would think

19 Oct 2020

The September 2020 Research and Development Tax Credit Statistics have just been released.  There is a lot of data which can be reviewed here but HMRC have listed ...

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R&D Tax Relief Webinar

09 Jul 2020

This week we ran a webinar on R&D Tax Relief, the rules and the dangers.  You can find it here: https://vimeo.com/436058857/224bb566e9...

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COVID-19 Update

14 Apr 2020

While we cannot guess what the long term effects to the business will be, at the moment, we are not seeing too much disruption.  All employees are working from hom...

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R&D tax relief and the budget

13 Mar 2020

The budget earlier this month held some good, though not unexpected, news for those claiming R&D tax relief. The proposed increase to the RDEC rate will go ahea...

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Can a company survive a 4-day working week?

07 Nov 2019

A few months ago, we moved to a 4-day working week for all full-time staff.  This was not about compressed hours or a drop in salary but an extra day off a week as...

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2019 R&D Statistics Released

10 Oct 2019

Every Autumn, Research and Development Tax Relief statistics are released.  These can be quite dry reading but do give some useful insights into the number and val...

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Why hasn’t my accountant mentioned R&D Tax Credits?

04 Nov 2018

The simple answer to this is that, even though a claim for R&D Tax Credits would generally be filed by your accountant as part of your annual tax return, your a...

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Do you know any great women working in technology?

04 Nov 2018

R&D Consulting are proud to be sponsoring the 2018 DevelopHer awards.  The awards are designed as recognition of the contribution women are making in this indu...

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What are the risks of submitting a claim for R&D Tax Credits?

23 Oct 2018

The main risk of submitting an R&D claim is that HMRC could open an enquiry.  This doesn’t mean that they have rejected your claim, just that they have some ...

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