To encourage innovation, the government has been offering generous tax reliefs for companies engaged in research and development (R&D) for several years now.
Often an assumption is made that only companies such as scientific or medical research companies are eligible. However, these tax incentives in fact potentially apply to a very broad range of activities and you may well qualify.
Even if you are not yet making a profit you can benefit from the relief too.
Our R&D Consultants get to know your business operations, how you are innovating and work with you to prepare R&D claims and much more:
If your company is engaged in projects which seek to achieve an advance in overall knowledge or capability in a certain field of science or technology, then you could be classed as being engaged in R&D activity.
Additionally, you do have to be able to demonstrate that the advancement was not readily deductible by any competent professional in the field. In practical terms, a broad range of activities could be included. Some examples are:
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Creating a new product, process or service
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Changing or modifying an existing product, process or service
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Improving an existing product
The types of costs that can qualify for R&D tax incentives include:
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Staff costs including salaries, employer’s NIC, pension contributions and reimbursed expenses.
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Costs of subcontractors or externally provided workers assisting the R&D (usually restricted to 65%)
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Some types of software
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Materials and consumables including heat, light and power that are used up or transformed by the R&D process.
It may well be that your company is already engaged in some of these activities and you could qualify for this generous incentive. Small and medium sized companies are eligible to claim an additional 86% tax relief on all qualifying expenditure.
If you would like to know more about whether R&D tax credits are right for your business, visit our article which explains in depth the criteria for eligibility for R&D tax credits.

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