R&D tax relief, prepared to withstand HMRC scrutiny

We prepare claims under the merged R&D scheme and ERIS, and we defend them if HMRC asks questions. R&D tax relief is all we do.

Request a scoping call Check if you qualify

Every claim we prepare is built to be read closely.

The technical narrative, the qualifying cost schedules and the return entries, prepared by a regulated chartered practice and signed off by a chartered adviser.

Merged scheme

15%

What the merged scheme’s 20% expenditure credit is worth per £1 of qualifying spend, net of corporation tax at 25%. It is 16.2% at the 19% rate or where the company is loss-making, and as low as 14.7% where marginal relief applies.
ERIS

26.97%

What a loss-making, R&D-intensive SME receives in cash per £1 of qualifying spend under ERIS. The payable credit is not taxable.
Intensity test

30%

The R&D intensity a loss-making SME must reach to claim ERIS, measured against total relevant expenditure, not the R&D alone.

Which scheme applies, and what it is worth

Two schemes are in force for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2024. Which one applies depends on the company, not the date: ERIS for a loss-making SME whose relevant R&D expenditure is at least 30% of its total relevant expenditure, and the merged scheme for every other company.

R&D tax relief rates and eligibility, accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2024.
	The merged scheme Companies of every size	ERIS Loss-making, R&D-intensive SMEs
Rate	20% taxable credit on qualifying expenditure	86% additional deduction and 14.5% payable credit
Worth per £1	15p net¹ at the 25% corporation tax main rate; 16.2p at 19%, or for a loss-maker taking it in cash	Up to 26.97p, tax free¹
Who qualifies	Any company with qualifying R&D expenditure	A loss-making SME whose relevant R&D expenditure is at least 30% of its total relevant expenditure²

Table notes

Payable credits are capped at £20,000 plus 300% of relevant PAYE and NIC.
The 30% denominator is broadly the trading costs in the accounts for the period, not just the R&D ones.

Correct as at 4 September 2026. Every rate since 2015: R&D tax relief rates by year.

Why companies trust us with their claims

Because we are accountable in ways many R&D agents are not. The mis-selling era left companies facing enquiries their advisers would not defend. Our answer is a regulated, chartered practice — and has been since 2017, under every version of the rules since.

Chartered on both fronts

A member firm of both the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) and ICAEW, led by a dual-qualified founder, with every claim signed off by a chartered adviser.

Regulated by ICAEW

Including anti-money-laundering supervision, with a published complaints route.

Bound by PCRT

Professional Conduct in Relation to Taxation governs every position we take.

Registered with HMRC

Registered with HMRC as a tax adviser, and named on every claim we prepare.

Enquiry support included

In every engagement as standard. If HMRC opens a compliance check, we handle the response.

We stand behind our work

We prepare the right claim, defensibly. Read about our regulation and standards.

Who we work with

Companies whose business is their R&D. Sector by sector, claims trip up in different places — each card names the complication we solve most often.

Life sciences

Grant stacks, CRO contracts and long pre-revenue phases.

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Biotech

Meeting the 30% intensity test while still pre-revenue.

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Medtech

Where regulatory and clinical work crosses the R&D boundary.

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Agritech

Field trials that seasons, sites and weather complicate.

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AI and robotics

Proving an advance in the field, not just a clever product.

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Space

Long programmes, grant funding and hardware that flies once.

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Aerospace and defence

Contracted programmes and who owns the claim.

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Cleantech and energy

Pilot plant, demonstrators and the consumables boundary.

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Software

Drawing the honest line on where software development qualifies.

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Engineering

Separating qualifying development from routine work.

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Manufacturing

Process trials on live production lines, costed defensibly.

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All sectors

Every sector we work in, including those not shown here.

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How it works

Four steps, one chartered adviser throughout. Your fee is agreed in writing before work starts, with no hidden costs.

See the full process

Scoping call

A conversation about your work and your numbers. If we do not think you qualify, we say so.
Technical and financial workstreams

We interview your competent professionals, set the project boundaries and build the qualifying cost schedules.
Report and return

The technical report, the Additional Information Form and the return entries, prepared and filed by us as HMRC-registered agents.
Submission and aftercare

We submit, track progress with HMRC, and enquiry support is included as standard.