​Research and Development Tax Relief

Research and Development (R&D) is a Corporation Tax relief that may reduce your company’s tax bill. This tax relief can only be claimed if your company is liable for Corporation Tax. If your company is not liable for Corporation Tax it may be worthwhile reviewing the company structure to ensure it is the most effective for you and your business. It is available for both SMEs and large companies.

RIBA Business is working in partnership with two providers, BDO LLP and Beavis Morgan, to provide a complete solution in claiming Research & Development tax relief.

Both our partners have specialist R&D teams that are comprised of experts in areas like engineering and software programming as well as specialist finance professionals such as auditors and tax accountants. All are experienced in claiming R&D tax relief for architectural practices. Most importantly our partners are tax regulated to provide tax advice in the UK.

Fees only apply to successful claims, with nothing due until the claim is settled.

If you contact BDO LLP directly please state where you heard about the service to enable us to track awareness raising.

Download our leaflet on R&D Tax Claims. BDO has also provided useful advice to be considered when submitting a claim post Covid-19 in the article Why architects should be considering R&D tax credits during these challenging times? The demand in change to how we live and work is inevitable and architecture will be at the heart of driving the solutions where standard approaches will not apply.

What we do

The specialist R&D teams will identify all qualifying costs for you. Once identified, these costs can be uplifted so:

• taxable profits are reduced
• small and medium (SME) size companies can surrender any tax losses for a cash credit

They will complete and submit the paperwork and all supporting evidence for you.

Many practices have already claimed R&D tax relief to some extent and some of these may even have had a visit from specialist tax inspectors as a result of the claim. However, there is often more that can be claimed and the specialists can provide a second opinion.

Their service also covers meetings with HMRC inspectors and supporting the claims in the event of an enquiry or other meeting.

Case study

BDO worked with a client on five qualifying projects:

1. Development of new concepts for standardised off-site manufacturing processes

2. Improved cladding technology for prefabricated applications

3. Development of novel prefabricated volumetric construction above existing roof with reduced steel use

4. Innovative green wall modular technology

5. Design of a novel scheme based on Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) for self-supporting prefabricated volumetric construction

They helped them by identifying all qualifying projects for 2014 and 2015 in one engagement, streamlining the input required. They then prepared a technical report on behalf of the client and submitted it to HMRC.

As a result, the client received a total of £32,000 in tax credits.

For more information on how we can help you, contact a member of the Business Team on business@riba.org.