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INNOVATION RELIEF: R&D TAX CREDITS

R&D tax credits, claimed properly.

R&D tax credits reward UK limited companies that solve technical problems, through the merged expenditure credit scheme and enhanced support for R&D-intensive SMEs. Clearsight's specialists find your qualifying work, build the technical and financial evidence HMRC expects, and defend the claim if it's ever questioned.

Check if I qualify → Do I qualify?
No win, no feeFull HMRC enquiry supportICAEW Member Firm
R&D Claim Estimator
Illustrative · merged R&D scheme
DRAG TO TRY
QUALIFYING R&D SPEND £294,600
£50k£750k
TYPICAL COMPOSITION
Staff 62%
Subcontractors 21%
Software 10%
Consumables 7%
ESTIMATED BENEFIT
Cash credit or tax saving
£47,725
Illustrative only: your exact benefit depends on your scheme and tax position. We confirm it on a call.

Key points

  • We check whether your work qualifies for R&D tax relief
  • Robust, defensible claims built to withstand HMRC scrutiny
  • The technical and financial narrative prepared for you
  • Claims prepared to recover everything you're entitled to
DO I ACTUALLY QUALIFY?

What qualifies for R&D tax credits?

HMRC looks for a specific shape of work. Follow the journey: if your projects look like this, you almost certainly have a claim.

STAGE 01 / 04

You set out to do something that hadn't been done.

It starts with a goal you couldn't buy off the shelf: a new product, a better process, a system that didn't exist yet. If the answer was already obvious, it isn't R&D. If it wasn't, you're on the right track.

IN PLAIN TERMS

"We needed our platform to handle 10× the load without rewriting it, and nobody on the team knew if it was even possible."

THE OPPORTUNITY

Most businesses that qualify never claim, because they don't recognise their own R&D as research at all.

Underclaimed
many eligible companies never claim what they're owed
Both schemes
SME and merged-scheme claims handled
2 years
you can still claim retrospectively
WHERE MOST CLAIMS GO WRONG

It looks complicated.
That's exactly why we exist.

HMRC scrutiny has never been higher. A weak or over-reaching claim invites an enquiry. We do the opposite: identify only genuinely qualifying work, evidence it rigorously, and present it in the language HMRC expects, so your claim is both maximised and defensible.

WHERE THE VALUE COMES FROM

Which costs count towards an R&D claim?

62%
Staff & technical salaries
21%
Subcontractors & EPWs
10%
Software & cloud
7%
Consumables & materials
Staff & technical salaries

The time your engineers, developers and technical staff spend resolving the uncertainty, usually the largest part of any claim.

TOTAL QUALIFYING SPEND£294,600
THE DELIVERABLE

The claim file we build for you.

Not a form: a complete evidence pack, prepared to withstand HMRC scrutiny. Explore what's inside.

CLEARSIGHT · R&D CLAIM FILE
01 / 07
THE ENGAGEMENT

How do R&D tax credits work? The claim, step by step.

WEEK 1

Eligibility call

We confirm qualifying activity and give you a realistic estimate.

WEEK 2

Technical interviews

We sit with your team to capture the uncertainty and advance.

WEEK 3

Financial review

We identify and apportion every qualifying cost, defensibly.

WEEK 4

Claim preparation

We write the narrative and prepare the full HMRC submission.

ONGOING

Submission & support

We file, handle any HMRC questions, and your credit lands.

WHY CLEARSIGHT

Specialists who build evidence, not just submit forms.

Every claim is prepared by qualified accountants alongside technical specialists, documented to the standard HMRC now demands, and backed by enquiry support at no extra cost.

Defended
claims built to withstand HMRC scrutiny
Specialist
claims prepared & submitted
Included
HMRC enquiry support on every claim
ACCA
qualified accountants
FAQ

The questions we hear most.

Claims can generally be made up to two years after the end of an accounting period. But first-time claimants (and anyone who hasn't claimed in the last three years) must now notify HMRC within six months of the period end. The window closes far earlier than most people think, so don't sit on it.

Under the merged scheme, companies receive a taxable expenditure credit worth 20% of qualifying R&D spend, a net benefit of roughly 15-16% after corporation tax. Loss-making, R&D-intensive SMEs (R&D at least 30% of total spend) can receive up to 27p per £1 through enhanced R&D intensive support. Your exact benefit depends on your scheme and tax position.

Often, yes. First-time claimants (or companies that haven't claimed within the last three years) must submit a claim notification form within six months of the end of the accounting period. Every claim also needs an additional information form filed before the corporation tax return. We prepare and submit both as part of the engagement.

Yes. Relief rewards the attempt to resolve technical uncertainty. Success isn't required. Failed projects often make the strongest claims.

A well-prepared, honest claim rarely does. And if HMRC do ask questions, our enquiry support is included as standard: we handle it for you.

A success fee agreed with you up front, based on the size and complexity of the claim. No upfront cost, and no win, no fee: if we don't recover anything, you don't pay.

Find out what your R&D is worth.

A free, no-obligation call and a realistic estimate of your claim. No win, no fee, so you've nothing to lose.

Check if I qualify →