Research and Development Tax Relief – it’s a Tax Incentive Captain, but not as Google Knows it

Let’s boldly go where the big boys go

In the Deep Space of UK tax legislation and practice; if you’re the captain of a small to medium sized enterprise and you don’t fully understand exactly what’s out there, it can be difficult to know how to chart a course through the all the rules and regulations.

Google, and other large corporations; often in the news over Tax Avoidance issues, possibly employ specialist tax advisors on a permanent basis and thus may have already seized on the opportunities available in the asteroid belt of Research and Development Tax Relief.

However, here’s the good news – you can go there too and sometimes get a lot more out of it.

Let’s seek out the opportunities for SME’s

Uncertainty surrounding many of the finer points of UK tax legislation is commonplace, especially among SME’s. Alien-sounding, previously unheard descriptions of shadowy beings such as Technology Tax Reliefs, Video Games Tax Relief, and Patent Box, albeit they sound friendly and of one and the same species, may well send shivers down the spine.

At Cooden Tax Consulting we’ve got to know those species and have developed a wealth of knowledge and understanding that has helped us to become one of the UK’s more experienced specialist advisors in the field of R&D Tax Relief.

We can help you explore various options and seek out genuine opportunities to obtain a tax rebate. What’s more, under R & D legislation an SME can sometimes get much higher tax relief than Google, even if they applying for essentially the same thing. Typically, where Google may be able to claim 8.8% of their spend on an R & D project, an SME could claim between 26% and 33% for similar work.

Will your exploration be rewarded?

Every potential valid application for Research and Development Tax Relief can’t be addressed here, but let’s take a brief look at the basic eligibility criteria and at some options that might surprise you.

It is a pre-requisite that you are a Limited Company liable to pay Corporation Tax and either conducting research and development in house or in partnership with an external provider. This can be in a variety of areas, such as innovative Software or App creation, new and unique Products Development, or improvements in existing processes or product performance, whether completed or ongoing.

Whilst perhaps more obviously targeted at businesses in the Science and Technology Sector, Cooden Tax Consulting has identified opportunities and previously assisted businesses to successfully obtain a tax rebate, under R&D criteria, in such diverse industries as Brewing, Engineering & Insurance

Let us help to steer your ship in the right direction to discover sometimes substantial cash rebates that could be a huge boost to your business. It might also put a smile on your face to feel you’re competing with the Corporate Klingons on a slightly more level playing field.

Cooden Tax Consulting is a niche tax consultancy. After an initial, free, no obligation assessment of your business, we work on a “no win, no fee” basis, reducing the risk. Contact us by the methods below and ask for Simon or e-mail

simon@coodentaxconsulting.co.uk