HMRC 'R&D Voluntary Assurance Pilot'
1st November 2011
HMRC have today announced an 'R&D voluntary advance assurance' pilot for small companies with fewer than 50 employees who are about to make their first R&D Relief claim.
Companies which volunteer to take part will have the support of a designated HMRC Officer specialising in R&D claims who can offer one-to-one support and will advise on putting a claim together.
HMRC say the aim is for the company and HMRC to agree a basis for the first R&D claim and claims for the two subsequent accounting periods. Provided that the company uses the agreed basis, R&D Relief claims for the subsequent period will normally be accepted as accurate without query from HMRC, unless a significant issue arises.
While greater certainty in claiming is certainly welcome, our current advice to companies to be extremely cautious of taking part in this scheme until it becomes clearer how HMRC will approach claims.
- By agreeing an inefficient methodology or process for claiming, companies could be locking themselves into under-claiming for 3 years without realising.
- Companies may get variable results depending on which Officer is assigned to them.
- Any significant change in the nature of the business or the R&D carried out could result in sub-standard future R&D claims
- Any attempt to rectify this could trigger an automatic HMRC enquiry.
Contact Us now on 020 3004 9243 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to see how we can help you to maximise your first and subsequent R&D claims.