R&D Tax Credits
Helping innovative UK businesses turn investment into cash and tax savings
Are you investing time and money into innovation but unsure whether you qualify for Research & Development tax credits?
At Charlton Baker, we support ambitious, forward‑thinking businesses to identify, prepare and submit robust R&D tax credit claims, unlocking valuable corporation tax relief or cash repayments - while remaining fully compliant with HMRC’s increasingly complex rules.
What Are R&D Tax Credits?
R&D tax credits are a UK Government incentive designed to reward companies that invest in developing or improving products, processes, software or services where there is technical or scientific uncertainty.
Crucially, R&D is not limited to laboratories or ‘blue‑sky’ research. Many businesses qualify through day‑to‑day problem solving, development work and innovation within their sector.
You may be eligible if your business:
- Develops or improves products, systems or processes
- Solves technical challenges without an obvious solution
- Experiments, prototypes or tests new approaches
- Uses specialist technical, engineering, software or scientific knowledge
Claims are available to both profit‑making and loss‑making companies.
How Much Could an R&D Claim Be Worth?
The value of an R&D tax credit claim depends on:
- Your qualifying R&D expenditure: typically around 16% of these costs back in credits
- Whether you qualify as an R&D intensive company.
For many businesses, claims result in:
- Corporation tax reductions, or
- Payable tax credits (cash back from HMRC)
In some cases, claims can be worth tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds and may be repeatable annually, provided innovation continues.
We offer a free, no obligation R&D appraisal to help you understand eligibility and likely value before you proceed.
Do You Qualify for R&D Tax Relief?
You may qualify if you answer “yes” to any of the following:
- Have you developed or improved products, software or internal systems?
- Have you overcome technical challenges or uncertainty?
- Have projects required experimentation, testing or iteration?
- Have some initiatives failed for technical reasons?
- Do clients rely on your specialist expertise or technical capability?
Innovation often isn’t obvious internally - which is why so many eligible businesses never claim.
If you've answered 'yes' to any of the questions above, give us a call on 01380 723692 or email us here.
“A business partner had recommended R&D credits to us a while ago but we felt it was going to be a lot of paperwork for something that would probably not be approved. However, the whole process only took a few hours of our time and a couple of months later, we received the credit from the HMRC. Would highly recommend”
Adrian, Founder, Parisa Technologies Limited
Industries We Commonly Support
Charlton Baker supports R&D claims across a wide range of sectors, including:
- Manufacturing & Engineering
- Software & Technology
- Food & Drink
- Agriculture & Agri‑tech
- Architecture & Design
- Electronics & Product Development
- Science, Pharma & Life Sciences
If innovation is part of how your business operates, R&D tax relief may apply.
Why Claim R&D Tax Credits with Charlton Baker?
R&D tax credits are an area of increased HMRC scrutiny, and poorly prepared claims carry real financial risk.
Our approach is:
- Specialist‑led and evidence‑based
- Fully aligned with current HMRC legislation and guidance
- Designed to minimise disruption to your team
We focus on robust, deensible claims rather than inflated or high‑risk submissions.
Speak to a Charlton Baker R&D Tax specialist now.
Our R&D Tax Credit Process
Free initial assessment
A short call to explore eligibility and potential value.
Technical & financial review
We work with your team to identify qualifying projects and costs.
Claim preparation & submission
We prepare the full technical narrative and calculations for HMRC.
HMRC support
We manage follow‑up questions and correspondence.
Payment received
Fees are only charged once the benefit is secured.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I claim R&D tax credits if my company is loss‑making?
Yes. Eligible loss‑making companies may be able to claim a payable R&D tax credit, subject to scheme rules.
Can I still claim if I’ve claimed before?
In many cases, yes. R&D claims are often repeatable annually and can also be revisited if circumstances change.
Do subcontractors need to be UK‑based?
From April 2024, restrictions apply to subcontracted and overseas R&D costs. We assess eligibility in line with current HMRC rules.
“Charlton Baker made what we thought would be a complicated and time consuming process very easy. We took it step by step, were asked all the right questions in a way we could understand and they did all the hard work meaning we didn’t have to invest any significant time on this. 28 days later we got presented with a rather large cheque back from HMRC! What’s not to love! Wonderful people and company to work with, would highly recommend them to anyone who asks”
Siobhan Freegard OBE, Founder, ChannelMum
No Upfront Cost - fees contingent on success of claim
No upfront fees. No charge if no claim is identified. Fees only payable once HMRC pays the credit or relief.
This ensures our incentives are fully aligned with yours.
If you’d like to explore whether your business qualifies for R&D tax credits - and how much you could claim - we offer a free, confidential consultation with no obligation.
We are always here to talk
