Important HMRC Update: R&D Tax Credit Claims

Posted on by Iain Robertson

Does your company submit or intend to submit claims for R&D tax credits? 

HMRC has recently announced important updates regarding the procedure for filing an R&D tax credits claim. We have summarised the changes that you need to be aware of below.  

One of these changes will affect all R&D claim submissions from 1 August 2023. 

These updates consist of two significant changes: 

1 Additional Information Form 

2  Claim Notification Form 

1 Additional Information Form 

Firstly, effective from 1st August 2023, HMRC will mandate all companies to submit an “additional information form” prior to submitting their corporation tax return (CT600). It is crucial for companies to comply with this requirement, as failure to do so will result in HMRC automatically discarding their claim for R&D tax relief. 

Please note that to complete the additional information form, you will need to provide the following details online: 

  1. Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR): This should match the UTR displayed in your Company Tax Return. 
  1. Employer PAYE reference number. 
  1. VAT registration number. 
  1. Business type: Please provide your current Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code. 
  1. Contact information of the main senior internal R&D contact within your company, who is responsible for the claim (e.g., director). Additionally, provide details of any agent involved in the R&D claim. 
  1. A breakdown of qualifying expenditure. 
  1. Project details: This should include the number of projects you are claiming for, along with a description of the R&D activities undertaken. 

2 Claim Notification Form 

The second change brings about a requirement for specific companies to promptly submit a ‘claim notification form’ within six months following the conclusion of the accounting period in which the R&D claim is made.  

Failing to meet this deadline will result in the company being ineligible for R&D tax relief. 

This new rule modification will impact accounting periods that commence on or after 1 April 2023, provided the following conditions are satisfied: 

• The company is a first-time R&D claimant, or 

• The company has not made an R&D claim in any of the previous 3 calendar years, or 

• The company made a claim for the previous tax year but failed to submit it within the claim notification period, which concludes 6 months after the end of the accounting period. 

These changes will affect all companies that currently submit claims for R&D tax relief. 

Get in touch with Isla Griffin or Iain Robertson by emailing info@ammu.uk or visit our R&D Tax Credit Hub