The UK government has introduced significant tax incentives in the last two decades to encourage companies to invest in R&D activities, creating valuable IP and providing skilled jobs. The two main regimes are R&D tax credits and the recent Patent Box.
R&D tax credits are now well established and have been made increasingly generous, particularly for SMEs. However, there is evidence that several small companies can make a claim but have not yet done so. Larger companies can also benefit significantly, and they must revisit their R&D activities regularly to ensure that they are maximising their claims.
The Patent Box offers a reduced corporation tax rate on profits derived from patents, ultimately falling to 10%. All companies should review their patenting policy to see if they can benefit from this generous relief.
Our R&D Tax team comprises experts in all our UK offices who work closely to maximise the tax savings available to our clients under these generous incentives.