R&D Tax Relief UK
UK R&D Tax Claims for Startups
You're Probably Leaving R&D Money on the Table.
UK startups miss thousands in R&D tax relief UK not because they are ineligible, but because the finance setup is messy, unclear, or reactive.
We make your HMRC R&D claim clean, defensible, and system-backed.
Claim Readiness
R&D Claim Dashboard
R&D Eligibility
Likely Qualifies
Estimated Claim
GBP 42,300
Documentation
3 Gaps Found
Gaps found
- Untagged cloud spend
- Incomplete project notes
- Dev hours not categorized
Submission Risk
Low
Why claims fail
Most R&D claims fail because the system fails.
Here's what actually happens:
- Dev costs mixed with general ops
- No project-level tracking
- Vague technical narratives
- Accountant files once a year and disappears
HMRC doesn't reject innovation. They reject messy documentation.
Traditional Accountant
Accountup
Traditional Accountant
Annual scramble
Accountup
Real-time cost tagging
Traditional Accountant
Generic narrative
Accountup
Project-backed documentation
Traditional Accountant
"Should be fine"
Accountup
Audit-ready structure
Traditional Accountant
Reactive filing
Accountup
System-led submission
What qualifies
What actually counts as R&D?
If your team is solving technical uncertainty, the work may qualify faster than most founders assume.
The key is whether the work and evidence can stand up as a clean software development R&D claim.
If you're:
- Building new software
- Improving performance or scalability
- Solving technical uncertainty
Even if:
- Not profitable yet
- Not inventing something world-first
- Early stage
Why claims fail
- Costs not tagged properly
- Engineering time undocumented
- Narrative written after the fact
What good looks like
- Projects mapped to uncertainty
- Spend tied back to evidence
- Narrative built from live records
Signal to watch
If payroll, cloud spend, and project notes live in separate tools, the claim gets harder to defend.
System flow
We don't just file your R&D claim. We install the structure behind it.
Tagged
Structured
HMRC Submission
- 1
Map eligible work
Pin down the technical uncertainty.
- 2
Tag the evidence
Tie payroll, cloud, and subcontractor spend back to projects.
- 3
Submit cleanly
Align the narrative with the numbers.
Clean claim. Defensible file. No guesswork.
Who this is for
Built for UK startups that:
Typically in: SaaS · FinTech · HealthTech · ClimateTech · AI · DeepTech
Founder fit
This page is built for founder-led teams who need a defensible claim, not a tax trick. If the business is shipping product, paying engineers, and trying to keep the books clean while moving fast, the structure matters as much as the spend.
Claim value
How much could you claim?
Most qualifying companies
20% taxable R&D expenditure credit under the merged scheme
Loss-making R&D-intensive SMEs
Enhanced ERIS support may apply
Quick estimator
Illustrative only
R&D Spend
£200,000
Adjust spend to get a quick directional view based on the 20% merged scheme rate.
Estimated Relief
£40,000
Directional output only. Final benefit depends on qualifying spend, profitability, and scheme eligibility.
The difference between "probably eligible" and a properly structured claim is often material.
Exact benefit depends on profitability, R&D intensity, qualifying spend, and scheme eligibility.
Already have an accountant?
Good.
We don't replace them.
We upgrade the system behind them.
Your accountant can still file.
We make sure:
- The data is clean
- The claim is structured
- The narrative is solid
System > dependency.
Stop guessing if you qualify.
Let's look at your dev costs and tell you - properly.