The UK government has, in the last two decades, introduced significant tax incentives 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 more 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 a number of small companies who would be eligible to make a claim have not yet done so. Larger companies can also benefit significantly, and it is important that they revisit their R&D activities regularly to ensure that they are maximising their claims.
The Patent Box offers a reduced rate of corporation tax on profits derived from patents, ultimately falling to 10%. All companies should be reviewing their patenting policy to see if they can benefit from this generous relief.
Our R&D Tax team consists of experts in all our UK offices who work together closely to maximise the tax savings available to our clients under these generous incentives.