Six questions to ask before choosing an R&D tax adviser
These six questions cut through most of the noise when comparing providers. The answers reveal more about a firm's real-world quality than their website copy does.
1. What is the fee structure, and is enquiry support included?
Most R&D advisers charge a contingency fee: a percentage of the successful claim, deducted on receipt. A smaller number offer a fixed fee or time-and-materials model. Contingency fees are not inherently a problem, but the rate varies between firms. What catches companies out is that some advisers charge separately for HMRC enquiry support. Ask for the full fee picture in writing before any claim work begins, and ask specifically whether enquiry defence is in scope.
2. Do they have sector depth in your industry?
R&D eligibility analysis is highly fact-specific. A consultant with experience in software development claims will ask different qualifying questions than one whose background is in manufacturing or food production. Ask whether the firm has worked on claims in your sector, and whether the person writing your technical narrative has relevant industry knowledge. For claims that sit near the eligibility boundary, sector depth is more useful than firm size.
3. Who writes the technical narrative, and who is accountable for it?
Some firms have junior staff draft the technical narrative and a senior person review it before submission. Others assign a dedicated CTA or ATT-qualified consultant to each claim from start to finish. The split matters because HMRC enquiries probe the technical narrative directly. You want the person who knows your claim to handle the questions, not someone who reviewed a summary of it weeks after it was written.
4. What is their HMRC enquiry track record?
HMRC opened enquiries on roughly 17% of R&D claims in 2023-24. That is not a small number. Ask your potential adviser how many R&D enquiries they have handled, in what sectors, and what the outcomes were. An adviser who can give you a clear, factual answer is one who has been through the process. A vague answer is worth noting.
5. Do they surface related reliefs at the first conversation?
If your business has capital expenditure on plant, equipment, or property, Capital Allowances may run alongside your R&D claim. If your site involves contaminated land, Land Remediation Relief may apply. Many R&D-only advisers will not raise these at the first meeting. Missing them means leaving money unclaimed. Ask at the start of any assessment whether related reliefs are part of the scope.
6. Are they qualified and properly insured?
Tax agents who submit R&D claims are not required to hold a specific licence under UK law. CTA or ATT qualification at firm level, professional indemnity insurance, and membership of a recognised professional body are the minimum standards worth confirming. If these are not stated in the engagement letter, ask for confirmation in writing before you sign.
The main R&D tax credit companies in the UK
These are the providers that appear most often in search results and industry press. The descriptions below are based on publicly available information. No specific fee rates, client counts, or recovery amounts are cited because these vary between engagements and are not published by the firms in a form that can be independently verified.
ForrestBrown
ForrestBrown is one of the larger R&D-focused specialist practices in the UK market. The firm employs chartered tax advisers and sector specialists, and is frequently cited in trade press for handling technically complex claims and HMRC enquiries across sectors including engineering, software, life sciences, food and drink, and construction. For claims that sit near the eligibility boundary, or where HMRC enquiry risk is higher than average, ForrestBrown is regularly mentioned as a firm with depth in the area. See the Uplift Tax vs ForrestBrown comparison for a detailed breakdown of approach and fit.
Leyton
Leyton is an international consultancy with a UK office, part of a group that operates across multiple countries in Europe and North America. For UK companies that also have R&D spend in other countries and want coordinated incentive claims, Leyton's multi-country capability is a practical advantage. For a UK-only SME, the international footprint is less relevant, and a UK-focused specialist may be a more proportionate fit. See the Uplift Tax vs Leyton comparison for more on who each model suits.
EmpowerRD
EmpowerRD is a UK R&D tax credit specialist that has built claim management software alongside its advisory service. The firm's approach suits companies that prefer a structured, document-led workflow with a clear digital audit trail through the claim process. See the Uplift Tax vs EmpowerRD comparison for a breakdown of how the model works in practice.
Source Advisors
Source Advisors is a multi-discipline tax relief practice that covers R&D alongside Capital Allowances and other reliefs. For companies that want R&D and Capital Allowances assessed in an integrated engagement by the same firm, Source Advisors is one of the options worth looking at. See the Uplift Tax vs Source Advisors comparison for detail.
RandD UK
RandD UK is a UK-based R&D tax credit consultancy that has worked with SMEs and larger companies across a range of sectors. The firm takes a consultancy-led approach to claim preparation. See the Uplift Tax vs RandD UK comparison for detail on approach, sectors, and fee model.
Your existing accountant
Some accountants prepare R&D claims alongside their core compliance work. The quality of this service varies. Where your accountant has a dedicated R&D practice with CTA-qualified specialists, the in-house route may well be the right one. Where the work is handled by the same person doing your annual accounts, a specialist firm may produce a more technically detailed and HMRC-defensible narrative. See the comparison with your existing accountant for a fuller look at when each route makes sense.
Where Uplift Tax fits: a free, neutral introduction
Uplift Tax is not an R&D consultancy. It is an introducer. That distinction matters.
The assessment is free. It covers R&D Tax Credits, Capital Allowances and Land Remediation Relief in one conversation, and does not commit you to anything. If your company has qualifying R&D spend, you are introduced to an HMRC-registered specialist from the Uplift Tax network who takes the claim forward on a no-win-no-fee basis. Because Uplift Tax does not prepare claims in-house, there is no financial incentive to push borderline cases through.
The practical result is an honest eligibility read before any engagement letter is discussed. If the claim is strong, you receive an introduction to a specialist matched by sector. If the case is weak, that is communicated at the assessment stage, before any money changes hands.
For companies that already have a firm in mind, the compare section has individual pages covering how the Uplift Tax introduction model compares to each of the providers listed above. For companies that are not sure where to start, the how it works page explains the assessment and introduction process step by step.
What the merged scheme means for your choice of adviser
From 1 April 2024, the merged R&D scheme replaced both the SME scheme and the large company RDEC. The merged scheme carries a 20% above-the-line credit, giving an effective net benefit of around 15% for a profitable company. Loss-making companies with R&D intensity at or above 30% of total expenditure may qualify for the Enhanced R&D Intensive Support (ERIS) rate.
The scheme also changed the rules on subcontracted R&D and data and cloud computing costs. An adviser who prepared claims primarily under the old SME scheme needs to be working to current rules. If your adviser has not explained what the merged scheme changes for your specific situation, that is worth raising directly. See the merged R&D scheme guide for a full breakdown of what the rules now say and who is affected.
About this page
Uplift Tax is an introducer service, not a tax adviser, accountant or legal firm. We do not prepare R&D claims. The descriptions of named firms on this page are drawn from publicly available information including company websites, Companies House filings, and trade press. No specific fee percentages, client counts, or recovery figures for named firms are cited because these vary between engagements and are not published in a form that can be independently verified. This page is provided as neutral context for companies working through their options; it is not a recommendation of one firm over another.