Quick answer: Your accountant is the right choice if they have real R&D experience and quote a clear fee. A specialist is worth comparing when the claim is larger, more technical or likely to be questioned. Published specialist fees we found: 6% (EmpowerRD) and 5% (Tax Cloud) of the benefit, 27 October 2026. Ask both routes for a written quote.
Asking what Uplift Tax charges compared with your accountant? Uplift Tax is an introducer. The specialist pays us a share of its fee. You do not pay Uplift Tax anything. The specialist's percentage of the successful claim is agreed in writing with you before any work starts. Read how our fees work, or send your numbers for a written fee estimate to set beside your accountant's quote.
Facts checked 27 October 2026. Specialist fees come from empowerrd.com/pricing and taxcloud.co.uk/pricing; company status from Companies House. We hold no sourced figures for accountants' R&D fees, so we show none.
Comparison: accountant, published specialists and an Uplift Tax introduction
"Varies" means we have no sourced figure and will not invent one. Accountants' fees depend on the firm, the claim and the engagement. "Not stated in the sources we checked" means we did not find it on the firm's published pages.
| Your accountant | EmpowerRD (published) | Tax Cloud (published) | Uplift Tax introduction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical fee | ['Varies by firm: ask for a written quote. Often hourly, fixed, or within the annual accounts engagement.', '6% flat; the tiered Growth plan is 6% to £250,000, then 5%, 3%, 2%, 1% and 0.5% in higher bands (source, 27 Oct 2026)', '5% of the tax benefit up to £200,000; 2.5% above £200,000 (source, 27 Oct 2026)', 'Percentage of the successful claim, agreed in writing with the specialist before any work starts'] | |||
| Fee model | ['Varies: ask whether the R&D work is billed separately and whether any fee is due if a claim fails', 'Not stated in the sources we checked (27 October 2026)', 'Contingent: no fee for unsuccessful claims; invoiced after HMRC submission (source, 27 Oct 2026)', 'Percentage of the successful claim, paid to the specialist. You do not pay Uplift Tax anything.'] | |||
| Minimum fee | ['Varies: ask', 'Minimum fee from £4,000 (flat plan) or £5,000 (Growth plan) (source, 27 Oct 2026)', 'Minimum fee £2,750 plus VAT (source, 27 Oct 2026)', "Ask for the specialist's minimum fee in writing before work starts"] | |||
| HMRC enquiry support | ['Varies: ask what is covered, by whom and at what rate', 'Included on the Growth plan; extra on the flat plan (hourly rate not stated); refund if an enquiry fails (source, 27 Oct 2026)', 'Included at no extra cost (source, 27 Oct 2026)', 'Scope set out in writing in the engagement letter; ask every adviser for it in writing'] | |||
| R&D specialism | ['Varies from a dedicated R&D team to occasional claims', 'Not stated in the sources we checked (27 October 2026)', 'Not stated in the sources we checked (27 October 2026)', 'Introduction to an HMRC-registered specialist'] | |||
| Knows your accounts and tax position | ['Yes, usually in detail', 'No, unless told', 'No, unless told', 'No, so the specialist works with your accountant'] | |||
| Companies House status | ["Check your own accountant's firm", 'Active, company number 10785149, last accounts made up to 31 May 2025 (Companies House, 27 Oct 2026)', 'Active, company number 07517446, last accounts made up to 31 March 2025 (Companies House, 27 Oct 2026)', 'Active, company number 12642550 (Blue Llama Ltd, trading as Uplift Tax), last accounts made up to 29 November 2025 (Companies House, 27 Oct 2026)'] |
Worked example: a £200,000 claim
Here "claim" means the HMRC benefit, the cash value to your company, not your qualifying spend. Published specialist rates only. Figures are before tax on the benefit.
| Route | Published basis | Fee on a £200,000 benefit | Net of fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| EmpowerRD, flat plan | 6% flat (source, 27 Oct 2026) | 6% × £200,000 = £12,000 (above the £4,000 minimum); VAT treatment not stated in the source | £200,000 less £12,000 = £188,000 |
| EmpowerRD, Growth plan | 6% to £250,000 (source, 27 Oct 2026) | 6% × £200,000 = £12,000 (above the £5,000 minimum) | £200,000 less £12,000 = £188,000 |
| Tax Cloud | 5% up to £200,000 (source, 27 Oct 2026) | 5% × £200,000 = £10,000 plus VAT (above the £2,750 plus VAT minimum) | £200,000 less £10,000 = £190,000 before VAT on the fee; £188,000 if 20% VAT is added to the fee |
| Your accountant | Not published; varies by firm | Ask for a written quote | Cannot be calculated |
Uplift Tax: the specialist's fee for your claim is quoted in writing before any work starts, so we do not print a figure here. Send us your numbers and we will come back with a written estimate you can set beside your accountant's quote.
The net figure is only half the comparison. A lower fee on a smaller claim can leave you with less than a higher fee on a fuller one, so compare the claim each adviser expects to make as well as the fee. Ask your accountant for a written quote, and ask these three questions of every route: what does the fee include, what happens if the claim is reduced or fails, and what does enquiry support cover and cost?
The accountant route
Your accountant knows your accounts, your corporation tax position and your year-end timetable, and that is real value. Some accountancy firms have dedicated R&D teams; for others, R&D is an occasional job alongside accounts and tax returns, and some refer the work on. We cannot generalise about quality, and we show no accountant fee figures because we have no sourced ones. The honest test is practical: ask how many R&D claims they have prepared recently, who writes the technical narrative, and what they would do if HMRC opened an enquiry.
The specialist route
A specialist works only on claims like yours, which can help on technical narrative, on finding qualifying cost categories (staff, subcontractors, consumables, software, cloud computing) and on responding to HMRC. That is a possible advantage, not a certainty, and it costs a fee, commonly a percentage of the benefit as the published rates above show. Scope of enquiry support varies by firm, so get it in writing.
Why your accountant may not have mentioned R&D tax credits
It is usually not a failing. R&D relief sits between tax law and technical judgement, and many people picture laboratories. HMRC applies the DSIT guidelines: R&D for tax purposes seeks an advance in science or technology by resolving technical uncertainty that a competent professional could not readily work out. A software team, an engineering consultancy or a manufacturer can meet that test without anything resembling a lab. If the work was never described to your accountant in those terms, the question may simply not have come up. Claims must be made within two years of the end of the accounting period, so it is worth asking now.
The Additional Information Form as a quality test
Since 8 August 2023 an Additional Information Form must be submitted before the claim. It asks for project-level descriptions of the advance sought and the uncertainties, and a breakdown of qualifying costs. Ask any adviser, your accountant included, to show you how they structure one. See also our AIF guide.
Working together with your accountant
Choosing a specialist does not mean replacing your accountant. A common split is that the accountant keeps the statutory accounts, the corporation tax return, VAT and payroll, while the specialist prepares the technical narrative, the cost schedule and the Additional Information Form. The accountant then includes the figures in the return. Share the specialist's engagement letter with your accountant, agree who files what and by when, and keep them copied in. Many accountants are comfortable with this. If you are an accountant, see our page for accountants.
Uplift Tax is an introducer. The specialist pays us a share of its fee. You do not pay Uplift Tax anything. The specialist owns the engagement letter, the fee and the claim; see how our fees work and how it works.
When your accountant is the right choice
- They have a dedicated R&D team or regular R&D experience in your sector, and can show you how they prepare the Additional Information Form.
- The claim is small and simple, and they quote a proportionate fee in writing.
- You value one adviser and one invoice over a separate technical specialist.
- Their written quote, including enquiry support, is lower than the net cost of any alternative for the claim they expect to make.
When a specialist is worth comparing
- Your accountant has told you they do not prepare R&D claims, or is not confident defending the technical content.
- The claim is larger or has several projects, subcontractors or cloud costs.
- You want a second opinion on whether an earlier claim captured everything.
- You have had an HMRC enquiry before. Our enquiry guide explains what to expect.
To size your claim first, use the calculator. For named firms, see the UK R&D firm comparison and the comparison hub. Background on fee structures: contingent versus fixed fees.
Company facts
EmpowerRD: EMPOWERRD LIMITED, 10785149. Tax Cloud: trading name of Myriad Developments Ltd, 07517446. Both active at Companies House on 27 October 2026 (links in the table). Uplift Tax is a trading name of Blue Llama Ltd, company number 12642550, status Active, last accounts made up to 29 November 2025 (Companies House, checked 27 Oct 2026).
Methodology: competitor facts come only from published pages and public registers, dated and linked. Uplift Tax is an introducer service, not a tax adviser, accountant or legal firm, and nothing here is advice about your accountant's work. This page replaces our earlier "Uplift Tax vs your accountant" page and the blog post "Why your accountant has not mentioned R&D tax credits".