Software & Tech
R&D Tax Credits for UK SaaS Companies
Average claim £57,000 (HMRC, 2024). Qualifying activity, the cloud & data rule, ERIS at 27% for R&D-intensive SaaS, and what HMRC will not accept.
Read guide →R&D Tax Credits by Industry
Sector-specific guides to the merged R&D scheme for UK companies. Each page sets out what qualifies and what does not, typical claim ranges, HMRC enquiry risks, and worked examples. Written for finance directors who need a straight answer.
Quick answer: Uplift Tax publishes sector-specific guides to UK R&D tax credits covering software, manufacturing, engineering, biotech, cleantech, construction, food & drink, AI, agritech, and more. Each guide sets out what qualifies, typical claim ranges, and HMRC enquiry risks for that sector under the April 2024 merged scheme. This includes a dedicated guide covering hydrogen and energy storage R&D tax credits.
Manufacturing
R&D Tax Credits for UK Manufacturers
Average claim £72,000 (HMRC, 2024). NPI, process development, tooling, and the consumables trail. The largest claimant sector by value.
Read guide →Construction
R&D Tax Credits for UK Construction Companies
Average claim £51,000 (HMRC, 2024). Ground engineering, temporary works, facade, MEP and Land Remediation Relief at 150% on brownfield schemes.
Read guide →Engineering
R&D Tax Credits for UK Engineering Companies
Average claim £64,000 (HMRC, 2024). Design, analysis, prototype, test and the contracted-out rule that determines who claims.
Read guide →Food & Drink
R&D Tax Credits for UK Food & Drink Producers
Average claim £43,000 (HMRC, 2024). HFSS reformulation, shelf-life, clean label and free-from. The most under-claimed sector relative to NPD volume.
Read guide →Biotech
R&D Tax Credits for UK Biotech Companies
Average claim £125,000 (HMRC PST sector, 2024). Preclinical research, CRO spend and why ERIS at 27% is the norm for loss-making biotechs.
Read guide →Agritech
R&D Tax Credits for UK Agritech Companies
Average claim £68,000 (HMRC, 2024). Precision ag, robotics, vertical farming, livestock tech and on-farm trials. Commercial farming is not R&D.
Read guide →Cleantech
R&D Tax Credits for UK Cleantech Companies
Average claim £89,000 (HMRC, 2024). Battery, hydrogen, CCUS, solar, heat and net-zero engineering. Grant interaction for Innovate UK and BEIS recipients.
Read guide →AI & Machine Learning
R&D Tax Credits for UK AI and Machine Learning
UK AI and machine learning companies often qualify for R&D Tax Credits. What qualifies, what does not, and ERIS at 27% for R&D-intensive AI businesses.
Read guide →EdTech
EdTech R&D Tax Credits UK
EdTech R&D tax credits: adaptive learning, assessment engines and AI tutoring. Merged scheme 20% or ERIS 27% for R&D-intensive EdTech companies.
Read guide →Food Science
FoodTech and Food Science R&D Tax Credits
Food science R&D tax credits: reformulation, plant-based protein and novel process engineering. Merged scheme 20% or ERIS 27% for R&D-intensive food companies.
Read guide →Energy & Storage
Hydrogen and Energy Storage R&D Tax Credits
Hydrogen R&D tax credits: electrolysis, fuel cells, grid-scale storage and green hydrogen. Merged scheme 20% or ERIS 27% for R&D-intensive energy companies.
Read guide →MedTech
MedTech Device R&D Tax Credits UK
MedTech R&D tax credits: wearables, diagnostics, surgical instruments and embedded software. Merged scheme 20% or ERIS 27%. How HMRC judges device R&D.
Read guide →Professional Services Tech
LegalTech, InsurTech and AccountingTech R&D Credits
LegalTech, InsurTech and AccountingTech R&D tax credits. Contract AI, NLP and compliance automation. Merged scheme 20% or ERIS 27%. Free assessment.
Read guide →AgriTech R&D
R&D Tax Relief for AgriTech Companies (Vertical Farming, Robotics, Genomics)
Vertical farming, precision robotics and genomics R&D. Merged scheme at 20%, or ERIS at 27% for R&D-intensive agritechs spending 30% or more of costs on qualifying work.
Read guide →Platform Engineering
R&D Tax Relief for SaaS Platform Engineering and Infrastructure Teams
Infrastructure and platform engineering work is often missed in broad SaaS claims. Merged scheme at 20%, or ERIS at 27% where genuine technical uncertainty is demonstrated.
Read guide →Your sector not listed?
Most UK sectors with an engineering, science, software or technical development function qualify. Our 15-minute assessment will tell you whether your company has a defensible claim and roughly what it is worth under the merged scheme.
Request Your Free AssessmentIndustry eligibility
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Software development can qualify for R&D tax credits where it involves overcoming a genuine technological uncertainty. Examples include developing novel algorithms, building systems that push against the boundaries of current computing capability, or creating software that achieves something technically new rather than applying known techniques.
While R&D tax credits are available across all sectors, they are commonly claimed by companies in manufacturing, engineering, software and IT, pharmaceuticals, food and drink, and construction. However, any sector can qualify — eligibility turns on the nature of the work, not the industry.
Yes, if the work involves genuine scientific or technological advance. Consulting firms, architects, and financial technology companies have successfully claimed R&D tax credits where their projects required overcoming technical uncertainties — not just applying existing knowledge.