R&D Tax Credits · North West
R&D tax credit claims in Altrincham
Since the merged R&D scheme and HMRC's compliance campaign, speculative claims are expensive mistakes. Companies in Altrincham use us because we say no when the project does not meet the definition, and when it does we prepare a claim that is written to survive an enquiry. Fixed fees, no percentage of the benefit, online across North West.
from £999 · fixed, per claim
Next deadlines
- R&D claim deadline: 2 years after the end of the accounting period (and the pre-notification window of 6 months after the period for first-time claimants)
- Company tax return (CT600) due 12 months after your year end (a 31 December year end files by 31 December)
- Corporation Tax payment, 9 months and 1 day after your year end (a 31 December year end pays by 1 October)
- R&D claim deadline: 2 years after the end of the accounting period (and the pre-notification window of 6 months after the period for first-time claimants)
Who this is for
R&D Tax Credits for Altrincham
Limited companies in Altrincham that have tried to achieve an advance in science or technology and faced genuine uncertainty doing it: software firms building something that did not exist, manufacturers developing new processes or materials, engineering businesses solving problems off the standard path, and food, biotech and clean-tech companies with development spend to recover.
What is included
Everything inside the fixed fee
- Eligibility review against the statutory definition of R&D for tax purposes, with a written yes or no
- Advance notification to HMRC within six months of the period end for first-time and lapsed claimants
- Technical narrative for each project: the scientific or technological uncertainty, the advance sought and how it was resolved
- Qualifying expenditure computed: staff costs, subcontractors, externally provided workers, software, consumables and data
- The Additional Information Form completed and submitted before the CT600 is filed
- Claim entered on the CT600 and the relief or payable credit tracked through to HMRC's payment
How it works
R&D Tax Credits from Altrincham, step by step
Scope the job
We find out what you need filed, when it is due and what state the records are in, and tell you which fixed-fee package applies.
Agree the price
The fee is confirmed in writing. There is no hourly billing and nothing added for questions during the work.
Hand over the records
Photographs, PDFs, software access or a spreadsheet, sent however suits you. We confirm what we have and what is missing within two working days.
Approve, then we submit
You review the draft with our explanation, sign off, and we file. Receipts, copies and the next deadlines come back to you immediately.
Why IGI
What you get in Altrincham
No hourly rate and no surprise invoice. Altrincham clients know the fee for r&d tax credits before they send a single document, and it stays fixed.
Deadline-first: the dates that matter for r&d tax credits are shown at the top of this page, diarised for every Altrincham client and chased before they arrive.
Online only, UK based. There is no office in Altrincham to pay for, which is why the fee is the same here as anywhere in England; the work is done by people in the UK who answer the same day.
You get one contact for r&d tax credits, not a queue. Altrincham clients message the same person throughout and get an answer in working hours, usually within a few hours.
Plain English, with the numbers. Every draft for Altrincham comes with a short explanation of what the figures mean and what, if anything, you should do about them.
Approval before filing is a rule, not a courtesy. For r&d tax credits in Altrincham, every submission to HMRC or Companies House follows your written go-ahead.
Local facts
About Altrincham
Altrincham is in North West, in the WA14 postcode district, England. For businesses in England the tax rules are those set by the UK Parliament: the 20/40/45% income tax bands, Class 4 National Insurance for the self-employed at 6% and 2%, Corporation Tax at 19% to 25%, and Stamp Duty Land Tax on property. Business rates are set locally by the council.
| Place | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Rosehill, Trafford | 0.7 mi | SW |
| Hale Moss | 0.7 mi | E |
| Bowdon | 0.7 mi | SW |
| Woodlands Park, Trafford | 0.8 mi | NE |
| Oldfield Brow | 0.9 mi | NW |
| Broadheath, Trafford | 1 mi | N |
| Ashley Heath, Trafford | 1 mi | S |
| Seamons Moss Bridge | 1 mi | NW |
Worth knowing
Rules that come up in this work
Closing a company
Striking off a company is cheap but must be done in order: stop trading, file the final accounts and CT600, pay the tax, close VAT and PAYE, distribute the remaining assets, close the bank account, then apply. Anything left in the company at dissolution passes to the Crown. Distributions up to £25,000 are taxed as capital gains; above that a formal liquidation is usually needed to keep capital treatment.
Switching accountants
The main reasons people switch accountant are surprise invoices, missed deadlines and not understanding what they are being told. Switching involves a clearance letter between the firms, a transfer of records and agent authorisations, and a short handover of the current position. It takes about two weeks and should cost nothing extra.
Workplace pensions and auto-enrolment
Workplace pension compliance is part of payroll, not separate from it. Each pay period the payroll assesses who is eligible, calculates employer and employee contributions on qualifying earnings between the lower and upper thresholds, and sends the contribution file to the scheme. The minimum total is 8%, and many employers choose to contribute more as a recruitment advantage.
Employer National Insurance
Since April 2025 employer National Insurance has been 15% on earnings above a £5,000 secondary threshold, a substantial increase for small employers. The Employment Allowance rose to £10,500 at the same time to soften it for the smallest businesses. Directors deciding their own salary weigh this cost against the Corporation Tax deduction a salary provides.
The trading and property allowances
The first £1,000 of trading income and, separately, the first £1,000 of property income each year is tax free under the trading and property allowances. Below those figures no return is needed for that income. Above them you can deduct the £1,000 allowance instead of actual expenses if that is better, which suits side businesses and single-room lets with few costs.
Dormant companies
Companies formed to protect a name or hold a future business are dormant but not exempt: Companies House still expects dormant accounts within nine months of the year end and a confirmation statement annually with its £50 fee, and HMRC must be told the company is dormant or it will demand Corporation Tax returns. The filings are short, but the penalties for missing them are the same as for a trading company.
The 60-day property CGT return
The 60-day Capital Gains Tax return on residential property is the deadline landlords most often miss, because it falls outside the Self Assessment cycle and runs from completion, not exchange. Private residence relief for periods you lived in the property, plus the final nine months, reduces the gain. Penalties for a late return mirror Self Assessment, starting at £100.
Questions
R&D Tax Credits questions from Altrincham
How far back can I claim?
A claim can be made up to two years after the end of the accounting period, by amending the CT600. If you have two open periods both can be claimed. The notification rule applies to the later periods if you have not claimed recently, so the two-year window and the six-month window interact; we check both.
Does claiming R&D relief increase my chance of an enquiry?
HMRC now checks a far higher proportion of claims than before 2023, so any claim carries some risk of questions. A claim with a clear technical narrative, costs that reconcile to the accounts and payroll, and a named competent professional behind it is answered quickly. We write claims to that standard.
Can I claim for subcontracted work?
Under the merged scheme the company that decides to undertake the R&D and bears the risk generally claims, even if it subcontracts the work. Subcontractor costs are included at 65%. Overseas subcontractor and worker costs are largely excluded unless the conditions cannot be met in the UK. We apply the rules to your contracts.
What if HMRC opens an enquiry into an existing claim?
We review the claim, the narrative and the cost basis, tell you how robust it is, and quote a fixed fee for handling the enquiry before any work starts. Where a claim was overstated by a previous adviser, the best outcome is often an agreed reduction, and we say so rather than fight a losing position at your expense.
What costs qualify?
Staff costs including employer NI and pension for time spent on R&D, externally provided workers at 65%, subcontracted R&D at 65% with new rules on who claims, software licences, cloud computing and data costs, consumables transformed or used up in the R&D, and some clinical trial payments. Capital spend, rent and marketing do not qualify.
How much is the relief worth under the merged scheme?
For accounting periods starting on or after 1 April 2024 the merged scheme gives a 20% expenditure credit, taxable, so worth around 15% to 16.2% of qualifying spend net of tax. Loss-making companies spending at least 30% of total expenditure on R&D can claim the enhanced intensive rate, worth up to 27%.
How do I get started from Altrincham?
Message us on WhatsApp or email with a sentence about your business and what you need. We reply in working hours with any questions and a fixed fee for r&d tax credits. Once you confirm, we tell you exactly which records to send and the work begins. Most Altrincham clients are set up within a day.
Which deadlines matter most for r&d tax credits?
The next four dates that apply to r&d tax credits are shown at the top of this page, calculated from today. For Altrincham clients we diarise every one of them from the day you join and send reminders before each, so the work is done in good time rather than in the last week before a penalty.
Start the conversation from Altrincham
Tell us what you need. You get one fixed fee in writing, and nothing is filed until you approve it.