R&D Tax Credits · South East
R&D tax credit claims in Leighton Buzzard
Since the merged R&D scheme and HMRC's compliance campaign, speculative claims are expensive mistakes. Companies in Leighton Buzzard 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 South East.
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 Leighton Buzzard
Limited companies in Leighton Buzzard 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 Leighton Buzzard, 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
The IGI way of working, in Leighton Buzzard
The price for r&d tax credits is published on this page and is what a client in Leighton Buzzard pays. We confirm it in writing first, and the invoice matches the quote.
Nothing for Leighton Buzzard is left to the last week. Each deadline relevant to r&d tax credits is tracked from the day you join, with the next four shown on every page we send you.
No appointments, no travel across South East, no parking. Everything for r&d tax credits in Leighton Buzzard happens online, with a real person on the other end during UK working hours.
A named person handles your r&d tax credits from Leighton Buzzard and knows the file, so you are not re-explaining your business to a different helpdesk each time.
The output for Leighton Buzzard clients is never just a form. It is the form, a one-page summary of what it says, and a note of the decisions it points to for r&d tax credits.
Nothing is filed for Leighton Buzzard until you have reviewed and approved it. You see the draft, you ask questions, you sign off, then we submit and send you the receipt.
Local facts
About Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard is in South East, in the LU7 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Harcourt, South East | 0.5 mi | NW |
| Linslade | 0.7 mi | W |
| Grovebury | 1 mi | S |
| Leedon | 1 mi | E |
| Southcott, South East | 1 mi | W |
| Oxendon | 1 mi | N |
| Briggington | 1 mi | E |
| Old Linslade | 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
Auto-enrolment duties begin the day you take on your first employee, not when the Pensions Regulator writes to you. Eligible staff must be enrolled, contributions paid every pay period and re-enrolment carried out every three years. Director-only companies without employment contracts are usually exempt. Fines for non-compliance are fixed and escalating.
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
A dormant company is one with no significant accounting transactions in the year, where the only permitted entries are the payment for shares on incorporation, Companies House fees and penalties. It still files a confirmation statement and simplified dormant accounts every year. A bank charge or an accountant's fee paid from the company ends dormancy and requires full accounts.
The 60-day property CGT return
Selling UK residential property that was not your main home for the whole period of ownership triggers a separate Capital Gains Tax return, due within 60 days of completion along with payment of the tax. This is in addition to the annual Self Assessment. The gain is taxed at 18% or 24% depending on your income band, after the £3,000 annual exempt amount.
Questions
R&D Tax Credits questions from Leighton Buzzard
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%.
What counts as R&D for tax purposes?
A project seeking an advance in overall knowledge or capability in a field of science or technology, through the resolution of scientific or technological uncertainty that a competent professional in the field could not readily resolve. Commercial novelty is not enough; routine development with known methods is not enough. The test is about the technology, not the product.
Why is the eligibility review free?
Because a large share of enquiries do not qualify, and we would rather tell you that for nothing than charge £999 for a claim HMRC rejects. The review takes a short call and some questions about the projects. You get a written view: qualifies, does not qualify, or borderline with the reasons. There is no obligation afterwards.
How do I get started from Leighton Buzzard?
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 Leighton Buzzard 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 Leighton Buzzard 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.
Fixed fees, filed on time, for Leighton Buzzard
Tell us what you need. You get one fixed fee in writing, and nothing is filed until you approve it.