Blog

Something we hear time and again from our clients is that they struggle to identify clients in their client base who would be eligible to claim R&D tax relief. So, in this blog series,...

The government’s latest round of COVID-19 financial support for companies was announced in the March budget. The new Recovery Loan scheme (RLS) replaces the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Bounce Back...

Like R&D tax relief, capital allowances can be misunderstood and often underclaimed. Here, Alan Cadden of Cavetta Consulting outlines his top 5 tips for maximising capital allowances on property. Claiming capital allowances on vehicles,...

A capital allowance is an expense that a company can claim against its taxable profit, reducing its tax liability and improving cashflow. In the UK there are several different types of capital allowance, covering...

For many of our users, determining whether their client is eligible for R&D tax relief can be challenging. Happily, due to the way the WhisperClaims app is set up, they can use it to...

Something we hear time and again from our clients is that they struggle to identify clients in their client base who would be eligible to claim R&D tax relief. So, in this blog series,...

Thanks to everyone who has applied! Applications have closed; we will be announcing the winners soon. WhisperClaims is dedicated to providing customers with the best possible R&D tax advice; from our in-app technical support,...

As expected, Budget 2021 confirmed that the PAYE/NIC cap on payable credits will come into force on the 1st April 2021. While this has been long expected, there’s still some confusion in the industry...

One of the things that can be really difficult when assessing a client’s R&D is working out whether it is truly a ‘new’ development. In this area you’re generally at the mercy of the...

Thanks to everyone who joined us at our Ask Me Anything webinar on Thursday 11th February. This is a webinar series designed exclusively for WhisperClaims customers with one simple objective – to help build...

Thanks to everyone who joined us at our “Building a Client Pipeline for R&D tax services” webinar on Monday 22nd February. In collaboration with Mike Crook of PracticeWeb and Phil Sayers of Proten Sales...

The term “selling” has a bad reputation in the accounting world. Sales people are seen by accountants as pushy, a pain in the neck, individuals who aren’t genuinely interested in the accountant’s firm, but...

Starting a new service is a great way to increase your revenue and enhance your accountancy firm’s proposition to the market. When your practice launches a new specialist service, you’ve got to decide how...

Something we hear time and again from our clients is that they struggle to identify clients in their client base who would be eligible to claim R&D tax relief. So, in a new blog...

Deadlines have a nasty habit of sneaking up on us. It’s bad enough when we’re completely in control of our own workload, but when people dump things on us at the last minute, that’s...

Something we hear time and again from our clients is that they struggle to identify clients in their client base who would be eligible to claim R&D tax relief. So, in a new blog...

We made it – we’ve slogged our way through ‘quite a year’, and 2021 is finally here – hooray! And yet we’re still in lockdown, schools are closed and companies are struggling, so the...

For most of our users, the biggest benefit of using the WhisperClaims system is the time saved in technical report writing. The system is designed to take the pain out of this process. Our...

We know that some of you will be turning off your laptops and starting the festivities very soon, so we’d like to wish you a merry and peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year. Contacting...

The world is a very different place as we come to the end of 2020 than it was at the start. The pandemic has had a significant effect on global economies and has been...

Something we hear time and again from our clients is that they struggle to identify clients in their client base who would be eligible to claim R&D tax relief. So, in a new blog...

We’ve published a number of blogs on the technical impacts of Covid on the R&D tax scheme during the year.  Specific areas include things like the treatment of CBILs and BBLSs (both of which are considered State...

Something we hear time and again from our clients is that they struggle to identify clients in their client base who would be eligible to claim R&D tax relief. So, in a new blog...

While we often joke that there are as many different ways to use WhisperClaims software in an R&D tax relief claim process as we have customers, there are definitely two distinct types of users—those...

Thanks to everyone who joined us at our Identifying Eligible Clients webinar on Wednesday 18th November. This time we kicked off the session with a deep dive into eligibility within three sectors – construction,...

Something we hear time and again from our clients is that they struggle to identify clients in their client base who would be eligible to claim R&D tax relief. So, in a new blog...

Something we hear time and again from our clients is that they struggle to identify clients in their client base who would be eligible to claim R&D tax relief. So, in a new blog...

Thanks to everyone who joined us at our Ask Me Anything webinar on Tuesday 10th November. This is a brand new webinar series designed exclusively for WhisperClaims customers with one simple objective – to...

The interaction between grants and R&D tax relief is always a bit tricky to work out, and is something we’ve covered at length before. We’ve also written about how all of the COVID-related financial...

Get your R&D tax questions answered live on the spot at our exclusive new event for WhisperClaims customers! Registration is now open. ‘Ask Me Anything: Dealing With Subcontractors’ Tuesday 10th November 12.30 – 1.15pm....

Something we hear time and again from our clients is that they struggle to identify clients in their client base who would be eligible to claim R&D tax relief. So, in a new blog...

Partners in the firms we talk to are generally looking to develop their practice through two primary means: Delivering new services to existing clients Winning new business Most users have either previously dabbled in...

Back in July this year, the Government published their long-term objectives for R&D, and gosh were they sweeping. Its stated aims are for the UK to be a ‘science superpower’, ‘to build the industries...

Something we hear time and again from our clients is that they struggle to identify clients in their client base who would be eligible to claim R&D tax relief. So, in a new blog...

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably considering casting your vote for WhisperClaims at the Accounting Excellence Awards 2020. If so, that’s great! You won’t find us in the main categories (we’re not...

Partners in the firms we talk to are generally looking to develop their practice through two primary means; delivering new services to existing clients, or winning new business. In fact, every one of our...

We’re delighted to have Phil Ellerby from Northern Accountants on the blog today to talk about his firm’s expansion into R&D tax relief consultancy using WhisperClaims technology, and how they claimed over £400,000 of...

This week, we’re pleased to welcome Alan Woods of Woods Squared to the WhisperClaims blog. Alan tells us about his firm’s aspirations to create a streamlined R&D service, why they moved away from outsourcing...

It’s that time again—the Research and Development Tax Credit Statistics have been published, and my inner stats nerd is in full flow! First of all, the standard points—use of the scheme continues to increase,...

Here at WhisperClaims, we get many questions about what to do with the eligible expenditure figures that are contained within our reports, and how best to submit claims for R&D tax relief. Now, we’re...

WhisperClaims 2.0 is here! In response to client feedback, our tech team has been working hard on some fab new features that will further enhance your experience of preparing claims through the WhisperClaims system,...

Something we hear time and again from our clients is that they struggle to identify clients in their client base who would be eligible to claim R&D tax relief. So, in a new blog...

This week, we’re pleased to have Lawrence Evans of Caldwell Penn sharing his views on how advances in digital technology feed into the evolution of the R&D service process, and what this optimisation means...

Earlier this month, HMRC published guidance on how the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) or furloughed workers scheme, would be treated for the purposes of R&D tax relief. The good news for us is...

Much of what you’ll read online about R&D tax relief focuses on the SME R&D tax relief scheme, with advice about how to claim, what the benefits are and what kinds of companies can...

This month we caught up with chartered accountants, Ammu, to find out what they are doing to grow their in-house R&D service using WhisperClaims technology and why R&D tax relief is creating a positive...

Thank you to everyone who joined our ‘Get Started: Identifying Eligible Clients’ webinar today to discuss innovation within borderline cases and unusual sectors. We had over 70 WhisperClaims users and members of the industry...

R&D tax relief should be a no-brainer for tech start-ups – they’re usually doing loads of innovative R&D, have eligibility up to the eyeballs and, by definition, are always on the look-out for funding!...

How do you spot research and development projects within your client base? Running an R&D tax service in-house helps you move away from risky outsourcing strategies, win new business and drive growth for your...

Within the world of R&D tax relief, there can be some confusion about what constitutes eligible work. While we’ve covered the basics before, we thought we should go into more detail about one of...

Here at WhisperClaims, we’re always trying to think of ways to enhance our app for our customers. One of these enhancements relates to our User Experience / User Interface (UX/UI), which very broadly translates...

Thanks to everyone who joined our Webinar on the 23rd July to discuss the ins and outs of running an R&D tax service in-house. As promised, here’s a summary of the questions asked and...

Companies are always keen to improve cashflow, and R&D tax relief can be a great way to do this – they can either bring cash in as a tax credit or reduce their tax...

Advising your client on how best to utilise the tax benefit from an R&D tax relief claim can be complicated, especially when it comes to surrendering losses for a tax credit. Here’s our quick...

Build confidence to deliver a new R&D service & start earning revenue through R&D tax consultancy. Our sell-out ‘The fundamentals of the R&D tax relief scheme’ training course is running throughout 2020! To book...

Obviously, in our line of work, we’re keen to see as many eligible companies claim for R&D tax credits as possible! However, there are always times when it’s best to pause and work out...

An HMRC enquiry is simply the process by which HMRC ask questions or seek clarification on certain aspects of an R&D tax relief claim. It can be triggered by something in the claim itself,...

The financial icebergs headed straight towards the UK’s SME R&D tax credits In direct response to the Coronavirus pandemic, in March 2020 the European Commission adopted a Temporary Framework that defined and standardised the...

The aim of a technical narrative should be to convince HMRC that the claim is valid and answer any questions they might have about the claim, without raising any red flags.  The narrative should...

As we all adjusted to the current normal and get settled into working from home, I saw a lot of posts and blogs where people shared their beautiful home working set-ups. They had actual...

Our Operations Director Jen Badger explains why developments in WhisperClaims technology qualifies for R&D tax relief and why we’re making ‘an advancement in software development’. At WhisperClaims, we aim to always walk the walk...

Sole Associates is an award winning firm of Accountants based in West Byfleet, Surrey, founded by Joe Sole. We recently caught up with Joe to find out how he’s reshaped his R&D service by...

One question we get asked surprisingly often is how does HMRC define the start and end of an R&D project for R&D tax relief purposes. No wonder – HMRC’s definition is much narrower than...

A question we’ve been asked several times recently is, ‘how will taking up any of the current coronavirus business support funding affect a company’s ability to claim for R&D tax relief in future?’. The...

From time to time, before switching to WhisperClaims, Accountants often approach us looking for a second opinion on R&D claims reports prepared either by themselves or another provider. It’s a good way for them...

As corona virus continues to spread many of our customers have told us that, come what may, they’ll be doing their utmost to help their SME clients stay in business and are focusing on...

In these days of increased digitisation, working from home and generally more spread out teams and working practices, it can be difficult to pin down a time when all relevant people are available to...

Yesterday’s budget was good news all-round for companies undertaking R&D! Not only has the RDEC rate been increased, but the looming PAYE cap on the payable SME tax credit has been delayed until April...

We’ve written before about how grants can affect a claim for R&D, but even knowing this, it can still be tricky to work out whether it’s better to take a grant or rely on...

Jen Badger, our Operations Director, is a go-to member of the WhisperClaims team for R&D tax relief knowledge and updates to the scheme. A recent announcement about changes to Employment allowance got us scratching...

Whether you’re an accountant or R&D Consultant, when it comes to delivering an R&D service to your clients, there’s a lot to consider. Delivering a great customer experience, clearly defining roles and responsibilities, managing...

We know that some of you will be turning off your laptops and starting the festivities very soon, we want to wish you a merry and peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year. We’re...

Somewhat incredibly, as we find ourselves staring hungrily down the mince-pie-studded path towards Christmas, the cheeky green shoots of 2020 are clearly visible through the faded, well-trodden lawn of 2019. So what’s happened over...

Tips to keep your R&D tax claims on track We’ve all been there. You’re snowed under with work, whether that’s dealing with company year ends and or the looming horror of personal tax deadlines,...

So, your company has taken the plunge and signed up to trial WhisperClaims to prepare your R&D tax claims, and you’re raring to go!  Your next step is to get the rest of your...

Last month we hit a really important milestone here at WhisperClaims … it was our one year anniversary! Yay! Now, we’re a modest team but one year is kinda special and we decided a...

When you start to build a business, it’s inevitable that you’ll have a number of goals in mind. For us, it was a mixture of things, but a core driver was to create something...

In our last blog post (‘Avoiding the elephant traps when writing R&D reports‘), we talked about how to avoid some of the common pitfalls in applying for R&D tax relief. This time we wanted...

It’s statistics time again! That one hallowed day of the year when I get to take off my Operations Director hat and let out my inner scientist. The annual Research and Development Tax Credit...

Last week we were surprised and very flattered to find out that WhisperClaims has been included in the long-list for Business Cloud’s Scotland Tech 50. The aim of this award is to recognise the...

Our Jen Badger gives us her heart-felt account of what it means to be shortlisted for the Scottish Financial Technology Awards a year on from the launch of WhisperClaims.  Back in August, we were...

When making claims for R&D tax relief, most companies (or their advisors) will prepare a technical narrative to accompany the numbers. Ideally, this should give HMRC a clear idea of what the company is...

The interaction of grants and R&D tax credits is one of the least well understood parts of HMRC’s R&D Tax Relief scheme, but it doesn’t have to be – it’s actually not that bad...

“How can I identify clients that are eligible to claim R&D tax relief?” If we had £1 for every time we’ve been asked this by a client, we’d (pauses to count on fingers) be...

Despite the fact that HMRC’s R&D tax credit scheme is now close to 20 years old (how time flies!), there are still quite a few stubborn myths and questions that never quite seem to...

Last week we were thrilled to be awarded ‘Emerging Fintech Company of the Year’ at the Scottish Accountancy and Financial Technology Awards. We were up against stiff competition in the form of two of...

We had the great pleasure of being hosted by our friends over at FreeAgent back in March, where we delivered a webinar on the impacts of technology on the R&D tax market. Delivered from...

With not much in the way of public fanfare, HMRC recently launched their beta online platform to support the submission of SME R&D claims. As we’re in the R&D software platform business ourselves, you...

Great article about our management structure and, well, overall approach to managing our business, published in todays BusinessCloud and written by Tech Journalist and Editor, Mo Aldolou: https://www.businesscloud.co.uk/news/tech-start-ups-dont-need-mds

When we were first shortlisted for the “Best Use of Innovation” at the UK Business Tech Awards, we were over the moon at being recognised as part of a cohort of eight outstanding shortlisted...

It’s that time of year again. All over the country, R&D tax credit advisors and consultants are locking themselves away in darkened rooms, often with a marketing expert sitting alongside, and poring over the...

I don’t know about you, but it’s not often I get to dust off the theory I learned at university and apply it in real life. Recently, however, I had one of those oddly...

As a former founder of an established R&D tax relief consultancy, I’m perhaps more familiar than most with the costs of preparing a claim for R&D tax relief. Actually, since “preparing a claim” can...

After a hectic few months, I’m pleased to finally say that we’ve got the WhisperClaims team together and are ready to go! Richard Edwards and Jen Smeed join as Director/Shareholders and Rick Henry as...