When “no” is the best advice you can give on an R&D tax claim

Following on from our recent blog, exploring why some firms are stepping away from R&D tax, there’s another side to the conversation worth addressing.

Not every potential R&D claim should proceed, and knowing when to say “no” is just as important as knowing when to say “yes”.

Accountants are still very well placed to support their clients with R&D tax. They understand the business. They see change as it happens. They are often the first to spot where something might qualify.

So, the challenge isn’t necessarily spotting opportunity; it might be in having the confidence to deliver the answer when it isn’t “yes”.

Engagement vs avoidance

In practice, this means bringing R&D into client conversations more proactively. Not as a guaranteed outcome, but as a valid area to explore.

Because, when the right questions are asked, and the right areas are considered, two things happen:

Opportunities are less likely to be missed

And, decisions (whether to proceed or not) are well-informed

Identifying when a claim should not proceed early in the process avoids time being spent gathering information, preparing documentation and progressing work that may ultimately not be viable. That protects both the firm’s time and the client’s expectations, and reduces the risk of issues emerging further downstream.

The value of a clear “no”

A well-reasoned “no” can be a very undervalued outcome.

When you can clearly demonstrate why a claim doesn’t meet the criteria, it builds trust.

It shows clients that decisions aren’t being made on assumption or optimism, but on a structured and considered assessment.

And that opens the door to much deeper conversations:

What should we be looking for next year?

Has anything changed in the business?

Are there other reliefs or support mechanisms worth exploring?

Where structure comes in

This is where structure is vital – not to replace professional judgement, but to support it.

A structured approach helps ensure that:

The right questions are asked

The correct scheme is applied for the relevant period

Key risk areas are surfaced early

Providing a transparent route to either a robust, defensible claim, or a clear and justified decision not to proceed.

Confidence is the outcome

Ultimately, the goal is to establish confidence in how decisions are made – confidence to engage with clients, explore potential opportunities and, say “no” when it’s the right answer.

At WhisperClaims, we’ve focused on building structure around these decisions; helping firms apply the rules consistently, engage with confidence and identify early on when a claim should not proceed – avoiding wasted effort, managing client expectations from the outset, and supporting a clear path to either a robust, defensible claim, or a justified decision to stand down.

Are you stepping away from R&D tax because it’s too complex…?

Or because you don’t yet have the structure to manage it with confidence?

If stepping away no longer feels like the right decision, we’re happy to show you what a more controlled, compliance-first approach looks like in practice.

Let’s talk it through