R&D Tax Credits for Software Development

In software, it’s less about the destination and more about the steps you took to get there.

£66,096

RIFT Avg customer claim

£1.1m

Highest RIFT claim

£44m

Total value of RIFT claims

My Computer is my R&D lab

Things move fast in the technology sector. Developments come in quick succession and every step forward involves overcoming challenges and solving problems. When it comes to claiming R&D Tax Credits, understanding which projects and activities qualify is the key to getting the most from them.

Examples include:

Developing faster, more efficient algorithms.
Creating new architectures or codes.
Writing new APIs or improving existing ones.
Blending existing technologies in new ways.
Improving performance, capability or reliability.

R&D tax credit calculator

We are more than your average R&D outfit

Software has been a real hot topic within the R&D scheme, being present in pretty much every industry through the process of automation. With many years experience working within the R&D scheme, we've helped software companies maximise their R&D tax relief claims, year after year.

With our team of dedicated R&D experts, we go an extra step by:

Offering regular visits to your premises to discuss, review and capture R&D activity as needed, to maximise your benefit.
Creating bespoke data capturing methods tailored to your business, to capture future R&D activities undertaken without being disruptive to your business.
Carrying out as much of your R&D leg work as possible. From identifying eligible projects, we carry your R&D baton through writing technical narratives and crunching those notoriously difficult R&D calculations.

Real examples of R&D from Software claims

Example 1:

Nature of R&D: Financial education platform
Overview: Using an innovative combination of new algorithms, advanced analytics and machine learning, the company developed new software tools within their financial education platform.
Eligible expenditure identified by RIFT: £467,636
Tax relief generated: £162,337

Example 2:

Nature of R&D: Procurement platform
Overview: the company expanded and improved their unique platform, and due to the complex procurement processes and supplier-customer arrangements it handles, standard e-Commerce methodologies alone were not sufficient.
Eligible expenditure identified by RIFT: £294,867
Tax relief generated: £75,410

Example 3:

Nature of R&D: Develop bespoke software systems for functionality
Overview: the company engaged in a number of R&D projects produce bespoke software suite solutions for various clients to enhance their performance and abilities.
Eligible expenditure identified by RIFT: £309,466.92
Tax relief generated: £60,148.92

Quad Vision: Looking Deeper, Seeing Further

RIFT was quickly able to pick out a large number of qualifying activities for Quad Vision, a company that was previously unaware they were able to claim, resulting in qualifying expenditure of £42,311.07

Following an initial consultation it was apparent that Quad Vision’s custom video wall projects required a great deal of innovative work on both the hardware and software sides but, like so many other businesses, they’d been missing out on R&D tax relief for years before being put in touch with RIFT by an introducer.

Following a further in-depth meeting it emerged that the value of their qualifying activity was far beyond Quad Vision’s early expectations, and really underscores how valuable R&D Tax Credits can be – even to companies who never even considered claiming before.

Quad Vision are leading edge AV specialists who deliver technical display solutions to a wide range of sectors.

Quadvision

Reference Point: Putting You on the R&D Map

By demystifying R&D Tax Credits and uncovering the intricate details in Reference Point’s projects, RIFT built them a 2018 claim for £750k of qualifying expenditure.

Reference Point’s 2018 innovations included new software for construction site turnstiles, using information from qualifications, health and safety training and drugs test results to determine whether someone should be given access to site, while meeting GDPR requirements and working with existing hardware. Another project involved improvements to a course booking platform, enabling companies to sell surplus training slots and allowing people to download training results to their skills cards.

Reference Point has worked with RIFT for several years, boosting their understanding and identification of eligible projects and activity - leading to detailed, optimised claims. Reference Point specialises in solutions for managing workforces and ensuring safety regulations are adhered to. Their rail projects in the UK and Australia ensure the safety of over 100,000 rail workers, and they provide the technology behind the CSCS smartcard.

Reference Point

Speak to us

Our technical teams specialise in hunting down all your qualifying R&D costs and turning them into a serious financial boost for your business.

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