R&D claim delay - critical timing for us now

We applied for an R&D claim on 13th February 2024 – . We have held off but are now in dire need of the application to go through by the end of this month. We are very small, but are aiming to become direct competitors with some of the European and North American Investment Banks. Only a handful of companies have the know-how and expertise of the techniques we use. None that I can tell have the infrastructure to model or incorporate artificial intelligence into the process. We have built the infrastructure and are looking to incorporate AI. We are at the early stages but have already sparked interest and could divert interest away from European and North American financial instructions to our UK-based products. I appreciate the HMRC team is under tremendous pressure to handle the number of claims however for us the risk of failure has increased dramatically without the support of our R&D claim. We have sent several emails requesting updates but have had the standard automated response for rd.incentivesreliefs@hmrc.gov.uk. I would greatly appreciate any assistance on this matter.

[Personal Information removed - HMRC Admin]

Is there a number or email address that I could use to contact someone? I have tried calling but an automated message told me to contact the team only by email for our R&D related queries. I have tried to contact HMRS by email and I get an automated response that someone will aim to respond to your email within 5 working days. No one responds. I do not want to flood HMRC's inbox to make matters worse and am sure others will be in the same situation as me. I am at a loss and would greatly appreciate any assistance on this matter.

HMRC may see your claim negatively if you impress upon it the need for the R&D relief to keep your business afloat - https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/corporate-intangibles-research-and-development-manual/cird81130. HMRC have also lately been checking up to 20% of claims made, so you may (or may not) get a compliance check. If you do, this will add even more time to getting your claim processed and finalised. You should still chase for updates using either the email address or telephone number 0300 200 3410 (Opening times are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays)). Patience is the only solution with HMRC, it seems.

Hi,
Unfortunately the only avenue for progress chasing your R&D claim is via the mailbox  rd.incentivesreliefs@hmrc.gov.uk.
CIRD80350 - R&D tax relief: introduction: R&D Specialist Unit contact details
Thank you.

We know we went through a two-week investigation. This was many weeks ago. We and our accountants have made more than a dozen attempts over the past few months to contact the R&D team. We have had no reply, just a wall of silence. I appreciate the team must be busy and working hard to clear the backlog. But a message giving us a timeline would be greatly appreciated. A resolution would be more ideal, even if they decide to reject our application, we can at the very least decide to curtail or move off-shore with our project. Is there a way to contact them other than the email provided, as it has yielded us nothing over the past 230+ days, significantly over their self-imposed 40-day target. Any advice apart from please drop them an email or sit tight and pray would be greately appreciated.

We are awaiting an R&D claim for a client which was submitted 7 March 2024. We have had no response from HMRC on this at all. We have progress chased by emailing rd.incentivesreliefs@hmrc.gov.uk probably about 10 times over the period and haven't received a single email back apart from the automated one to say they will try to respond within 5 days. We have even submitted an agent resolution request which did receive a reply saying they couldn't give us any timeframe. I'm sure there are delays but we've had other claims dealt with quicker, shouldn't they be dealt with in order of receipt? This is causing our client such cash flow problems that they've had to let staff go and if not dealt with soon, the company is likely to into liquidation. Is there nothing else that can be done?

Hi NSRO,
As our previous response states, unfortunately the only avenue for progress chasing your R&D claim is via the mailbox: 
rd.incentivesreliefs@hmrc.gov.uk
CIRD80350 - R&D tax relief: introduction: R&D Compliance contact details
Thank you.

Hi Emma8575,
As already advised in previous answers this forum has no access to R&D claims nor can it progress on your behalf.
Corporation Tax: general enquiries can possibly assist regarding a specific entry on the CT600 but cannot progress outstanding R & D claims
The only option regarding progress chasing of your claim is through the Mailbox at RD.IncentivesReliefs@hmrc.gov.uk
Thank you.

The HMRS’s R&D team is not accountable to us but is accountable to their seniors. So, if in doubt or they do not fully understand, or do not have the in-house resources to make the assessment regarding the advancements in technology the firms are involved in, it is safer for them to do nothing. In my emails, I have tried pleading, reasoning, and threatening, and nothing works. They will not get into trouble if they do not make a decision. They will get into trouble if their decision is looked at by a supervisor and overturned. So, if in doubt, I think it is safer for them to do nothing. Like us, if you are on the edge of technology and using it in unique ways, the process is going to be complex and unique. Finding an expert in that unique field that can understand what you do can be a challenge. It's not like we are doing something simple like window cleaning. Our claim is so delayed, I have to decide if I should apply for the next year now. I might, just to annoy them. I have learned the hard way and have cut my firm in half to survive for now. I know no one asked for it, but my experience says to cut back as soon as possible and always assume that the R&D claim is not going to be successful. If it is, good, take the family for a holiday.