R&D Claim Enquiry Defence UK: fast triage, audit-ready responses, confident outcomes

Received an HMRC R&D letter? Get a 24-hour triage and an audit-ready response plan

We diagnose the risk, map evidence to HMRC’s questions, and prepare a point-by-point reply led by one accountable specialist in your tech field. You don’t have to be an existing FI Group client to use our R&D Claim Enquiry Defence service.

Send my HMRC letter | Get a 25-minute defence consult

Trusted by 18,000+ clients | £2.2bn+ secured | +50 offices worldwide

Why HMRC Enquiries Are Rising

Tighter compliance standards under BEIS and CIRD guidelines
Introduction of the Additional Information Form from August 2023
Clamping down on errors and misuse of R&D Tax Relief schemes
Merged Scheme and other policy changes increasing complexity

According to HMRC’s “Approach to Research and Development Tax Reliefs 2023 to 2024” report

In the 2022–2023 tax year, HMRC opened around 20% of SME R&D tax credit claims for compliance checks (enquiries).

Only 3% of FI Group claims received an HMRC R&D compliance check in our latest filing period, versus ~20% market-wide. Our audit-ready narratives and reconciled costs reduce enquiry risk.

Speak to a funding expert

FI GroupOur PresenceIs Global

+25Years of Experience

+18,000Satisfied Clients

+50Offices in the World

£2.2BSavings for Clients

What is an HMRC R&D claim enquiry?

A compliance check is HMRC’s formal review of your R&D claim to verify eligibility and costs. It is routine, time-bound, and evidence-led. Respond quickly with a structured, point-by-point reply.

HMRC tests your technological uncertainty, the competent professional baseline, and the mapping from ledgers and payroll to claim schedules. Clear narratives and reconciled figures reduce risk, delay and clawback.

What should I do when I receive an HMRC R&D claim enquiry letter?

Do not ignore it. Read the scope, gather records, and plan a factual response with evidence. We can triage in 24 hours, prioritise the tasks, and manage HMRC liaison and lead an R&D claim enquiry defence that will put you in the strongest position moving forward.

Immediate steps to take

Share the letter and your filed claim pack.
Identify deadlines and requested documents.
Secure access to payroll, ledgers, project notes, subcontractor agreements.
Nominate a single point of contact for HMRC.
Book a 15-minute consult to align on defence strategy.

R&D Claim Enquiry Defence Case study

Discover how FI Group UK effectively supported FIMATIX during an HMRC R&D tax credit enquiry to secure and preserve their claim. This case study demonstrates our technical rigour, strategic engagement, and reassurance in protecting innovation funding when it matters most.

“We have been incredibly impressed with FI Group and the support they have provided as our R&D tax advisors. From the outset, they helped us carefully identify the qualifying elements of our projects, guiding us with clear advice and deep technical understanding.” – Tim Howarth, CEO of Fimatix

Read more via the link below.

Read the Fimatix Case Study

What triggers an R&D claim enquiry, and how we fix it

Most issues come from unclear uncertainty statements, weak cost mapping, and subcontractor or EPW treatment errors. We standardise the narrative, reconcile costs, and close governance gaps.

Common risk	What HMRC sees	Our fix
Vague uncertainty	Marketing language without a baseline	Define competent professional baseline, state the uncertainty, show systematic work
Cost discrepancies	Ledgers do not match schedules	Reconcile payroll and GL, document sampling and trace tests
Subcontractor or EPW errors	Scope unclear, wrong category or rate	Verify scopes, categorise correctly, evidence eligibility and period treatment
Overseas activity	Treated incorrectly for the period	Apply period-correct rules and document decision logic
Missing governance	No named officer, poor audit trail	Name responsible individuals, index evidence, align with AIF requirements

Get a PhD Led Defence

What triggers an R&D claim enquiry, and how we fix it

Most issues come from unclear uncertainty statements, weak cost mapping, and subcontractor or EPW treatment errors. We standardise the narrative, reconcile costs, and close governance gaps.

Common risk	What HMRC sees	Our fix
Vague uncertainty	Marketing language without a baseline	Define competent professional baseline, state the uncertainty, show systematic work
Cost discrepancies	Ledgers do not match schedules	Reconcile payroll and GL, document sampling and trace tests
Subcontractor or EPW errors	Scope unclear, wrong category or rate	Verify scopes, categorise correctly, evidence eligibility and period treatment
Overseas activity	Treated incorrectly for the period	Apply period-correct rules and document decision logic
Missing governance	No named officer, poor audit trail	Name responsible individuals, index evidence, align with AIF requirements

Get a PhD Led Defence

Start YourDefence

Documents we prepare for your R&D claim enquiry defence

A complete response pack that mirrors HMRC’s questions and proves your numbers.

Included as standard

Cover letter and issue-by-issue responses
Revised project narratives with uncertainty and baseline
Payroll and ledger reconciliations by category
Subcontractor and EPW schedules
Sampling plans and trace tests
Evidence index with page-level references
Named responsible individuals for governance clarity

R&D claim enquiry defence prevention for next year

Pre-submission reviews, in-year evidence capture, and clean AIF and notification processes reduce enquiry risk and speed cash flow.

Our prevention programme

Pre-submission claim review to stress test narratives and costs
Quarterly in-year tracking of technical notes and time evidence
AIF and notification hygiene so mandatory steps are never missed
Training for Finance and Technical to standardise evidence

Global operations, local compliance

One UK-led partner coordinates your enquiry defence and incentives across jurisdictions, with local teams delivering filings and support. Your HQ sees the full picture. Your teams feel the local support.

Why CFOs choose this model

One accountable lead, fewer handoffs
Consistent methodology and quality across countries
Faster cycles and predictable cash impact
Clear audit trail for Boards and external auditors

Learn More About Global-Local

Global operations, local compliance

Why CFOs choose this model

One accountable lead, fewer handoffs
Consistent methodology and quality across countries
Faster cycles and predictable cash impact
Clear audit trail for Boards and external auditors

Learn More About Global-Local

Start YourEnquiry Defence

Funding Insights

FAQs R&D Enquiry Defence

R&D enquiries can feel disruptive, but with the right preparation they are manageable. We have collected the questions we hear most from CFOs, Finance Directors and technical leads.