RDEC Scheme
Research and Development Expenditure Credit
RDEC is similar to R&D in the sense that it uses the same defining elements to establish qualifying work and qualifying expenditure.
As of 1 April 2015 the tax relief for RDEC increased to 12% from the previous rate of 10%. This means that a company can either benefit from a reduction of tax payable, or payable credit should the company be unsuccessful and operating at a loss.
Most SME companies will be able to claim under the usual R&D Tax Credits scheme described in the above sections, however in some cases they will only be able to claim tax relief through RDEC. The first example is where the SME is carrying out a R&D project on behalf of a large company (i.e. it has been subcontracted to complete R&D). In this situation the company would only be able to claim tax relief through RDEC.
The second example is where a SME has received a grant or subsidy for a R&D project. If that is the case then some of the expenditure may be claimed through RDEC. However, if the SME runs multiple projects of which only one or some of the work has been subsidised or grant-funded then those which are not are eligible to claim under R&D.
RDEC Example
- Total expenditure on R&D project—£100,000
- Amount of grant received—£70,000 (of which some may be eligible for RDEC tax relief)
- Balance of expenditure—£30,000 (of which some may be eligible for R&D tax relief)
