Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of R&D tax relief advisors operating in the UK.

Information on the number of Research and Development (R&D) tax relief advisors is not available.

At Spring Budget 2021, the Government announced a review of R&D tax reliefs supported by a consultation. The consultation closed in June 2021, and at Autumn Budget 2021, the Chancellor announced a package of measures to target abuse and improve compliance. From April 2023, all claims will have to be notified in advance, be made digitally, include more details about the expenditure, be endorsed by a named senior officer of the company, and include details of any agent who has advised the company on the claim.

Therefore, HMRC will have enhanced data on R&D agents from April 2023.