If you’re facing an enquiry, get in touch with James Dudbridge LLB, Associate Director and his team to discuss how we can protect your business. If you’re an accountant, please contact us to find out more.
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Some businesses will receive a letter from HMRC saying that they are conducting a compliance check into their R&D tax credit claim. This is an ‘enquiry’.
If this has happened to you, ForrestBrown will step in to protect your business and resolve the enquiry on your behalf – whether you need SME or RDEC enquiry defence, or both.
Our R&D tax credit enquiry support service provides peace of mind that the future of your business is in the best possible hands. With ForrestBrown, you:
If you’re facing an enquiry, get in touch with James Dudbridge LLB, Associate Director and his team to discuss how we can protect your business. If you’re an accountant, please contact us to find out more.
Access unrivalled specialist technical expertise for peace of mind that your enquiry is in the best possible hands.
ForrestBrown’s expert advice has put us in a much stronger position for future R&D tax credit claims. We are so impressed with the service we received that we’re now using ForrestBrown to prepare our claims too.
ForrestBrown’s expertise in their field is clear and they make it an easy process for us to go through with their systematic approach to what can be a complex area.
ForrestBrown provided us with the perfect mix of specialist sector and tax expertise when we needed it most. The team put at our disposal were truly expert, very responsive and professional.
ForrestBrown guided us through our application, showing great patience and empathy. What I liked most was their ability to suggest ideas rather than simply stick to a rigid formula.
ForrestBrown operates in a very professional way and we have a high degree of confidence in the work they produce. It has been a pleasure working with the team and we hope to continue working with them into the future!
Our enquiry support team is made up of our most experienced people. It includes former HMRC inspectors, qualified chartered tax advisers and accountants, sector specialists and lawyers.
We will assemble a team of experts best suited to your business and its needs. This senior team will dedicate themselves to protecting your business and getting the best result for you.
Director
Director
Jenny is a director at ForrestBrown and leads our technical approach on all aspects of R&D tax credits.
She began her career at KPMG in 2002 where she gained her CA and ATT qualifications before joining their R&D team in 2007. In 2013 she moved to a consultancy practice where she led a team of R&D tax specialists. At the same time, she was recommended to HMRC’s R&D Consultative Committee – a seat she has held ever since. She joined ForrestBrown in 2015.
Jenny founded our Learning Lab as a structured training programme for new joiners, and a way of delivering continued professional development for all staff. For our team, it builds upon their formal tax qualifications by teaching the key technical and soft skills required to be an R&D tax specialist.
In 2020 Jenny initiated the CIOT working group that drafted the PCRT guidance for R&D tax credit advice.
Through her work, Jenny plays a key role in maintaining ForrestBrown’s excellent relationship with HMRC.
Director
Director
James heads up ForrestBrown’s advisory practice. His team offer specific aspects of ForrestBrown’s award–winning R&D tax credit expertise on a consultative basis to businesses and accountants. This can mean support resolving an enquiry, risk-assessing a claim or help setting up effective processes to create robust R&D claims.
James’s background is as a tax lawyer and alongside his leadership of our advisory team, he is particularly focused on assisting clients who use our HMRC enquiry support service. With over a decade specialising in tax, he provides an incisive legal perspective when deciding upon initial strategy and in pursuing a negotiated settlement.
James trained and qualified as a solicitor at a top London law firm, before relocating to Geneva for four years to help set up the firm’s Swiss office. His brief meant that he was involved in a large number of voluntary tax disclosures to HMRC, as well as advising clients on HMRC enquiries and discovery assessments.
On returning to the UK, James worked for a second leading UK law firm, before joining the ForrestBrown team. James brings invaluable legal insight to our enquiry support and wider client services.
Senior Tax Specialist and ex-HMRC Inspector
Senior Tax Specialist and ex-HMRC Inspector
Before joining ForrestBrown, Malcolm worked for HMRC for 26 years. Most recently this was as an inspector of taxes within their Portsmouth R&D unit. He is a highly experienced tax professional who plays an important role in our quality assurance process. This ensures our R&D tax credit claims are fully optimised and in line with HMRC guidance.
As well as reviewing of claims, the team uses Malcolm’s considerable first-hand knowledge of HMRC to drill down into issues that could complicate a claim. For example, grant funding or whether a company qualifies for SME status. His early intervention aids clear communication with clients.
His experience at HMRC extends to other areas of tax such as capital gains and employer compliance. This is invaluable for our clients as it helps us to consider the bigger picture, and advise if there are any other issues that could disrupt an R&D tax credit claim.
Beyond his quality assurance role, Malcolm is active in our in-house training programme – the Learning Lab. This helps to bring the next generation of tax professionals through. He covers topics such as HMRC’s structures and processes. Malcolm also supports our partners, such as third-party accountants, with technical expertise.
Senior Tax Specialist and ex-HMRC Inspector
Senior Tax Specialist and ex-HMRC Inspector
Mark was one of the original tax inspectors assigned to the specialist HMRC R&D units when they were formed in 2006. And he worked in the Croydon unit until 2018. He helped companies use the incentive and ensured they followed the rules. The wealth of experience Mark accumulated is now delivered to ForrestBrown clients through our enquiry support service.
Having been at the tax authority since 1984, Mark actually specialised in HMRC enquiries long before his time at the R&D unit. In 1990, his principal role became conducting full enquiries into companies. This included those who had made honest technical errors and, in more serious cases, those suspected of committing tax avoidance or evasion.
Mark’s technical knowledge of the R&D tax credit legislation is vast and means his experience encompasses the broader tax landscape as well as HMRC’s enquiries processes. With this knowledge, Mark is well placed to provide expert advice on how best to resolve an enquiry.
In addition to his work in enquiry support, Mark contributes to our in-house development programme, the Learning Lab. By sharing his knowledge and experience he helps the next generation of tax professionals at ForrestBrown to thrive.
Associate Director
Associate Director
With a master’s in Medical Image Computing from University College London, Tom is one of our sector specialists at ForrestBrown and his specialism is software.
Tom has a deep understanding of image processing techniques, applying mathematical and statistical formulae to large datasets and machine learning. He also has experience and knowledge of common software design patterns. Specifically, Tom is comfortable with MATLAB, C#, C++, Python, R!, JavaScript, HTML, SQL, SSRS.
As well as having years of experience within the R&D tax credit industry, Tom has held a range of technical positions spanning various industries. In E-learning he engineered tools to aid international broadcast of lectures. And in medical technology he helped develop an online CBT tool to help manage unhealthy lifestyle habits. His technical knowledge and experience is invaluable in optimising software R&D tax credit claims.
Senior Sector Specialist
Senior Sector Specialist
Peter is a chemicals and materials specialist at ForrestBrown and a chartered scientist. He supports the tax team in their work, in particular for companies in the chemical, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, engineering and food sectors.
Peter gained a degree in chemistry from the University of Nottingham. He followed up with a doctorate in organic chemistry with a focus on the development of novel chemical reactions. During this time he undertook several placements in the pharmaceutical industry.
After completing his studies, he worked at Mars as a chocolate scientist on formulations for improved shelf life. Peter then moved into the defence sector where he was involved in the development of a range of high performance materials. He has authored numerous papers and spoken at international conferences on the synthesis and characterisation of novel polymers and materials.
Notably, Peter has had a patent granted for a new heat and radiation stable polymer. And he has been awarded a Ministry of Defence chief scientific adviser commendation, recognising the high calibre of his research and development and strong international collaborations.
Peter is well-versed in the wide range of chemical and material characterisation techniques and modern manufacturing technologies. At ForrestBrown he applies his experience to support the R&D tax claims process, bridging between the technical detail and the relevant tax legislation.
Senior Tax Manager
Senior Tax Manager
After qualifying and practising as a solicitor, Anna accumulated more than 20 years’ experience within Big Four environments. She specialised in ex-pat tax and during this time developed a focus on managing HMRC enquiries for a variety of clients. At ForrestBrown, Anna is a senior member of our quality assurance team. She helps ensure that every R&D tax credit claim we submit meets our own high technical standards.
Senior Tax Manager
Senior Tax Manager
With a growing interest in innovation, Phil joined ForrestBrown in 2014 to work with our manufacturing and engineering clients. He trained at Cooper Parry in Nottingham and qualified as a chartered tax adviser in 2009. Phil then moved to Burton Sweet and later Hazlewoods, where he advised owner-managed businesses on personal and corporate taxation. He brings over a decade of experience to our team.
James Dudbridge LLB Associate DirectorOur ultimate goal is to protect your business and manage every aspect of the enquiry on your behalf so that you can focus your time on running your business.
Jenny Tragner CA ATT Director and HMRC R&D Consultative Committee memberWe are best placed to advise you and resolve your enquiry because we know exactly what HMRC are looking for in support of R&D tax credit claims. Our policy-level insight means we understand not only what HMRC are asking you, but why.
Our exact process will depend on your business and its needs, but you can expect enquiry support with ForrestBrown to include the following steps:
We will ask you to send us your R&D tax credit claim(s) and any correspondence you have received from HMRC. We will carry out a thorough review of the claim and any discussions held to date.
Following our analysis, we will advise you on your current position and provide you a report setting out our recommendations. Based on your priorities, we will outline our strategy to achieve the best possible result for your business.
A multidisciplinary team with the right specialist technical expertise will help resolve the enquiry for you. We can take responsibility for all correspondence with HMRC and can manage all aspects of the enquiry going forward. We will keep you updated throughout.
We will collect any further information required. This may include a visit to your place of work to understand your R&D. Our expert team will work directly with your competent professional and finance team when their input is needed.
We will draft formal written responses to HMRC. Sometimes this will resolve the enquiry.
Further discussions may continue until a satisfactory resolution is reached. If it comes to negotiation, our legal experts will manage this on your behalf. Our aim is to achieve the best possible result for your business.
We will proactively drive your enquiry forward to close it as quickly as possible. In our experience, the average enquiry length is four to five months – sometimes enquiries are concluded in shorter timeframes, but they may take longer.
Best independent consultancy firm
Best independent consultancy firm
ForrestBrown’s expert advice has put us in a much stronger position for future R&D tax credit claims. We are so impressed with the service we received that we’re now using ForrestBrown to prepare our claims too.
ForrestBrown provided us with the perfect mix of specialist sector and tax expertise when we needed it most. The team put at our disposal were truly expert, very responsive and professional.
Our 2018 enquiry rate was just 0.8%
Get in touch with James Dudbridge LLB, Associate Director and his team to discuss how we can help you protect your business by resolving your enquiry.
If your client is facing an HMRC enquiry into their R&D tax credit claim, we can help. Whether you’re looking for advice, or someone to actively manage an enquiry for you, with ForrestBrown you have peace of mind that your client is in the best possible hands.