Cite this dataset: Parker, A. (2026). UK R&D Tax Relief Claim Adviser Register: Vetted and Queued Firms Index. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22753343
Where we stand
We list every firm we found, not just ones we might work with
Established Finance doesn't currently have a referral or commercial relationship with any firm on this page. If that changes, we'll say so here, by name, rather than let a listing quietly imply an endorsement it doesn't have. Being on this register isn't a recommendation. It's a record of what's actually published and what isn't.
The check that surprised us: a lot of coverage of the Finance Act 2026, Part 7 adviser registration regime (Schedule 20, legislation.gov.uk) assumes it will produce a public lookup, so anyone can check a firm's registration status before instructing them. It doesn't. Registration runs through each firm's internal HMRC Agent Services Account, and neither HMRC's guidance nor its published rollout materials describe any public-facing directory. So nowhere on this page do we mark a firm "registered" or "unregistered" under that specific regime, because that status genuinely cannot be checked from outside HMRC, by us or by you. A separate, older register does exist for anti-money-laundering supervision, and we checked every firm below against it where a match was findable. That's what the AML column shows, not Schedule 20 registration.
The register
All 17 firms at a glance
| Firm | Type | Fee model | AML supervisor | Introducer route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EmpowerRD | Specialist R&D boutique (technology-platform-driven) | Published | Confirmed, HMRC | Open, no accountant gate |
| Easy R&D | Contingency-fee claim firm (referral-network-driven go-to-market) | Not published | Not found | Open, no accountant gate |
| Alexander Clifford | Contingency-fee R&D claim specialist ('no win, no fee'), dedicated exclusively to R&D claims | Published | Confirmed, HMRC | Open, no accountant gate |
| Leyton UK | Specialist innovation-funding/tax-incentive consultancy (self-described largest independently-owned tax incentive consultancy in the UK); not an accountancy firm | Not published | Not found | Open, no accountant gate |
| Ayming UK | Multinational innovation-funding/tax-incentive consultancy (Ayming group); not a pure accountancy firm | Not published | Not found | Named/formal partners only |
| Kene Partners | Specialist R&D funding boutique; certified B Corporation; positions itself as not a volume claims firm | Model disclosed, rate not | Not found | None found |
| ForrestBrown | Specialist R&D boutique (chartered-adviser-led), not a general accountancy practice with an R&D bolt-on | Model disclosed, rate not | Not found | Accountant-facing only |
| RIFT R&D Tax Credits | Contingency-fee claim-model firm, part of The RIFT Group (also runs a personal tax-refund business); not a chartered specialist boutique or accountancy firm | Not published | Not found | Exists, terms unclear |
| Ryan Innovation Funding (formerly Catax) | Division of a large global tax-services multinational (Ryan, LLC, US-headquartered); no longer a standalone specialist boutique | Not published | Not found | Accountant-facing only |
| Source Advisors (formerly GovGrant) | Specialist R&D boutique (originated as GovGrant), now part of a global tax-incentive consulting group (Source Advisors LLC, US parent) | Model disclosed, rate not | Not found | Accountant-facing only |
| ABGi UK (formerly Jumpstart) | Was a specialist R&D boutique (Jumpstart, Edinburgh-founded); now a division of a large French industrial/engineering group's consulting arm (Groupe SNEF): closer to a corporate innovation-incentive consultancy than an independent boutique | Not published | Not found | Unclear |
| MPA (Michael Price Associates) | Accountancy firm with an R&D tax/grants division (SIC 69201, accounting and auditing), not a pure R&D boutique: founded by an accountant, Michael Price | Not published | Stated, not independently confirmed | Named/formal partners only |
| RCK Partners | Specialist R&D boutique, self-described as 'a leading firm of chartered tax advisers'; also Capital Allowances, Patent Box, Land Remediation Relief, Enquiry Resolution | Not published | Not found | Named/formal partners only |
| RAndDTaxQueued | Specialist R&D boutique operating an 'outsourced R&D department' model for accountants: partners with over 400 accountancy practices, per its own claim | Not published | Not found | Named/formal partners only |
| Cooden Tax Consulting | Specialist R&D boutique (Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex), also Patent Box, Video Games Tax Relief, grant funding support | Not published | Not found | None found |
| Kreston Reeves | Full-service accountancy firm (audit, tax, wealth, advisory) with an R&D tax relief service line: not a pure-play R&D boutique | Not published | Stated, not independently confirmed | Unclear |
| Rouse Partners | Accountancy firm (Beaconsfield-based, Praxity-network member) with an R&D tax specialist team: not a standalone R&D boutique | Not published | Stated, not independently confirmed | None found |
Full detail and sources for each firm are below the table. "Not found" means we checked and didn't find it published anywhere, not that it doesn't exist.
Methodology
How this was compiled
Every firm below was checked live against its own website, Companies House, and (where feasible) HMRC's public AML Supervised Business Register on 9 August 2026. Where a detail couldn't be confirmed from a primary source, we say so rather than guess. "Vetted" means we completed this check and are confident in what is and isn't publicly disclosed, including the gaps. "Queued" means a core fact (usually the firm's legal identity) is still unresolved, so treat that entry with more care until it's updated. Being listed here, vetted or queued, is not an endorsement and does not imply an introducer or commercial relationship with Established Finance.
Firms change pricing, ownership and introducer terms without notice. If you find something on this page that's gone stale, tell us and we'll check it.
Full profiles
Firm by firm, with sources
EmpowerRD
HMRC AML supervision independently confirmed on the government register, a fully published fee ladder, and an introducer scheme open to anyone without an application step. One inconsistency: an older marketing article still quotes 5%, while the current pricing page says 6%.
Easy R&D
Introducer scheme open to anyone, with published referrer terms. We found no AML supervisor named, including on HMRC's public register, and no published client fee rate. The registered company name changed from 'Easy R&D Ltd' to 'Easy Tax Solutions Limited' in December 2023; the trading brand is unchanged.
Alexander Clifford
Publishes a plain 25% no-win-no-fee client rate, which few firms in this register do. Its own site names no AML supervisor or professional body. HMRC's AML register does list it, under the company name it stopped using in January 2024.
Leyton UK
Runs an introducer page (live as of 9 August 2026, at a new URL) open to a broad field, not just accountants. Unlike EmpowerRD or Easy R&D, it publishes no commission terms.
Ayming UK
Part of a multinational group, with a formal introducer structure covering six defined partner categories and no route for individual introducers.
Kene Partners
No formal introducer scheme: informal accountant and association introductions only, with no dedicated page or commission structure. One of the few firms here to publish that its fee is a percentage of the claim, though not the rate. Its own site doesn't name an AML supervisor.
ForrestBrown
Chartered-adviser-led specialist boutique that discloses its fee structure (percentage, fixed or time-and-materials) without a specific rate. We found no published enforcement or controversy history. Its partner programme is aimed at accountants, and its site doesn't name an AML supervisor.
RIFT R&D Tax Credits
Publishes no fee rate, AML supervisor or professional-body affiliation. The company that historically traded as RIFT Research and Development is in a solvent members' voluntary liquidation as part of a 2024-25 group restructure, with the business continuing under the RIFT Group.
Worth knowing: The original operating company, RIFT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT LIMITED (company 08992161), is in members' voluntary liquidation, a solvent wind-up: special resolution passed 5 March 2025, liquidators appointed 20 June 2025. This coincides with the 2024 group restructure under the new holding company. It is a solvent corporate restructuring, not evidence of insolvency or business failure.
Ryan Innovation Funding (formerly Catax)
Now a division of Ryan, LLC, a US-headquartered global tax-services firm, rather than a standalone brand; the Catax name has been retired. We found no FCA investigation or formal enforcement action against Catax when we searched for one.
Source Advisors (formerly GovGrant)
GovGrant has traded as Source Advisors since February 2024. The firm is open about moving away from pure no-win-no-fee pricing, but publishes no fee percentage or AML supervisor. Its partner offer is aimed at accountants rather than individual introducers.
ABGi UK (formerly Jumpstart)
The Jumpstart brand now trades as ABGi UK, part of Groupe SNEF, after three ownership changes since 2019. The legacy jumpstartuk.co.uk domain didn't load when checked (expired certificate). No fee model or AML supervisor is disclosed.
MPA (Michael Price Associates)
Trades under a stable, long-standing brand. It states ACCA AML supervision, which we couldn't confirm from a primary source, and discloses no fee percentage. Companies House shows several similarly named entities at the same address (see below).
Worth knowing: Companies House lists two further active entities at the same Newport Pagnell address: MPA GROUP LTD (12206944, SIC 82990 general business support, incorporated 2019) and MPA GROUP HOLDINGS LTD (15131153). They appear to be part of the same group, but we couldn't confirm from public sources which entity holds the trading contracts or which is the parent. A separate directory listing for 'The M P A Group Ltd' at a different address (Mercers Manor Barns, Sherington), with the domain thempagroup.co.uk, also appeared; we couldn't confirm whether it's the same group, and that domain didn't load. If the exact contracting entity matters to you, check Companies House directly.
RCK Partners
Chartered-adviser boutique with professional-body ties (CIOT/ATT, ICAEW) and a dedicated enquiry resolution service. Like most firms here, it publishes no fee percentage, so cost can't be compared without asking for a quote.
RAndDTax
Queued, not fully vettedLong-running, accountant-facing model with a formal referral scheme. We couldn't find a verifiable legal entity or Companies House number behind the site, which is why this entry is queued rather than vetted.
Worth knowing: No Companies House entity behind randdtax.co.uk could be verified. No company number appears on the site (trading address given as Mulberry House, Holybourne, Alton, Hampshire). A Companies House search for 'RandDTax' and 'R and D Tax' returned several similarly named entities (for example R and D Tax Credits Ltd 07517092 and R and D Tax Specialists Ltd 06926903), none confirmed as the business behind this domain. We'll update this entry once its legal identity is confirmed.
Cooden Tax Consulting
Long-established small boutique with a broad service list (Patent Box, Video Games Tax Relief, grants), but no published pricing, AML supervisor or professional-body statement.
Worth knowing: Companies House also lists a separate, similarly named company, Cooden Tax Consulting Limited (11327395). We haven't established how the two relate. The number we show, 08367248, is the one the firm's own site states.
Kreston Reeves
Regulated accountancy firm bound by the Professional Conduct in Relation to Taxation (PCRT) standards, offering R&D as one service line within a full practice. Its R&D-specific pricing and enquiry-defence terms aren't published, so it can't be cost-compared with the specialist firms from its website alone.
Worth knowing: The Kreston Reeves group has more than one registered legal entity (Kreston Reeves LLP, Kreston Reeves Audit LLP, Kreston Reeves Private Client LLP). OC328775 is confirmed for the LLP itself; we didn't separately confirm which entity contracts for R&D work.
Rouse Partners
ICAEW audit-registered accountancy firm with an R&D tax specialist team, rather than a claims specialist.
Worth knowing: The firm states a '100% success rate' and that it has 'never had a claim turned down by HMRC'. These are self-reported figures we couldn't verify independently.
Alternatives and limitations
This register isn't advice on who to instruct
This register covers firms that prepare and file claims. For the mechanics of a claim itself, see R&D claim services. For a like-for-like read on fee structures specifically, see R&D adviser fees compared. And nothing here is advice on which firm to instruct. That depends on your own claim, its size and your appetite for risk, not a table.
