£1.3M R&D Claim Reinstated — Tribunal Averted at 11th Hour

 A UK tech firm had its £1.3 million R&D tax relief claim rejected and issued a closure notice, alleging the project did not satisfy the R&D eligibility criteria. An HMRC independent review upheld that position, making tribunal proceedings imminent.

Facing potential legal costs and loss of the R&D tax credit benefit cashflow, the client turned to Signant Tax through their professional advisor.

We paused litigation by securing access to HMRC’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) pathway, an often misunderstood but powerful mechanism.

Working alongside the client’s technical team and their professional advisors, we:

• Mapped HMRC’s misinterpretation of technical boundaries under BEIS guidance.

• Rebuilt the claim narrative using sector-specific terminology and qualifying criteria.

• Reframed the submission for ADR, using collaborative language while challenging key assumptions.

Within three weeks of the ADR, HMRC agreed to reinstate the full claim. No litigation. No delay.

“Signant helped us avoid a tribunal and saved the company significant costs. Their ability to reframe our claim so quickly made all the difference.”
— Finance Director, Fast Growing Technology Company

Signant Tax Insight: ADR can unlock entrenched disputes but success lies not in fighting harder, but in reframing smarter.