Certification in R&D Tax Relief
Get your industry-first Certification in R&D tax relief for £1,500+VAT
Earn yourself a rigorous and practical qualification to support your work in R&D tax relief.
Get to grips with the crucial foundations of R&D tax relief that you need to work effectively in an R&D or business development team.
Professional Certification for R&D advisors and accountants
This is the industry’s first certification in R&D tax relief.
It provides the core knowledge of R&D tax relief that anyone would require to work effectively in R&D. You’ll find it rigorous and practical, with clear applications to your everyday role and responsibilities.
It’s built for a wide range of roles, although we recommend an introductory training programme or a year or two of experience in R&D before you get started.
Core Training Modules
The Certification in R&D is based on these six courses that span the most essential knowledge for anyone working in R&D tax relief.
Who is it for?
The Certification is for anyone involved in preparing claims for R&D tax relief and for those in senior roles in management, sales and marketing. It covers all the essentials – from screening and recruiting clients through to claim preparation and enquiry defence.
When and where is it running?
The training and certification are fully remote, and you can access most of the training on your own schedule. There will also be 6 live office hours sessions, as detailed below – these will be recorded for those unable to attend.
The next cohorts are running in 2025, from April to June and September to November. Registration is now open for the April 2025 cohort.
Certification is valid for 3 years and you’ll be invited to recertify.
How much does it cost?
The Certification in R&D costs £1500+VAT per person, which includes the initial diagnostic assessment, certification training programme and exam. An early bird discount is available for the next cohort if you register by 20 December and pay by 31 December 2024.
Key dates for the next cohort
| Week 1
Tuesday 1 April |
Diagnostic Assessment
The assessment will test your existing knowledge of the 6 key topics. We’ll provide you with personalised feedback to allow you to prioritise your individual training needs. |
| Week 2
7 April |
Training
This week we will focus on Marketing and Ethics. |
| Week 3
14 April |
Training
This week we will focus on Screening and Selling. |
| Week 4
21 April |
Office Hours
This week we’ll offer two live office hours calls. You’ll be invited to submit questions in advance concerning the training courses from weeks 2 and 3. These sessions will be recorded and made available to review. |
| Week 5
28 April |
Training
This week we will focus on the Merged R&D Scheme. |
| Week 6
5 May |
Training
This week we will focus on Explaining Eligibility. |
| Week 7
12 May |
Office Hours
This week we’ll offer two live office hours calls for the courses from weeks 5 and 6. |
| Week 8
19 May |
Training Courses
This week we will focus on Accounting Basics. |
| Week 9
26 May |
Training Courses
This week we will focus on Qualifying Costs. |
| Week 10
2 June |
Office Hours
This week we’ll offer two live office hours calls for the courses from weeks 8 and 9. |
| Week 11
9 June |
Revision
This week we’ll provide support with revision and a chance to ask any final questions about the training material. |
| Weeks 12 & 13
16 June |
Exam
We’ll invite you to schedule your exam for a convenient time within this 2-week window. |
More Information
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What payment methods are available?
After you have registered we’ll use the billing details you’ve supplied to send an invoice for your certification fee.
Do you offer a payment plan?
If you need to pay in instalments, we can offer a payment plan if you register more than 60 days before the start of the programme. You will only be able to participate in the programme if we have received all your payments beforehand. You can request information about this when you register.
Do you offer any discounts?
We occasionally get asked if discounts are available for certain groups, like students or sole practitioners. At this time, we’re not offering any discounts on certification. There is an early bird discount for cohort 2 – if you register by 20 December and pay before 31 December 2024, the certification fee is reduced by £150+VAT.
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Do members get a discounted rate on certification?
As members already have access to our training academy, they will pay a reduced fee of £950+VAT to take the certification and participate in the cohort along with everyone else. The early bird discount of £150 will apply to those who register by 20 December and pay by 31 December 2024
Can I join as a member and take the certification at the same time?
Yes, if you’d like to – membership provides access to a wider range of training and additional support with claim preparation. If you decide you need both at the same time, we’re happy to welcome you as a member.
If your priority is to focus on certification and you don’t need the additional support for your work on claims, then we recommend you take the certification first, and join as a member on completion. This will give you the best value combination of training resources and support.
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What will the exam be like?
The exam is in two parts. The first will test your knowledge of the material and is a closed book exam. The second will be scenario-based and is open book. Both use multiple choice questions, and are timed and secured with a remote proctoring platform, including video invigilation.
Will there be a practice exam?
Yes, we will offer a full practice exam for each cohort. As well as this, our diagnostic assessment will offer you an estimation of your knowledge at the beginning of the training process. You’ll be able to retake this during the revision week if you want to get a measure of your progress.
How will the exam be scored?
Certification will be offered on a pass/fail basis.
If you don’t pass, we’ll discuss your options to resit or to retake the exam in a future cohort.
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What if I need more time to complete the training and prepare for the exam?
If you feel you need more time to work on the training before you take the exam, there are a range of options.
You can choose to join as a member to give you the flexibility to study on your own schedule, and then take the exam only when you are ready.
You’d also be welcome to join a second cohort to repeat the training with another group.
Can I get extra support with the training?
If you want extra support during the training period, we plan to offer an Enhanced Support package. This could be for one individual, or for a small group who work together already. We’ll share more information about this in due course.
Can I skip the training and just take the exam?
In future, there will be an ‘exam only’ option, where you can sign up just to take the certification exam in November or June, along with a training cohort.
This can work well alongside membership of The R&D Community. Membership gives you the flexibility to take the training courses in your own time, and you can use our Helpline for support with the training material.
What support is included in the certification fee?
Everyone who joins the cohort will be invited to join a private community. At present this will be in the form of a WhatsApp group. Every week we’ll offer encouragement and resources relevant to the training topics for that week, as described above. You can use the group to submit questions for the Q&A calls, as well as to ask questions of the group as you go through the training in real time.
We’ll offer the same encouragement and resources by email, and you’ll also be able to email questions for the Q&A calls, so you can still participate even if you can’t or don’t want to join the group on WhatsApp.
In the future, we may provide the support through a different community platform.
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Have HMRC approved this certification?
Tax advice is currently an unregulated profession. HMRC has set out its standard for agents – the certification is aligned with those standards and should provide evidence that you have the capability to meet the standards.
We will also be inviting HMRC to take our certification programme so that we can ensure it’s fit for purpose. They have indicated some interest in this approach and we are in ongoing discussions with them about the role of certification in the context of improving standards in tax.
Do the professional bodies recognise this certification?
We have had ongoing discussions with professional bodies, such as the CIOT, during development of the certification. Once the certification is established, our aim is for it be recognised as evidencing relevant CPD.
Has your training been independently assessed?
Our training has been reviewed by many R&D tax relief experts within the industry and has been developed and updated based on their feedback.
We are exploring the best option for accrediting our training and certification by an independent body, so that you can be confident in its quality and validity.
Why should I trust a certification from The R&D Community?
Our team has extensive experience of working in R&D tax relief. Our Founder, Richard, has started and grown an R&D consultancy company, an R&D software company, and The R&D Community, which provides support and training to R&D advisors. Other members of our team have worked in the Big 4 and bring significant experience to their roles in supporting members and designing new specialist training courses.
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What if I get certified and then leave my employer?
As you have earned the certification, it goes with you. If your employer has paid for your certification, they may have a claw-back clause if you leave within a certain time period.
What if I change employers during the certification?
Again, this depends on your agreement with your employer. From our perspective, certification fees are non-refundable in these circumstances. You are welcome to continue your certification wherever you are employed.
What if I can’t complete the certification?
At our discretion, we may offer you a partial refund, or move your registration to a future certification cohort, if exceptional circumstances prevent you from completing the certification with your cohort.
