HMRC is continually changing its approach to compliance, that the scheme is complex, and that the definition of R&D for tax purposes is generic, nuanced, and open to interpretation.
Given the importance of CPD training to R&D tax relief, it’s perhaps surprising how little of it exists!
The ACCA only lists one R&D course in their directory, which claims to give you “Everything you need to become an expert in R&D tax credits.” We’d argue that courses like this don’t fulfil their promise. After all, if you can become an expert in something after a few hours, then what you were taught probably wasn’t very difficult to begin with.
These courses are good if you want a primer on the subject, but they’re not going to take you on the long and detail-rich journey that ends in expertise.
Why it’s hard to find good CPD workshops for R&D advisors
To be clear, we’re not just picking on the ACCA’s course here – all one-off training suffers from the same problems. It starts to fade as soon as it’s completed, leaving you without ongoing support and mentorship.
Also, because one-off courses are made for a broad audience, each one tends to re-tread the same ground, which is often stuff you can Google for yourself.
And thirdly, those courses are sometimes designed to be deliberately incomplete so that you’re tempted to refer the R&D claim to the company that provided the training. That doesn’t exactly help you become an expert yourself.
Related: A Guide to Support and Training for R&D Tax Relief Advisors
Advanced R&D tax relief training for accountants and consultants
That’s why our training doesn’t follow this pattern. Our courses don’t just give you the same old information; instead, they’re designed to pass on as much of our consulting experience as we can (14 years and counting).
For example, if you want to learn more about how HMRC has changed its approach to subcontracted R&D then you can watch our recorded webinar and take our course – ‘Subcontracting: The rules & how they’re applied in practice’.
Related: Explore our course catalogue
We’ve also seen that advanced training isn’t always enough on its own.
To become truly expert, you need someone backing you up over time; answering your queries and helping you with the tricky stuff. That’s why we augment our training courses with robust support services – including a helpline and hands-on support.
So, if you’ve decided that you’re in R&D for the long-term, and that you want the best possible support for your team, you can join today and get started immediately.
If you need more information about the types of training and support available, you can download our free guide:
