What EmpowerRD does

EmpowerRD is a UK-focused R&D tax credit claims advisory and technology firm founded in 2017 in London. The company combines expert human tax specialists — including ex-HMRC inspectors, ATT-qualified professionals, PhD-qualified technical consultants, and dedicated claim drafters — with a proprietary collaboration platform marketed as the first R&D tax claim platform launched in the UK. The platform supports the full claim lifecycle, including multi-stage narrative and cost review, Xero accounting integration, real-time tracking, audit trails, automated AIF/CNF submission, and role-based access controls backed by A+ Qualys SSL and CREST-approved security certifications.

The business is structured as a private limited company operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. Revenue is generated primarily through a success-based, contingent fee model: a tiered percentage of the R&D tax credit awarded (effectively 6% for claims below £80k in fees, dropping to 0.5% on claims above £1.5M), with flat-fee minimums (£4,000 Fixed Rate, £5,000 Growth Tiered). The company has served 1,200+ UK innovators since inception and disclosed cumulative successful claim outcomes of £260m+. Reported operational outcomes include an all-time HMRC enquiry rate below 5% (vs. an industry average of ~20%), claims processed 2.5x faster than traditional advisors, and an 8-hour average client time commitment versus 20-30 hours with legacy advisors.

Customer segments are concentrated in UK R&D-intensive SMBs and scale-ups across software, fintech, biotech, insurtech, wealth management, payments, healthcare, property/construction, logistics, and safety technology. Go-to-market is sales-led with a free 30-minute consultation funnel, supported by content marketing, SEO, an annual UK Innovation Report (750 founder/leader survey), a partner referral scheme, and PR-led inbound. Distribution is single-channel geographic (UK domestic only).

Name

EmpowerRD

Legal name

EmpowerRD

Website

https://empowerrd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EmpowerRD is a UK-based R&D tax credit claims specialist that combines expert ex-HMRC and PhD-qualified tax advisors with a proprietary claims collaboration platform to help UK innovative companies secure HMRC R&D tax relief.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. R&D Tax Credit Claims - Success-Based Fee: EmpowerRD charges a percentage of the final R&D tax credit awarded. For larger claims, this is a tiered percentage (starting at 6% and decreasing to 0.5% for claims over £2M). For smaller claims under £80,000, a flat fee of £4,000 applies. The fee is only charged upon successful submission of the claim.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

EmpowerRD is a UK R&D tax credit claims specialist that files and optimises HMRC R&D tax relief claims for innovative businesses. It runs an end-to-end service combining a proprietary collaboration platform (with Xero accounting integration, real-time claim tracking, automated AIF/CNF submission and a multi-stage quality review) with expert human specialists, including ex-HMRC inspectors, ATT-qualified professionals, and PhD-qualified technical experts, charging a success-based percentage of the claim.

Product overview

EmpowerRD offers a hybrid R&D tax credit claims service combining a proprietary collaboration platform with expert human oversight. The core offering consists of the R&D Tax Credit Platform (a SaaS collaboration tool for claim management and submission) supplemented by specialist services including R&D Tax Specialists (ex-HMRC inspectors, ATT-qualified professionals, PhD technical experts), the Claim Quality Team review process, and HMRC enquiry support. Additional tools include the R&D Tax Calculator, Grant Funding Finder, and R&D Advanced Funding service. The platform handles the full claims lifecycle from onboarding through submission, integrating directly with Xero for cost data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• R&D Tax Credit Claims Service End-to-end UK R&D tax credit claims service for innovative businesses, combining the proprietary EmpowerRD collaboration platform with specialist human advisors (ex-HMRC inspectors, ATT-qualified professionals, PhD technical experts) for narrative drafting, quality review, financial reconciliation, HMRC AIF/CNF submission and enquiry support.
• R&D Tax Credit Platform Proprietary SaaS collaboration platform that enables businesses to manage their UK R&D tax credit claims, including real-time data input, cost allocation to projects, technical narrative drafting, automated AIF submission, multi-stage review and Xero accounting integration.
• R&D Advanced Funding Advance funding service providing access to up to 80% of estimated R&D tax credits up to 9 months before the official HMRC payout, easing cash-flow pressure on UK innovative businesses.
• R&D Tax Calculator Online calculator tool allowing businesses to estimate potential R&D tax credit claims based on company type, financial position, and R&D spend.
• Grant Funding Finder Curated directory of innovation grant funding opportunities available from UK government programmes including UKRI, Innovate UK and Horizon Europe.
• Eligibility Assessment Interactive tool helping businesses determine if their projects qualify for UK R&D tax credits based on HMRC's four qualifying criteria.

Quantifiable outcome

• HMRC enquiry rate maintained below 5% vs industry average of ~20%
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• XerocoreTechnology or IntegrationXero integration allows seamless import of accounting data directly into EmpowerRD's collaboration platform, enabling efficient cost categorization and financial reconciliation for R&D claims.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• GovGrant: UK specialist R&D tax credit and grant funding advisory firm. Highly comparable in customer profile (UK SMEs and startups), service mix (R&D claims plus grant funding) and platform-led approach. Counts as one of EmpowerRD's closest direct competitors in the SME R&D advisory space.
• ForrestBrown: One of the UK's largest specialist R&D tax credit consultancies, acquired by BDO in 2021. Directly comparable in target customers (UK innovative SMEs), service offering (R&D claim preparation and HMRC enquiry support) and sector focus, but operates at significantly larger scale and now under a Big-4-style accounting parent.
• Kene Partners: UK specialist R&D tax credit advisory firm focused on SMEs, scale-ups and tech-forward businesses. Comparable customer profile and claim-preparation service, with overlap on the technology-startup segment that is EmpowerRD's primary market.
• Leyton: International consultancy specialising in R&D tax credits, innovation funding and energy-efficiency incentives, with a substantial UK team. Directly comparable in target customers and service offering; competes for the same UK SME and scale-up clients, though with a larger multi-country footprint.
• RIFT Research & Innovation: Established UK R&D tax credit specialist serving SMEs and larger corporates across multiple sectors. Directly comparable in core R&D claim service, target customer base and pricing model, making it a head-to-head competitor for many of the same UK innovative companies EmpowerRD serves.
• RandD Tax: UK-focused R&D tax credit advisory firm targeting innovative SMEs and technology companies. Comparable customer segment (UK R&D-active businesses), service line and fee structure (success-based pricing), positioning it as a direct competitor for EmpowerRD's core market.
• Myriad Associates: UK R&D tax credit consultancy serving SMEs and mid-market companies across multiple sectors. Comparable service offering (claim preparation, HMRC enquiry support, technical narrative drafting) and customer profile, making it a direct competitor in the UK R&D advisory space.
• Ayming: Global R&D tax credit and innovation incentives consultancy with significant UK presence. Comparable in targeting UK R&D-active companies and offering full-service R&D advisory, but with broader international footprint and broader innovation-funding service portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• BDO UK: Top-10 UK accounting and advisory firm with an embedded R&D tax credit practice (absorbing ForrestBrown). Comparable in offering R&D claims as part of a broader audit, tax and advisory portfolio, but competes as a full-service incumbent rather than a specialist platform-led player like EmpowerRD.
• Crowe UK: Top-10 UK accounting, tax and advisory firm with an R&D tax credit practice serving SMEs and corporates. Overlaps with EmpowerRD on R&D advisory, but operates as a broad professional services incumbent with cross-sell into audit and corporate finance rather than a tech-led specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@empowerrd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empowerrd/posts/?feedView=all
• Instagraminstagram.com/empower.rd

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EmpowerRD