HMRC has provided information on the number of companies claiming corporation tax relief within the Patent Box scheme and the value of projected claims for the year 2022-23.
Key points to show the value of Patent Box to innovative business in the UK
Projected Patent Box claims 2022-23 – compared to previous year
Projected claims in the tax year 2022-23
25% were classified as ‘Large’, but these companies accounted for most of the relief claimed (94%).
Over half (55%) of the companies were in the Manufacturing and Professional, Scientific and Technical sectors.
Figures for Finance and Insurance have been suppressed this year to meet confidentiality requirements
The number of companies electing in to Patent Box varies significantly across UK regions, with the highest number in the South East (15%) and the lowest, for which data is available, in the North East (1%). There is also significant regional variation in the value of relief claimed, companies in London claimed the largest amount of relief (48%).
*SMEs defined as micro, small and medium by HMRC The statistics published here for 2022-23 will be updated based on a complete set of data in the next annual release (Autumn 2025). The projections have been made based on the amount of claims that have been made so far, and the previous’ years data of the amount of claims that are usually made later on.
SMEs are receiving a tiny percentage of the value of the Patent Box scheme. The stand out statistic is that 94% of tax relief is claimed by large companies.
R&D is a good indicator of a company’s potential for a Patent Box claim – it’s a conversation that every R&D tax relief claimant should be having.
I still feel concerned about the stark contrast in value and uptake between the R&D and Patent Box schemes.