intelligent

R & D reliefs support companies that work on innovative projects in science and technology . It can be claimed by a range of companies that seek to research or develop an advance in their field . It can even be claimed on unsuccessful projects .

Northern Accountants initially formed a relationship with an R & D tax expert to outsource these services .

However , Ellerby explained that they would end up doing a lot of the work , and it wasn ’ t of great value to the team : “ It was clear that there was a gap in our services that we could offer our clients . There were times when we weren ’ t prepared to submit an R & D claim on behalf of our clients because we didn ’ t believe that what had been produced was factual . Instead , we wanted to provide them with a streamlined R & D process where we could both prepare and submit the claims – without using third parties .”

Then , Northern Accountants came across WhisperClaims during a Mastermind group session . The need for R & D support and automation tools using WhisperClaims ’ R & D platform was clear , and the companies started working together in 2018 .

Revolutionising R & D

The partnership was heightened during the COVID-19 lockdown period , as Northern Accountants recognised that businesses had both more time available and a greater necessity to look into R & D and , as a result , increased the number of claims they were taking on . Ellerby said : “ All of a sudden , we went from doing very little R & D tax to doing an awful lot of it . Now , we have a repeated revenue stream because our clients continue to operate in the R & D sphere and make claims – WhisperClaims has been revolutionary in helping us to be able to deliver this service .”

To date , Northern Accountants has completed more than 100 claims using WhisperClaims ’ platform . When describing the user experience – compared to traditionally outsourcing R & D tax – Ellerby said : “ When we compared the quality of the output we are able to generate with WhisperClaims , in comparison to the claims that we were seeing from some of the rogue providers , we recognised that we are now offering greater quality , something we ' re comfortable in doing , and ultimately , generating a new source of income .”

One of the key benefits of WhisperClaims ’ platform is that it makes the R & D reporting process much easier and more streamlined , as Ellerby explained : “ It really helps us put together the claims that we were always concerned with doing . We can now pull together a report in a quarter of the time that we would spend either typing it out manually or building templates to do it . It ’ s flexible , straightforward and effectively bespoke , but on a systematic basis – as the platform can be tailored to what you need easily .”

The relationship between WhisperClaims and Northern Accountants was another fundamental reason for its partnership , as Ellerby highlighted : “ When I met Mike and the team , there was instant synergy , we clicked and we got on well . The relationship we ' ve got is second to none , they can ’ t do enough for you . We ’ ve got their team ’ s expertise on tap to advise and provide us with the support we need . They ' re there to help protect the R & D legislation and the industry , as well as us .”

In addition to utilising Whisperclaims ’ platform , Northern Accountants has also taken advantage of its complementary services : “ I ' ve had a ‘ full portfolio review ’ on our clients to help us identify opportunities and an ‘ advanced review ’ for those clients to give me a better angle on how to approach them to talk about the key areas and trigger points that they felt would be particularly relevant to the industries they are in . We ’ ve also used the claims review service . Anything that WhisperClaims has done , I ’ ve got involved with because it ' s not only lucrative for the firm , but it ' s also a great valueadd to our clients ,” said Ellerby .

Previous page : Phil Ellerby , Founder of Northern Accountants

ANYTHING THAT WHISPERCLAIMS HAS DONE , I ’ VE GOT INVOLVED WITH BECAUSE IT ’ S NOT ONLY LUCRATIVE FOR THE FIRM , BUT IT ’ S ALSO A GREAT VALUE- ADD TO OUR CLIENTS .