HMRC has stopped its payment of some research and development (R&D) tax credits while it investigates irregular claims.

That majority of R&D tax credit claims will not be affected, but claimants are warned there will be delays to the usual processing times while HMRC tries to prevent abuse of the relief.

An HMRC spokesperson said:

"We have paused some development tax credit payments while we investigate some irregular claims.

"The majority of R&D relief claims are unaffected but there will be some delays to our usual processing times. This is to ensure we prevent abuse of the relief".

HMRC has also requested that claimants do not contact the R&D helpline or mailbox to chase their claims.

Agents and companies should review their online accounts for updates on the status of their claims.

The tax authority also reminded claimants to complete all aspects of the R&D section of the corporation tax return (CT600).

Submitting additional information to support any claim, such as an R&D report, will also help HMRC process claims quicker.

Talk to us about your R&D claim.