A research and development tax rebate specialist says she is seeing an increase in enquiries as firms look to save money during the coronavirus crisis.

Darina Ward, who runs R&D tax reclaim specialist Growthviser, near Ulverston, said nine-out-of-ten British businesses could be eligible for a tax reclaim, but only a fraction of these apply.

"Businesses have typically not known such reclaims are possible,” she said.

“If they have heard of the rebate, they have tended to assume that innovation revolves around test-tubes and new inventions. In reality, the definition of innovation is broad, encompassing areas including new products, process and quality improvements, project management and software development. Now, with all the focus that we have seen about business support during coronavirus, more businesses, of all shapes and sizes, are seeing what a financial benefit a tax reclaim could be and accountants are beginning to talk about it. That is leading a wide variety of businesses, from innovative farmers to manufacturers, to my door."

Growthviser can assess what costs are eligible for a tax reclaim for a business and submit a claim to HMRC.

Companies it has worked with include Lake District Farmers, near Ulverston, and Kendal Nutricare.

Up to 33 pence in the pound can be reclaimed and a claim can go back two accounting periods.

The repayment is either a cash sum, or a reduction in the business’s Corporation Tax bill.