Email script

Asking how the fee is calculated

An email asking for the fee base, the rate, any cap or minimum, the payment timing and a worked example, in writing, so that proposals can be compared on the same basis.

This wording is a starting point, not legal advice. Check your contract before you send it, and take advice if you are unsure.

Download .docxNo sign up. The file carries the same disclaimer and the publisher line.

Subject: Your proposal: how the fee is worked out

Dear [adviser name], Thank you for your proposal for our R&D claim. Before we go further, could you set out in writing how the fee is worked out? In particular: 1. What is the fee a percentage of: the credit as filed, the credit we actually receive, or another amount? If a reduction in tax or an amount carried forward counts, how is it measured? 2. Is there a cap on the fee, or a minimum? If so, what are the figures? 3. When is each part of the fee due? 4. What, if anything, is charged in addition to the fee, and at what rate? 5. If the tax authority reduces the claim after filing, does the fee come down, and is any part refunded? A worked example on a claim of [claim figure], and on half that amount, would help us compare proposals on the same basis. Kind regards, [your name] [your role] [business name]

Replace the highlighted [placeholders] with your own details before you send it.

Before you send

Send this before you sign anything, and send the same email to every adviser you are considering, with the same claim figure, so the answers line up. If the reply refers you to standard terms, ask for the sentence to be written into the engagement letter instead. The fee basis clause and the fee comparison calculator will help you read the answer.

Before you send

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