Yes. HMRC's R&D tax credit scheme is valuable, but the cash rarely arrives when you need it. Claims submitted at year-end often take four to six months to process, leaving a confirmed receivable sitting idle while your company needs liquidity. A short-term business loan bridges that gap — you borrow against the known incoming sum and repay when HMRC settles.
Why companies use this approach
- The R&D refund is a near-certain receivable once the claim is filed and accepted
- Waiting months can delay hiring, purchasing equipment, or starting the next development cycle
- Bridging finance aligns cash in with the timing of productive spend, not HMRC's processing queue
Structuring it sensibly
A Credicorp Business Loan suits this well: borrow a fixed sum aligned to the expected refund, set the term to land just after your anticipated HMRC payment date, and repay in one clean sweep. Keep the loan amount conservative — if your accountant expects £80,000 back, do not borrow £80,000; allow for any HMRC enquiry or adjustment that might reduce the figure.
What to have ready
When you apply, being able to share your accountant's R&D claim summary, the submission date, and the expected refund range helps us understand the context. We lend to the company, not against the HMRC claim as formal security — the claim simply informs the repayment logic you present.
We lend only to UK limited companies and LLPs, and the loan is to the company with no director personal guarantee. As business finance outside the consumer-credit regime, it is not covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service or FSCS.
See also: Buying a competitor's assets with short-term business finance, Funding a trade show or exhibition with short-term business finance.