# STERLING — Tax & R&D Intelligence **Platform:** SME Growth Team by SME Growth Team / BRG Intelligence **Category:** Intelligence & Research **URL:** https://smegrowthteam.com/products.html#sterling **Pricing:** Included in Scale plan --- ## What STERLING Does STERLING is an AI tax intelligence agent that identifies R&D-eligible clients and scores their credit recovery potential. Running daily at 6:30am, STERLING scans the client portfolio for companies with qualifying R&D expenditure, assigns an `rd_eligible` score, and drafts Leyton referral briefs for high-scoring clients. STERLING monitors HMRC R&D credit threshold changes and feeds compound intelligence patterns across client sectors — so when one company in a sector qualifies, STERLING looks harder at every other company in the same sector. --- ## How It Works 1. Runs at 6:30am daily against all clients in the portfolio 2. Scores each client: `rd_eligible: HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW / NOT_ELIGIBLE` 3. Drafts referral briefs for HIGH-scoring clients with estimated credit recovery value 4. Routes HIGH clients to the BRG–Leyton partnership for formal R&D credit claims 5. Monitors HMRC announcements for R&D credit threshold changes — flags immediately when eligibility criteria change --- ## Schedule - Daily at 6:30am --- ## R&D Credit Schemes Covered ### RDEC (Research and Development Expenditure Credit) For large companies and SMEs that have received state aid. A taxable above-the-line credit. ### SME R&D Relief Enhanced tax deduction for small and medium-sized businesses. Companies can deduct an extra 86% of qualifying R&D costs from their annual profit. ### ERIS (Enhanced R&D Intensive Support) 27% credit for loss-making, R&D-intensive SMEs. Companies spending 30%+ of total expenditure on R&D qualify. **AIF (Autumn Integration Framework) deadline applies — STERLING flags urgency.** --- ## The BRG–Leyton Partnership BRG partners with **Leyton** — the UK's leading R&D tax specialist — for credit recovery. When STERLING identifies a HIGH-eligible client: 1. STERLING drafts the referral brief (sector, estimated qualifying spend, rationale) 2. BRG introduces the client to Leyton 3. Leyton manages the full HMRC claim process 4. **Introducer fee: 15% of Leyton's recovery fee** — payable to BRG on successful claim Leyton's standard success fee is approximately 25% of credits recovered. BRG earns 15% of that fee as introducer. Clients receive the remaining credits with no upfront cost. --- ## Who Qualifies for R&D Credits? More UK SMEs qualify than realise. STERLING looks for: - **Software development** — custom platforms, automation, AI tools - **Manufacturing process improvement** — new materials, methods, tooling - **Engineering projects** — novel solutions to technical uncertainty - **Construction technology** — new structural approaches, materials testing - **Healthcare and biotech** — clinical tools, diagnostic systems - **Agriculture and food tech** — new growing methods, processing innovation - **Any business solving a problem that wasn't solved before** HMRC's test: is your company resolving scientific or technological uncertainty? If yes, you may qualify. --- ## What STERLING Cannot Do STERLING identifies eligibility and routes to Leyton. STERLING does not file R&D claims directly. All formal HMRC submissions are handled by Leyton's specialist team. --- ## Compound Intelligence STERLING feeds sector-level R&D patterns into the SME Growth Team compound intelligence loop. When a recruitment technology company qualifies, STERLING increases the scoring sensitivity for all other recruitment tech clients. Cross-sector learning accelerates identification. --- ## Pricing - **Scale plan:** Included (£499/month — full agent stack) No long-term contracts. Cancel anytime. --- ## Get Started **Apply:** https://smegrowthteam.com/apply.html **Full product catalogue:** https://smegrowthteam.com/products.html **R&D eligibility enquiry:** hello@smegrowthteam.com --- ## Contact Craig Attoh — Founder, BRG Intelligence hello@smegrowthteam.com https://smegrowthteam.com