OTR20005 - Orchestra Tax Relief: how to make a claim: claims summary

To make a claim for听补苍additional听deduction and/or a tax credit, a company must carry out three essential steps.

  1. Prepare supporting evidence

The company must prepare the following evidence, which will besubmitted听as attachments to theadditional听information form:

  • a computation showing how the amount ofadditional听deduction and taxcredit has been calculated for eachproduction

  • a breakdown of production expenditure for each production

  • details of any connected party transactions

HMRC has produced templatesthatcompanies can complete andsubmit听to help them with this requirement.

  1. Complete theadditional听information form

This online form must besubmitted听before (or on the same day听as) the companysubmits听its claim in its tax return. The form must match the same accounting period that the company issubmitting听its tax return for, and one form must be used forall of听a company鈥檚 claims forany of the Creative Industries tax reliefs.

The form can only be completed by a representative of the company, or an agent acting on behalf of the company.听

The formcontains听eight sections, of which six must be completed as part of a claim toorchestra tax relief. The supporting evidence must be provided as attachments to the form.

The entire form诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛听all have to be completed in one sitting. If the applicant wishes to pause partway, they can save their answers until they return. Draft versions areretained听for 28 days before deletion.听The 28-day timer resets each time the applicant revisits the form, but forms that have still not been completed after 90 days will be deleted.

The form cannot be amended after it has beensubmitted, so if companies wish to make any changes, the form must be sent again in its entirety. The company must then follow this up by amending its CT600, if it has already been sent.

  1. Submit aCompanyTaxReturn, including a completed CT600

In order to听complete the claim process, the company must make a claim in its CT600 鈥� a form that is part of a company tax return. This involves completing the relevant boxes in the 鈥業nformation about enhanced expenditure鈥� section.听Further guidance is available about the required filing software.

Claims may be made in an original return or via an amended return.听Either way, claims can only be made or amended digitally, through the online Corporation Tax gateway, following the submission of an additional information form. It is not possible to make claims in other formats (e.g.听via email).

If a claim is made in the CT600 but is not supported by a completeadditional听information form and all the necessary supporting evidence, it will be invalid and will not be processed. HMRC will amend the CT600 to remove the claim and make the company aware in writing.听

As this is a Corporation Tax regime, a company must also meet its normal Corporation Tax requirements (such assubmitting听its financial accounts).听

The time limit to make or amend a claim is normally two years from the end of the company鈥檚 period of account (unless the period of account isvery long). Any claim received after this will be considered late.