The Patent Box

The Patent Box enables companies to apply a lower rate of Corporation Tax to profits earned after 1 April 2013 from its patented inventions and certain other innovations.

The relief was phased in from 1 April 2013. The lower rate of Corporation Tax applied is 10 per cent.

Qualifying companies

You can only benefit from the Patent Box if your company:

• is liable to Corporation Tax
• makes a profit from exploiting patented inventions

Your company must own or exclusively license-in patents granted by the:

• UK Intellectual Property Office
• European Patent Office
• following European Economic Area countries: Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden

Qualifying patent rights

For an intellectual property right to be a 'qualifying right', your company must also meet the development condition in relation to the patent. This means that your company must make a significant contribution to either:

• the creation or development of the patented invention
• a product incorporating the patented invention

Find out more about Corporation Tax: the Patent Box.