The R&D project runs in Paylists, so the evidence is already there
Most businesses only start collecting R&D evidence at year end, trying to remember what was done. Paylists collects it as the project runs.
- 01As the project runsRun the projectEvidence is captured as you work: stages and gates, timeline, timesheets, costs, documents and cash flow.Your team
- 02As the project runsLister prepares answersBased on your data while checking external sources.Your team
- 03As the project runsManage your R&D recordWithin Paylists, as a basis to R&D tax relief.Your team
- 04At claim timeCompetent professional opinionWhy a competent professional in the field could not readily resolve the uncertainties.External expert
- 05At claim timeTax advisor checksYou can enable a tax advisor login to Paylists to checks your data.External expert
Paylists is a complete project management solution for R&D
Run the whole project in Paylists, not only the R&D record. Stages and gates, timeline, staff and timesheets, purchasing, documents and cash flow sit on the same project.
Explore project management →- 01Project stage gateStages, gates and tasks→
- 02TimelineGantt chart and scheduling→
- 03Assignment staff and timesheetWho works on what, and the hours they log
- 04Purchasing and cost controlPurchase orders and supplier bills→
- 05Document managementFiles kept on the project
- 06Project cashflowWhat’s coming in and going out→
Manage your R&D record within Paylists
As a basis to R&D tax relief.
An advance in science or technology
What advance was sought, and why it is an advance for the field rather than only for your company
✓ A review of the current state of knowledgePre-2025 published work already described passive fibre-to-chip alignment, with predicted misalignment below 2 μm and added loss below 1 dB [S5]. These concern different coupling structures and do not establish the performance of our adhesive-cure and datum process. No published work found directly resolving the combined effects of adhesive-cure shrinkage, datum tolerance and post-cure optical drift.R&D that started before you realised it was R&D
Work often begins in a sales, investment or internal project, or as a regular task, before anyone calls it R&D. It can become part of your R&D tax relief claim as long as you can explain it.
In Paylists, assign the task or work package to your R&D project and add why it is R&D. Lister AI checks the reason, and it becomes R&D evidence. The work continues in its original project, and the R&D project shows it with its costs.
Lister AI ✓ Reason linked to the technological uncertainty in R-00003.| Feasibility study | £12,400 |
| Prototype build | £38,900 |
| Sensor housing redesignAssigned from P-00027 · continues there | £6,750 |
| Total R&D cost | £58,050 |
Enable your competent professional to log in Paylists and give their opinion
Why a competent professional in the field could not readily resolve the uncertainties.
- 01Is your experience in the field of science or technology directly relevant to the issues in this project?
- 02Do you know what the baseline level of knowledge or capability was in the field, at the time this project started?
- 03Can you identify work seeking an advance in overall knowledge or capability in the field?
- 04Can you identify an advance in overall knowledge and capability the project is trying to achieve?
- 05Was there any scientific or technological uncertainty in this project?
- 06Can you identify work that was done to resolve the scientific or technological uncertainty?
- 07Has work trying to resolve the uncertainty finished?
- 08Can you identify when each uncertainty was resolved or abandoned?
Enable your R&D tax relief advisor to log in Paylists and check your data
- The current state of knowledge✓
- Which uncertainties need to resolve✓
- Steps to take to resolve them✓
- Advance in science or technology✓
- Team and expertise✓
- Competent professional✓
- Technical eligibility for R&D tax relief✓
- Claim readiness✓
Best for all sectors
Questions about R&D projects
Does Paylists submit my R&D tax relief claim?
No. Paylists holds the project and the R&D record, and Lister AI prepares answers from it. You or your R&D tax relief advisor make the claim.
Which questions does Lister AI help answer?
The current state of knowledge, which uncertainties need to be resolved, the steps taken to resolve them, the advance in science or technology, and team and expertise.
Where does Lister AI get its information?
From your project and its documents in Paylists, checked against external sources: OpenAlex, Europe PMC, PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, arXiv, Crossref, OSTI, NASA NTRS, CORE and NIST. Answers show the sources they rely on.
Why does the project need to run in Paylists?
Paylists collects R&D evidence as the project runs, so you don’t have to reconstruct it at year end. Lister AI works from the project record: stage gates, timeline, staff and timesheets, purchasing and costs, documents and cash flow. The more of the project is in Paylists, the more Lister AI has to draw on.
Can my competent professional give their opinion in Paylists?
Yes. You can enable your competent professional to log in to Paylists and answer questions on the uncertainties and why a competent professional in the field could not readily resolve them.
Can my R&D tax relief advisor see the record?
Yes. You can enable your R&D tax relief advisor to log in to Paylists and check your data. More for R&D tax advisors
Which sectors is it for?
All sectors, including life sciences, biotechnology, medtech, agritech, AI and robotics, software, space, aerospace and defence, cleantech and energy, semiconductors and photonics, engineering, manufacturing and construction.
Can R&D that started before you realised it was R&D count?
Yes. Work that began before you identified it as R&D can become part of your R&D tax relief claim as long as you can explain it. In Paylists you assign the task or work package to your R&D project and add why it is R&D. Lister AI checks the reason, and the work and its costs show in the R&D project while it continues in its original project.