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Calculating relevant IP losses

A patent box election is usually given effect by allowing a deduction to be made in calculating the profits of the trade for corporation tax purposes. See the Patent box tax regime ― overview guidance note for details. However, it is possible that the result of the calculations performed in arriving at the relevant IP profits is negative. This figure is known as a relevant IP loss. In these circumstances, there are no profits from which the deduction can be made to give effect to the reduced patent box rate of corporation tax.

A company which has not already elected into the patent box regime is unlikely to make such an election for the first time during a loss making period. This is because the losses can only be relieved in a certain way (see below), which is more restrictive than other types of losses, such as trading losses. For example, a standalone company will only be able to relieve the patent box losses against patent box profits, thereby obtaining