How much do CIS tax refund companies charge?

On 16 October 2026, CIS refund firms charged from £99, VAT not stated, to £354 including VAT for a refund return, and claiming it yourself through your Self Assessment tax return is free. Every fee below is dated and sourced.

A CIS refund is not a separate claim. If contractors took more off your pay than you owe, your Self Assessment tax return shows it and HMRC repays the difference. Refund companies prepare and file that return for you, for a fee. You can file it yourself, as our CIS refund guide explains step by step. Our tax plans start once our HMRC registrations are complete. Until then you can join the waitlist, and no payment is taken.

CIS refund fees compared

Each price was checked on the provider's own website on 16 October 2026 and is shown as the provider lists it. Where a firm adds VAT, the including-VAT figure is ours, at 20%. Our prices include VAT.

The firms' fees are fixed, so they are the same for a £500 refund as for a £5,000 one. Baa's page did not say how many tax years one fee covers, so ask. Taxfix also lists two fuller CIS plans at £149 and £349 for new customers, VAT not stated.

How we compare

Our one-off tax return costs £99, including VAT. Our Trades Tax plan costs £35 a month or £350 a year, including VAT, and covers your bookkeeping, four quarterly updates and your tax return. Before you join Making Tax Digital, over-deducted CIS is claimed back through your Self Assessment tax return. Once you are in Making Tax Digital, HMRC adds your CIS deductions to your tax return, and any refund is requested separately through HMRC online services. Either way, the sooner after 5 April the return is filed, the sooner HMRC can repay you.

When a refund firm is the better choice

• You want one return done and nothing else. A refund firm prepares the return once a year.
• You want to pay nothing if no refund is due. RIFT says there is no fee in that case.
• You want part of the money early. RIFT sells an advance, at an extra cost.
• You need to start now. Our tax plans are not open yet.

What this means for you

If your self-employed turnover before expenses came to more than £30,000 in 2025-26, Making Tax Digital (MTD) starts for you on 6 April 2027. You will then send quarterly updates as well as a return, which a once-a-year refund service may not cover. Under MTD, GOV.UK says you cannot claim a refund in the tax return itself. You request it through your HMRC online services account, or your agent does it through theirs.

If a firm asks HMRC to pay your refund to the firm, that is a nomination. The HMRC standard for agents says agents should confirm you can withdraw it at any time before the repayment is made.

Steps to choose

1. Use the free MTD check to see whether and when MTD starts for you.
2. Collect your CIS payment and deduction statements for the tax year.
3. Decide whether you can file the return yourself.
4. If not, compare each firm's fee including VAT, and what reaches you after it.
5. Ask where HMRC will send the refund and how to cancel.
6. If you want your books and returns done all year for a fixed price, see the trades plan and join the waitlist. No payment is taken.