Five Making Tax Digital (MTD) apps that suit CIS subcontractors cost between £0 and £19 a month, as checked on 16 October 2026. With each one, you keep the records and send the updates yourself.
HMRC's software finder showed only 45 of 171 products ready now for both sole traders and the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) in October 2026, according to our MTD software census. These five are among them. They are do-it-yourself apps. Our service is different: we sort your bank feed, ask you only what we cannot tell, and send your updates and tax return for you after you confirm the figures. Our tax plans start once our HMRC registrations are complete, so for now you can join the waitlist, and no payment is taken.
Want your books sorted?
We sort your books and prepare your quarterly figures. You send them to HMRC yourself with free Making Tax Digital software.
Founding offer on Trades Tax (coming later), first 500 trades clients: £5 a month for your first 3 months, then £35 a month. Cancel any time. We’ll remind you before it changes. Prices include VAT. No payment is taken while you wait.
Are you ready for Making Tax Digital? Check your start date and what to sort first. It’s free and takes a minute.
Prices compared
Every price below was read on the vendor's own website on 16 October 2026, and Simple TaxFlow's again on 17 October after it changed. Only Debbie and Simple TaxFlow said whether VAT applies: Debbie says there is none to add, and Simple TaxFlow adds VAT.
| App | Price as listed | What you get for that | Who sends the updates |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIS Invoice | Free, or Plus at £4.99 a month | Phone app: invoices with the CIS deduction shown, expenses, quarterly and annual submissions, year-end declaration | You |
| Cuppa | Free plan without filing; Pro £6 a month or £59 a year | Web app: income and expenses, bank import; Pro adds sending updates to HMRC | You |
| Debbie | £10 a month or £90 a year, first month free | Web app that sorts bank statement lines, CIS job type, quarterly updates and year-end return | You, after you tap to confirm |
| Simple TaxFlow | £1 + VAT a month for 6 months, then £5 + VAT a month or £50 + VAT a year | Bookkeeping, WhatsApp capture, CIS deduction records, quarterly updates | You, after you approve |
| Kletta | Solo £19 a month list (shown at £9.50); Care £49 list (shown at £14.90) | Receipts, mileage, bank connection; Care adds a bookkeeper who reviews your return | You; its pages describe a review, not filing for you |
Our Trades Tax plan is £35 a month including VAT, or £350 a year including VAT. The founding offer for the first 500 trades clients is £5 a month for your first 3 months, then £35 a month. Cancel any time.
What each approach asks of you
| A free or low-cost app | Our service | |
|---|---|---|
| Recording jobs and costs | You enter or upload them, or sort imported bank lines | We read the bank account you already have |
| Questions about a payment | You decide every category | We ask only about the ones we cannot tell |
| Quarterly updates | You send them | Sent for you after you confirm the figures |
| Tax return | You send it, or pay someone | Prepared and sent for you after you confirm |
| Over-deducted CIS | Tracked; claiming it back, and the separate repayment request once you are in MTD, is up to you | Matched to your statements and counted in your tax return; once you are in MTD, any refund is requested separately through HMRC online services |
| Who deals with HMRC | You | We do, as your agent, once our HMRC registrations are complete |
When an app is the better choice
- You already keep tidy records. If you log every job and receipt as you go, an app turns that into updates for little or nothing.
- Your money is mostly CIS income from one or two contractors. Fewer lines to sort means less work each quarter.
- You want the lowest cost. CIS Invoice's free plan listed the final declaration on 16 October 2026.
- You need to start now. Our tax plans are not open yet.
When our service may suit you better
- You would rather not do the admin at all. An app saves the fee, not the evenings.
- You are often over-deducted. Getting the claim right is part of what we do, including the separate repayment request HMRC asks for once you are in MTD. The sooner after 5 April you file, the sooner HMRC can repay you.
- You have several income streams. Card takings, cash jobs and CIS work together are where sorting takes longest.
- You do not want to deal with HMRC yourself. Once our registrations are complete we deal with HMRC as your agent, and you confirm every figure first.
What this means for you
If your self-employed turnover and rent before expenses came to more than £30,000 in 2025-26, MTD starts for you on 6 April 2027. Your first quarterly update covers 6 April to 5 July 2027 and is due by 7 August 2027. Each missed deadline earns a penalty point, and 4 points means a £200 penalty.
Whichever you choose, check it is on HMRC's software finder for both sole trader and CIS income, and that it can send your tax return as well as the quarterly updates.
Steps to choose
- Use the free MTD check to see whether and when MTD starts for you.
- Count how many hours a quarter your records take now.
- Check the app or service is listed on HMRC's software finder as ready now for sole trader and CIS income.
- Ask how an over-deduction of CIS is claimed back, and who sends your tax return.
- Compare the yearly cost including VAT with what your own time is worth.
- If you would rather hand the work over at a fixed price, see the trades plan and join the waitlist. No payment is taken.
Hold your place on the trades waitlist
We’ll email you when Trades Tax opens, with the founding offer while places last. No payment is taken.
Questions people ask
Is there a free MTD app for CIS subcontractors?
Yes. On 16 October 2026 CIS Invoice's free plan listed quarterly and annual submissions to HMRC and the final declaration, and HMRC's software finder showed it ready now for sole traders and CIS. It is a phone app, and you keep the records and send the updates yourself.
Do these apps file my tax return for me?
No. Each one sends what you have checked and confirmed, or helps you prepare it. None of the five vendor pages we read on 16 October 2026 said a person files your return for you.
Do they claim back over-deducted CIS?
Over-deducted CIS is claimed back through your tax return. Once you are in MTD, GOV.UK says HMRC adds your deductions to the return, but the repayment is requested separately through your HMRC online services account, by you or your agent. CIS Invoice, Debbie, Simple TaxFlow and Kletta all track deductions, but none of their pages we read described that step, so ask before you rely on it.
Why pay for a service when an app is free?
An app saves you the fee but not the time: you still record every job and cost, sort your bank lines and press send four times a year. A managed service is for people who would rather hand that over.
Can I use your service now?
Not yet. Our tax plans start once our HMRC registrations are complete. Until then you can join the waitlist, and no payment is taken.
Sources
- CIS Invoice: Pricing (checked 16 October 2026)
- Cuppa: home page and plans (checked 16 October 2026)
- Debbie: home page, plans and FAQ (checked 16 October 2026)
- Simple TaxFlow: Pricing (checked 17 October 2026)
- Kletta: Sole trader pricing (checked 16 October 2026)
- Kletta: CIS bookkeeping for subcontractors (checked 16 October 2026)
- Find software for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (GOV.UK software finder)
- Find out if and when you need to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (GOV.UK)
- What you must do as a CIS subcontractor: Pay tax and claim back deductions (GOV.UK)
This is general information to help you understand the rules. It isn't tailored to your circumstances, so check your own position before acting on it.
Righto Tax is a trading name of NJG Consultancy Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 16095900. Registered office: Jubilee House, East Beach, Lytham St Annes, FY8 5FT.
What happens next
- Use the free Making Tax Digital checker to see your own start date and deadlines.
- See what Righto Tax for Trades does for you, and join the waitlist.
- Questions about this page? Email hello@rightotax.co.uk.