Is RIFT worth it for a CIS tax refund?

RIFT charged a fixed £354 including VAT for a CIS refund on 16 October 2026, with its tax return included. Claiming yourself is free. Our yearly plan, at £350 including VAT, includes your return.

There is no separate CIS refund form for a sole trader who is still trading. The refund comes from your Self Assessment tax return: your pay before deductions goes in as income, your CIS deductions go in, and HMRC repays anything you overpaid. So what you are paying a refund company for is preparing and sending that return. Our tax plans start once our HMRC registrations are complete. Until then you can join the waitlist, and no payment is taken.

Prices compared

RIFT's prices were checked on its website on 16 October 2026 and are shown as RIFT lists them. Our prices include VAT.

RIFT's fee is fixed, so it is the same whether your refund is £500 or £5,000. Its prices page did not list bookkeeping during the year or a Making Tax Digital service.

A worked example

In our CIS refund guide, a subcontractor with £40,000 of CIS pay and £8,000 of costs in 2026-27 has £2,948.20 repayable.

This is an example only. Your own figures will differ.

When RIFT is the better choice

• You only want one return done, once a year. RIFT works the refund out and files it, and there is nothing to pay if no refund is due.
• You want part of the refund early. RIFT's Rapid Refund pays 50% up front for an extra £150 including VAT.
• You want someone to deal with HMRC's questions. RIFT says it handles enquiries on returns it prepared at no extra cost.

When our service may suit you better

• Making Tax Digital is coming for you. If it starts for you on 6 April 2027, you need quarterly updates as well as a return. Our plan covers the bookkeeping, all four updates and the return for £350 a year, including VAT.
• You want to file early. 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.
• You would rather keep your books right all year than gather a year of statements and receipts in one go.

What this means for you

If your self-employed turnover before expenses came to more than £30,000 in 2025-26, MTD starts for you on 6 April 2027. 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 refund company asks HMRC to pay your refund to it, 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, and should explain their deductions before they start.

Steps to decide

1. Use the free MTD check to see whether and when MTD starts for you.
2. Gather your CIS payment and deduction statements for the tax year.
3. Work out your refund roughly, or use our CIS refund guide.
4. Compare what reaches you after each fee, including VAT.
5. If you use a firm, ask where HMRC will send the refund and what is deducted.
6. If you want your books and returns done for a fixed price, see the trades plan and join the waitlist. No payment is taken.