How do I check the status of my CIS refund?

For a 2025-26 refund, sign in to your HMRC online account and look for a refund shown as pending or as credit. If nothing has arrived 14 weeks after you claimed, call the Self Assessment helpline on 0300 200 3310.

As a sole trader, your Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) refund is worked out in your Self Assessment, so you check its status through your Self Assessment, not through your contractors. This page covers where to look and who to call. For how long a refund usually takes, see how long a CIS refund takes.

Where to check

What the status means

GOV.UK says that while HMRC processes your refund, it may still show as available credit in your account. A refund marked "pending" has been created but still needs to be approved and paid. Neither one means something has gone wrong.

If you got a submission reference when you asked for the refund, do not ask again. GOV.UK says doing so could cause a delay.

If your refund is missing altogether, check whether you asked for it. If you did not claim it on your tax return, GOV.UK says you claim it through your online account instead.

The helplines, as GOV.UK lists them

These details were checked on GOV.UK on 16 October 2026.

HMRC's digital assistant can also help with requesting a refund, and can pass you to a webchat adviser if one is free. The CIS helpline warns that it may ask security questions, and that you could fail them if your personal details and address are out of date in your personal tax account. Update them before you call.

What this means for you

Start online. Keep the phone for when the account shows nothing useful and the normal wait has passed. GOV.UK says refunds usually arrive within 2 weeks, that security measures can add up to 12 more weeks, and to contact HMRC if you have not been paid after 14 weeks in total.

If HMRC is questioning your deductions rather than the payment, the CIS helpline is the better call. A contractor who did not report you properly is a different problem. See what to do if your contractor has not paid your CIS deductions to HMRC.

Steps to check your CIS refund

1. Sign in to your HMRC online account. If you file Self Assessment online, use the Self Assessment section. Otherwise use your personal or business tax account.
2. Look for a refund marked pending, or an amount shown as available credit.
3. If no refund has been asked for, choose "Request a Repayment" in the Self Assessment account, or "Claim a tax refund" in a personal or business tax account.
4. Note the date you asked. If you have a submission reference, do not ask again.
5. If you wrote to HMRC, use the reply-time tool to see how long replies are currently taking.
6. If you have not been paid 14 weeks after asking, call the Self Assessment helpline with the details below to hand.

What to have ready before you call

• Your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) and National Insurance number.
• The date you filed, and any submission reference.
• The refund amount shown on your tax calculation.
• Your monthly CIS payment and deduction statements, in case the adviser asks about a deduction.
• The UK bank account you gave. GOV.UK says HMRC pays refunds only into UK bank accounts, and if you paid by card it tries that card first.

Treat any email about a refund as suspicious. GOV.UK says HMRC does not send details of tax refunds by email.

Under Making Tax Digital

If you are not already using Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD) and your 2025-26 qualifying income was over £30,000, it starts for you on 6 April 2027. HMRC then adds the CIS deductions it holds to your MTD tax return, for you to check, and any refund is requested separately through HMRC online services. So the status check starts in the same place: your HMRC online services account. The free MTD check shows your start date, and the trades section explains how we keep CIS deductions matched to your statements.