One 2026 fee guide puts a contractor's tax return at £200 to £500 plus VAT, with CIS one thing that may affect it. Monthly packages that also send your Making Tax Digital (MTD) updates can cost more over a year.
There is no official price list; Accotax calls its figures market ranges, not HMRC-set prices. The figures below come from accountancy firms' own fee guides and price pages, and from ByteStart, a publisher that works with partner firms, all checked on 18 October 2026. They have a commercial interest, so treat the numbers as the going rate, not a quote.
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.
What builders are quoted
| Source and date | What it covers | Price as published | Including VAT at 20% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accotax fee guide, 17 August 2026 | Freelancer or contractor return; CIS named as a price factor | £200 to £500 + VAT | £240 to £600 |
| Sleek fee guide, updated 11 September 2026 | Sole trader return | £200 to £350 + VAT | £240 to £420 |
| ByteStart cost guide, 25 September 2026 | One-off return | £150 to £300, VAT not stated | Not stated |
| ByteStart cost guide | Basic monthly package | £25 to £50 a month, VAT not stated | Not stated |
| Gorilla Accounting, MTD Comply, checked 18 October 2026 | Software, quarterly updates and submitting the year-end tax return | From £49 + VAT, sold as a fixed monthly fee | From £58.80 a month |
| Gorilla Accounting, MTD Complete, checked 18 October 2026 | Adds year-end accounts, VAT returns and help with CIS returns for up to 2 subcontractors; lists construction workers among those it suits | From £79 + VAT, sold as a fixed monthly fee | From £94.80 a month |
Gorilla's page advertises a "Transparent, Fixed Monthly Fee", though its price boxes do not say "a month", so the yearly sums here are our own. Read as monthly, £79 plus VAT comes to £948 a year before VAT, or £1,137.60 with it, well above a one-off return. That package also covers the year-round work.
What drives the price for a builder
Accotax lists CIS among the things that may affect a contractor's fee. In our reading, that is because there is more paper to match up.
| What you have | Why it adds work |
|---|---|
| CIS deductions taken from your pay | A contractor takes 20% if you are registered and they can verify you, 30% if not, or nothing if you have gross payment status. Where it takes a deduction, it must give you a payment and deduction statement within 14 days of the end of each tax month. Every one has to be kept and the deductions totalled for your return. |
| Missing statements | If a contractor has gone out of business, you write to HMRC with the payment dates and the contractor's details. |
| Your own subcontractors | Paying subcontractors makes you a CIS contractor too. You must register, check each one with HMRC, usually make deductions, and file monthly returns. |
| VAT registration | For VAT-registered businesses, the VAT domestic reverse charge applies to most building and construction services reported under CIS, which brings its own VAT rules. |
| Making Tax Digital | Over £50,000 of qualifying income (income before costs) in 2024-25 meant starting on 6 April 2026; over £30,000 in 2025-26 means 6 April 2027; over £20,000 in 2026-27 means 6 April 2028. Quarterly updates are then due every 3 months for each business. |
| Untidy records or late years | Sleek names record quality as a price factor, and says each missed year needs its own records and its own return. |
Fixed fee or a share of your refund
CIS deductions are advance payments towards your tax. GOV.UK says a sole trader records total pay before deductions as income and the total deductions as CIS deductions on their Self Assessment tax return, and HMRC pays back any refund due.
Our CIS refund companies comparison lists dated, fixed fees from refund firms. If a firm quotes a percentage of your refund instead, the bigger your refund, the more you pay for the same return. In our reading, a percentage can feel painless because it comes out of money you have not yet received. GOV.UK reminds you that you do not need an agent to claim a tax refund, that an agent will charge fees for doing it, and that you should check how much they charge and how and when you pay.
Making Tax Digital changes one detail. If HMRC holds your CIS deductions, it adds them to your MTD tax return, and you must check them. GOV.UK says you cannot claim a refund in the MTD tax return itself; you request it through your HMRC online services account, or your agent does it through theirs.
Can you claim the fee back?
Partly. GOV.UK says accountancy fees can be allowable expenses when you hire an accountant only for business reasons, but lists the cost of preparing and submitting your Self Assessment tax return as something you cannot claim. HMRC's manual allows the normal recurring cost of preparing your business accounts. It says the cost of completing a tax return is not allowable, though the extra personal cost is likely to be minimal if your other tax affairs are straightforward. In our reading, if one fee covers both, only the business accounts part counts. The accountancy fees guide goes into this.
What this means for you
In our reading, if you are a subcontractor with one or two contractors, tidy statements and no VAT, a fee near the bottom of the ranges above is realistic, and you can file the return yourself. If you pay your own subcontractors, are VAT-registered or have years to catch up, expect the upper end or a monthly package. Whatever you choose, the figures on your return are still your responsibility, so check them before they go to HMRC.
Steps to get a fair price
- Use the free MTD check to see whether and when MTD starts for you.
- Gather a year of CIS statements and count how many contractors paid you.
- Note whether you pay subcontractors or are VAT-registered.
- Ask at least two firms for a written yearly price, in pounds and including VAT.
- If a firm charges a share of your refund, ask what that comes to in pounds on your likely refund.
- Check the price covers your quarterly updates once MTD starts.
The trades section has more on CIS and MTD for builders. Our tax plans start once our HMRC registrations are complete.
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
How much does an accountant charge a CIS subcontractor for a tax return?
Accotax's 2026 fee guide puts a freelancer or contractor return at £200 to £500 plus VAT, which is £240 to £600 with VAT at 20%, and names CIS as one of the things that affects the price. It is a firm's own guide, not an independent survey.
Is it better to pay a fixed fee or a percentage of my CIS refund?
A fixed fee in pounds is easier to compare. A percentage fee grows with your refund, so the bigger the refund, the more you pay for the same return. GOV.UK says to check how much an agent charges and how and when you pay, so ask for the fee in pounds before you sign.
Can I claim my accountant's fee as a business expense?
Partly. GOV.UK says accountancy fees can be allowable when you hire an accountant only for business reasons, but you cannot claim the cost of preparing and submitting your Self Assessment tax return. HMRC's manual allows the normal recurring cost of preparing your business accounts, but not the cost of completing a tax return.
Do I need an accountant to get my CIS deductions back?
No. A sole trader claims CIS deductions back on their own Self Assessment tax return, and GOV.UK says you do not need an agent to claim a tax refund. Once you are in Making Tax Digital, you request any refund through your HMRC online services account.
Will Making Tax Digital make my accountant cost more?
It can. Once you are in Making Tax Digital, quarterly updates are due every 3 months for each business, on top of the tax return. Gorilla Accounting includes them in its MTD packages; ask any other firm whether its price covers them.
Sources
- What you must do as a CIS subcontractor: Pay tax and claim back deductions (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- What you must do as a CIS subcontractor: Get paid (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- What you must do as a CIS contractor (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- VAT domestic reverse charge for building and construction services (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- Find out if and when you need to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- Use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: Send quarterly updates (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- Use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: Submit your tax return (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- Use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: Help and support (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- Expenses if you're self-employed: Legal and financial costs (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- BIM46450: Professional fees, taxation account and negotiations (HMRC manual, checked 18 October 2026)
- How to choose a tax agent (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- Accotax: How much do accountants charge for tax returns in the UK? (17 August 2026, checked 18 October 2026)
- Sleek: How much do accountants charge for Self Assessment in 2026? (updated 11 September 2026, checked 18 October 2026)
- ByteStart: How much should you pay for an accountant if you're self-employed? (25 September 2026, checked 18 October 2026)
- Gorilla Accounting: MTD packages (checked 18 October 2026)
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.