One 2026 fee guide puts a sole trader's tax return at £200 to £350 plus VAT. Decorating for homeowners has no CIS, but work for builders does, so who pays you shapes the price.
There is no official price list; Accotax calls its figures market ranges, not HMRC-set prices. The figures below come from 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 them as the going rate, not a quote.
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What decorators are quoted
| Source and date | What it covers | Price as published | Including VAT at 20% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleek fee guide, updated 11 September 2026 | Sole trader return | £200 to £350 + VAT | £240 to £420 |
| Accotax fee guide, 17 August 2026 | Basic return: one or two income sources, organised information | £150 to £300 + VAT | £180 to £360 |
| Accotax fee guide, 17 August 2026 | Freelancer or contractor return; CIS named as a price factor | £200 to £500 + VAT | £240 to £600 |
| ByteStart cost guide, updated 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 the tax return; lists construction workers and non-VAT registered businesses among those it suits | 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 | From £79 + VAT, sold as a fixed monthly fee | From £94.80 a month |
Sleek says a single self-employed income stream with clean bookkeeping usually lands around £200 to £250, and that using cloud accounting software all year pulls the fee down by £50 to £100.
What drives the price for a decorator
CIS 340 says painting and decorating is a construction operation, and HMRC's manual adds varnishing and French polishing of fixed woodwork. Whether anything is deducted depends on who pays you.
| What you have | Why it adds work |
|---|---|
| Homeowner jobs | CIS 340 names decoration as work an ordinary householder can have done on their own home without being a contractor. You are paid in full, so there are no statements to match. |
| Shops, offices and other businesses | A business outside construction that spent less than £3 million on construction work in the previous 12 months is not a contractor, so it also pays you in full. |
| Work for builders and developers | 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 statement within 14 days of the end of each tax month. This still applies when the builder is working for a homeowner. |
| Paint and paper you supply | Contractors do not deduct from materials you paid for directly, but may ask for receipts. In our reading, a labour-only decorator has the deduction taken from the whole labour price. |
| VAT registration | You must register once taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or if you expect it to in the next 30 days alone. In our reading, paint you charge for counts as well as your labour. A VAT Return is usually due every 3 months, and the domestic reverse charge applies to standard or reduced-rated CIS work for a VAT-registered customer that has not said in writing it is an end user or intermediary. |
| 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 says disorganised records or missing receipts add £100 to £300, and puts each missed year at £150 to £400 plus VAT. |
Fixed fee or a share of your refund
If all your work is for homeowners and businesses outside construction, no CIS is taken, so there is no CIS refund to share. If builders do take deductions, GOV.UK says you record pay before deductions as income and the deductions as CIS deductions on your tax return, and HMRC pays back any refund due.
Once you are in Making Tax Digital, HMRC adds the CIS deductions it holds to your MTD tax return for you to check. You cannot claim a refund in that return; you request it separately through your HMRC online services account. GOV.UK says you do not need an agent to claim a tax refund. A percentage fee grows with your refund, so ask for it in pounds. Our CIS refund companies comparison lists dated, fixed fees.
Can you claim the fee back?
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. It says the cost of completing a tax return is not allowable. In our reading, if one fee covers both, only the business accounts part counts.
What this means for you
In our reading, if you mostly decorate homes, are not VAT registered and keep trade counter receipts in software through the year, a fee near the bottom of the ranges above is realistic. If you also work for builders under CIS, are VAT registered or have years to catch up, expect the upper end or a monthly package that covers VAT returns. Either way, the figures on your return are your responsibility.
Steps to get a fair price
- Use the free MTD check to see whether and when MTD starts for you.
- Split last year's work into homeowner jobs, business customers and jobs paid by builders.
- Gather any CIS statements, and count how many contractors paid you.
- Match paint and paper receipts to the builder jobs where you supplied materials.
- Note whether you are VAT registered, or how close paint and labour together bring you to £90,000.
- Ask at least two firms for a written yearly price in pounds, including VAT, that says whether quarterly updates are covered.
See what decorators can claim, the best MTD software for decorators and how to sign up for MTD as a decorator. The trades section has more guides.
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Questions people ask
How much does an accountant charge a decorator for a tax return?
Sleek's 2026 fee guide puts a sole trader return at £200 to £350 plus VAT, which is £240 to £420 with VAT at 20%. Accotax puts a freelancer or contractor return at £200 to £500 plus VAT, and names CIS as a price factor. These are firms' own figures, not an independent survey.
Does CIS apply to painting and decorating?
Yes, when a contractor pays you. CIS 340 says painting and decorating is a construction operation. A homeowner having their own home decorated is not a contractor, and nor is a business outside construction that spent less than £3 million on construction work in the previous 12 months.
Is CIS taken from the paint I supply?
No. GOV.UK says contractors will not take CIS deductions from materials you have paid for directly. They may ask for evidence such as receipts, and if you have none they will estimate the cost of the materials.
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.
Should I pay a fixed fee or a share 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.
Sources
- Construction Industry Scheme: a guide for contractors and subcontractors (CIS 340), sections 2.3, 3.12, 3.13, A.18, C.2 and C.3 (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- CISR14250: The Scheme: construction operations: painting or decorating (HMRC manual, 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 subcontractor: Pay tax and claim back deductions (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)
- 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)
- Register for VAT: When to register for VAT (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- Sending a VAT Return: When to do a VAT Return (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- Check when you must use the VAT domestic reverse charge for building and construction services (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- Expenses if you're self-employed: Legal and financial costs (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- BIM46450: Specific deductions: 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? (updated 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
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