One 2026 fee guide puts a contractor's tax return at £200 to £500 plus VAT, with CIS one thing that may affect it. If you are VAT registered, a package that also files your VAT returns costs more.
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 them 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 electricians 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, updated 25 September 2026 | One-off return | £150 to £300, VAT not stated | Not stated |
| ByteStart cost guide | Monthly package with VAT and support | £50 to £100+ a month, VAT not stated | Not stated |
| Gorilla Accounting, MTD Comply, checked 18 October 2026 | Quarterly updates and the tax return; listed as ideal for non-VAT registered businesses | 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 |
Gorilla lists VAT-registered businesses among those MTD Complete suits, so if you are registered, compare that package, not the entry one.
What drives the price for an electrician
| What you have | Why it adds work |
|---|---|
| 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. A VAT Return is usually due every 3 months, kept and filed through software under Making Tax Digital for VAT. |
| The reverse charge on site work | On standard and reduced rate CIS work for a customer registered for VAT and CIS, the domestic reverse charge applies unless they tell you in writing they are an end user or an intermediary supplier. A homeowner gets a normal VAT invoice. One quarter can hold both. |
| CIS statements | Each contractor that takes a CIS deduction must give you a payment and deduction statement within 14 days of the end of each tax month, and the deductions are totalled for your return. |
| Site work and domestic work mixed | CIS 340 says private householders are not contractors, but a builder paying you for covered work on a householder's job must operate CIS. See which electrical jobs are in CIS. |
| Materials, tools, test kit and the van | On the cash basis, equipment you keep for the business is an allowable expense; with traditional accounting it goes through capital allowances. Keep the receipts. |
| 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 contractors take CIS deductions, GOV.UK says you record pay before deductions as income and the deductions as CIS deductions on your Self Assessment 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, and any refund is requested separately through HMRC online services, so it is not paid automatically. A percentage-of-refund fee grows with your refund, so the bigger the refund, the more you pay for the same return. GOV.UK says you do not need an agent to claim a tax refund, and to check how much an agent charges and how and when you pay. 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, 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.
Your scheme fee is separate. GOV.UK allows trade body or professional organisation membership related to your business, but does not name competent person schemes such as NICEIC or NAPIT; the trade scheme fees guide explains how they are judged.
What this means for you
In our reading, if you are not VAT registered and work mostly for householders, a fee near the bottom of the ranges above is realistic. If you are VAT registered, mix site and domestic work, or have statements from several contractors, expect the upper end or a monthly package that includes VAT returns. Either way, the figures on your returns are your responsibility.
If you would rather hand it over, our Trades Tax plan is £35 a month 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. We'll remind you before it changes. Our VAT returns add-on for trades is £10 a month including VAT. Our tax plans start once our HMRC registrations are complete. Until then you can join the waitlist, and no payment is taken.
Steps to get a fair price
- Use the free MTD check to see whether and when MTD starts for you.
- Note whether you are VAT registered, or how close you are to £90,000.
- Sort a year of jobs into CIS work for contractors and direct work for householders, and gather your CIS statements.
- Ask at least two firms for a written yearly price in pounds, including VAT, that says whether VAT returns are covered.
- Check the price covers your quarterly updates once MTD starts.
The trades section has more on CIS, VAT and MTD.
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 an electrician 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.
Will being VAT registered make my accountant cost more?
It usually adds work. GOV.UK says you usually send a VAT Return every 3 months, and Making Tax Digital for VAT requires every VAT-registered business to keep digital records and file VAT Returns using software. Gorilla Accounting puts VAT returns in its higher MTD Complete package, not its entry one.
Do I charge VAT on a rewire for a homeowner?
If you are VAT registered, yes, in the normal way. HMRC's technical guide says the reverse charge does not apply to a private domestic customer, because they will not be VAT registered. It applies to standard and reduced rate CIS work for a customer registered for VAT and CIS, not to zero-rated work, unless they tell you in writing that they are an end user or an intermediary supplier.
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.
Is my competent person scheme fee an allowable expense?
GOV.UK lists trade body or professional organisation membership as allowable if it is related to your business. It does not name competent person schemes, so in our reading a scheme fee you pay only to carry on your trade is judged by the usual test: was it paid only for the business?
Sources
- Use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: Submit your tax return (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- Register for VAT: When to register (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- VAT Notice 700/22: Making Tax Digital for VAT (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- Submit a VAT Return (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- VAT domestic reverse charge for building and construction services (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- VAT domestic reverse charge technical guide (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- Construction Industry Scheme: a guide for contractors and subcontractors (CIS 340), sections 2.3 and C.2 (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 subcontractor: Pay tax and claim back deductions (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)
- Expenses if you're self-employed: Office, property and equipment (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026)
- Expenses if you're self-employed: Subscriptions (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? (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
- 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.