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A self-employed electrician can claim cable, fittings, tools, test equipment, scheme fees, certificate software, van costs and protective gear. In 2026-27, each £100 claimed saves £26 if your profit sits in the basic rate band (outside Scotland).
The test for every cost is the same: was it for your electrical business? If it was partly personal, you claim only the business part. If you want the rules that apply to all trades first, read what expenses a self-employed tradesperson can claim. This page is about the costs that are particular to electrical work, checked against GOV.UK on 16 October 2026.
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Electrician expenses: what usually counts
| Cost | Usually allowable? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cable, back boxes, accessories, consumer units and fittings used on jobs | Yes | Materials for the work you sell |
| Hand tools, power tools, SDS drill, cable rods | Yes | Cash basis: equipment you keep is an expense |
| Multifunction tester, voltage indicator, proving unit | Yes | Equipment, claimed the same way as tools |
| Calibration and repair of test equipment | Yes | Repairs and maintenance of business equipment |
| Competent person scheme fees, such as NICEIC or NAPIT | Yes | Trade body membership related to your business |
| Certificate and quoting software paid by subscription | Yes | Software with a regular licence renewal |
| Public liability and professional indemnity insurance | Yes | Any insurance policy for your business |
| Course on updated wiring regulations or new kit | Yes | Keeps skills you already use up to date |
| Course to retrain into a different trade | No | Training to start a new business is not allowed |
| Safety boots, insulated gloves, overalls only used for work | Yes | Protective clothing |
| Work trousers, hoodies and jeans | No | Everyday clothing, even if only worn on jobs |
| Van running costs | Split | Business share, or 55p a mile instead |
| Mobile phone | Split | Business calls and data only |
| Lunch on a local job, parking fines | No | Meals usually count only on overnight business trips or occasional trips outside your normal pattern; fines are excluded |
Under traditional accounting, tools, test kit and a van are claimed through capital allowances instead. The cash basis is now the standard method for sole traders, so for most electricians the purchase price simply comes off profit in the year you pay. There is more on this in can I claim tools as a business expense.
Scheme fees and certificates
To self-certify electrical installation work in homes instead of getting building regulations approval, electricians join a competent person scheme. The government's list includes Certsure LLP trading as NICEIC, and NAPIT. The yearly fee is a cost of running your trade. So is the software many electricians use to produce their electrical certificates, provided you pay for it as a renewing licence or subscription. A one-off software purchase is claimed as an expense on the cash basis and through capital allowances under traditional accounting.
Your van and travel
Most electricians drive from home to a different job every day or two. HMRC's Business Income Manual says a trader with no fixed place of work, who travels from home to a series of temporary sites, can usually claim that travel. Travel between home and a fixed place of work is not allowed, so if one long job has you at the same site day after day, keep a note of where you worked.
For the van, choose the actual business share of fuel, insurance, servicing and repairs, or the simplified flat rate. For 2026-27 that is 55p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles and 25p after that. You cannot use the flat rate on a van you have already claimed as an expense or through capital allowances. Our guide to claiming your van compares the two.
Where CIS fits for electricians
| Who pays you, for what | CIS deduction? |
|---|---|
| A homeowner, for any job on their own home | No. Householders are not contractors |
| A builder, for wiring a new-build house | Yes. Installing a complete power or lighting system is a construction operation |
| A contractor, for repairs or servicing, or extra sockets on an existing system | No, unless the same contract includes building work such as making good |
| A contractor, for a burglar alarm, security CCTV or a warning-only fire alarm | No. These are excluded, but groundwork for CCTV posts and fire systems linked to sprinklers are included |
| A shop or office owner with no construction business that spent less than £3 million on construction in the last 12 months | No. They are not contractors |
Any CIS taken off your pay is not a cost of the business. It is tax paid in advance and has its own box on your tax return. More on this in does CIS apply to work for homeowners.
What this means for you
Say an electrician in 2026-27 has £45,000 of takings and £8,000 of materials. They also drive 9,000 business miles (9,000 x 55p = £4,950) and spend £1,400 on tools and test kit and £650 on scheme fees and insurance. Those extra costs total £7,000. Profit falls from £37,000 to £30,000, still in the basic rate band. Outside Scotland, that saves £1,400 of Income Tax at 20% and £420 of Class 4 National Insurance at 6%, £1,820 in all. This is an example only.
Steps to claim your electrical expenses
- Keep receipts for every wholesaler order, tool and piece of test kit, and note which jobs the materials went on.
- Keep your scheme renewal, insurance and software invoices together for the year.
- Log business miles from home to each job, or keep fuel and servicing bills if you claim actual costs.
- Work out the business share of your phone and anything else you also use personally.
- Check each cost against the table above, and leave out everyday clothing, food and fines.
- Put each cost into your records when you pay it, so nothing is missing when Making Tax Digital quarterly updates fall due.
Use the free MTD check to find your Making Tax Digital start date, and browse the trades section for more on tax for electricians.
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More for electricians: what CIS covers, the costs you can claim and when Making Tax Digital starts.
Questions people ask
Can an electrician claim a multifunction tester as an expense?
Yes. On the cash basis, the default for sole traders, equipment you buy to keep and use in the business is an allowable expense in the year you pay for it. Calibration and repairs to it count as maintenance of business equipment.
Is my NICEIC or NAPIT fee tax deductible?
Yes, if you are already trading as an electrician. NICEIC (Certsure) and NAPIT are on the government's list of competent person schemes, and GOV.UK allows trade or professional membership related to your business.
Do I pay CIS on domestic rewires for homeowners?
No. HMRC's CIS 340 guide says ordinary householders having work done on their own home are not contractors, so they pay your invoice in full. CIS can apply when a builder or main contractor pays you instead.
Can I claim a course on the latest wiring regulations?
Usually yes. GOV.UK allows training that improves skills you already use in your business or keeps you up to date with technology in your industry. A course to start a different business is not allowed.
Can I claim my work trousers and fleece?
Not if they are ordinary clothes. GOV.UK allows protective clothing, such as safety boots, and overalls used only for work, but not everyday clothing even if you only wear it on jobs.
Sources
- Expenses if you're self-employed, printable guide (GOV.UK)
- Simplified expenses if you're self-employed: Vehicles (GOV.UK)
- Cash basis: How to record income and expenses (GOV.UK)
- Competent person scheme: current schemes and how schemes are authorised (GOV.UK)
- Construction Industry Scheme: a guide for contractors and subcontractors, CIS 340, sections 2.3, A.16 and C.3 (GOV.UK)
- CISR14090: Construction operations: building service systems (HMRC Construction Industry Scheme Reform Manual)
- CISR14160: Construction operations: fire protection systems (HMRC Construction Industry Scheme Reform Manual)
- CISR14290: Construction operations: security systems (HMRC Construction Industry Scheme Reform Manual)
- BIM37670: Accommodation and subsistence: itinerant trades (HMRC Business Income Manual)
- BIM37620: Travel costs to and between sites (HMRC Business Income Manual)
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances (GOV.UK)
- Self-employed National Insurance rates (GOV.UK)
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.
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