Claim your CIS refund without the £300 accountant
Keep your books free all year. File Making Tax Digital from £3.99 a quarter. Record your CIS deductions and let HMRC pay back what you overpaid. No monthly subscription.
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You've probably overpaid. Here's why.
CIS takes a flat 20% off your labour before you're paid. It doesn't know your allowance or your expenses, so by the end of the year, most subcontractors are owed money back.
20% taken at source
Your contractor sends 20% of your labour straight to HMRC before you are paid: a flat rate, with no account taken of what you actually owe.
Your tax-free allowance is ignored
The first £12,570 you earn is tax-free, but CIS charges you from the very first pound. That allowance comes back to you when you file.
Your expenses are not counted
Van, fuel, tools, insurance and protective gear all reduce your taxable profit, but none of them are reflected in the 20% taken at source.
From van to refund in four steps
Keep your books free, all year
Log jobs, fuel, tools and materials as you go, from your phone, on site. The income and expenses ledger is free with no subscription.
Record your CIS deductions
Enter each contractor statement: gross paid, materials, and the amount deducted. FileThat submits them to HMRC through the official CIS service.
File your MTD return
Submit your quarterly updates and final declaration. You see every figure before anything is sent to HMRC. Nothing goes without you checking it.
HMRC processes your refund
HMRC nets your CIS deductions against what you actually owe. If you have overpaid (most subcontractors have), your refund is processed after filing.
Keep the £300.
A typical accountant charges £250–£400 to file a CIS return and claim your refund. With FileThat the ledger is free, and you only pay a flat fee when you file, so the refund lands in your pocket, not theirs.
Income & expenses ledger
Free
MTD filing
From £3.99
Monthly subscription
None
Log jobs from your phone
Included
Straight answers
Will I actually get a refund?
It depends on your figures, but most full-time CIS subcontractors overpay through the year and are owed money back. FileThat does not decide the refund. HMRC does, from your return and your CIS deductions. We make sure the numbers going in are complete so you claim everything you are entitled to.
Do I still need an accountant?
For a straightforward subcontractor with CIS income and ordinary expenses, no. Accountants typically charge £250–£400 to file a CIS return and claim the refund. Most of that is data entry and pressing submit. If your affairs are complex, an accountant is still worth it. Filing it yourself does not change the refund; it saves you the fee.
Is FileThat recognised by HMRC?
Yes. FileThat is HMRC-recognised software for Making Tax Digital. CIS deductions are submitted through HMRC's official Construction Industry Scheme service, and your Self Assessment is filed directly to HMRC.
What does it cost?
The income and expenses ledger is free all year. You pay a flat fee per filing (from £3.99), and there is no monthly subscription. You only pay when you actually file.
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