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Trade Tax Specialists

5 articles

CIS Refunds

Practical guides on cis refunds for UK construction subcontractors and contractors.

  • CIS Refunds

    CIS Back Years Tax Refund Guide: How to Claim Up to Four Years of Overpaid Deductions

    Most registered CIS subcontractors overpay tax every year, because the 20% deduction is taken on labour before any expenses or personal allowance are accounted for. HMRC lets you reclaim those overpayments going back four tax years. This guide explains the four-year lookback rule, which years are currently open, the process for unfiled versus amendable returns, the records you need, the claim-by deadlines, the repayment timeline and interest, and works through realistic multi-year examples with real pound figures.

    13 min read

  • CIS Refunds

    CIS Self Assessment: The Complete Guide for Subcontractors (2026/27)

    If you are a sole-trader CIS subcontractor, Self Assessment is how you reconcile the 20% (or 30%) taken from your labour all year against the tax you actually owe, and it is almost always how you get a refund. This guide works through exactly what goes on the return, how the refund is calculated with real pound figures, how a limited company recovers CIS in real time through the EPS instead, the records you need, the deadlines and penalties, the four-year back-claim rule and the Making Tax Digital timeline that now catches subcontractors on gross income.

    11 min read

  • CIS Refunds

    How to Claim Your CIS Tax Refund from HMRC

    CIS deductions are taken from your payments before you see any expenses, personal allowance or business costs, so most registered subcontractors overpay across the tax year and are owed money back. This guide walks through exactly how to reclaim that money, whether you are a sole trader using Self Assessment or a limited company offsetting deductions in real time via the Employer Payment Summary.

    8 min read

  • CIS Refunds

    How Long Does a CIS Tax Refund Take? (2026/27 Timelines)

    Most registered subcontractors overpay CIS across the year because the 20% deduction is taken on labour before expenses and allowances. This guide explains how long the refund pipeline takes from Self Assessment filing to bank credit, what triggers HMRC security checks, why January filers wait longer, and how limited companies can cut the wait entirely using the Employer Payment Summary route.

    7 min read

  • CIS Refunds

    How Much CIS Refund Will I Get? Worked Examples and Real Figures

    Most CIS subcontractors overpay tax every year because the 20% deduction is taken on labour income before any expenses, personal allowance, or National Insurance thresholds are accounted for. The size of your refund depends on four things: your gross CIS income, the deduction rate you were on, your allowable expenses, and any other income you have. This guide works through two full numerical examples, explains the four factors that drive the outcome, and gives you the market average figure with the caveats that matter.

    8 min read
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