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Trade Tax Specialists

2 articles

Expenses

Practical guides on expenses for UK construction subcontractors and contractors.

  • Expenses

    Vans, Tools and Equipment: Capital Allowances for Trades 2026/27

    Capital allowances are how the tax system gives you relief for the big kit: the van, the mini digger, the scaffold tower, the jetting unit. For 2026/27 the rules moved. Finance Act 2026 cut the main-rate writing down allowance from 18% to 14% and introduced a new 40% first-year allowance, while the £1 million Annual Investment Allowance and the 6% special rate are unchanged. This pillar guide works through the full 2026/27 toolkit for construction trades: what counts as capital rather than a day-to-day expense, how the AIA, the new 40% FYA and the pools interact, buying versus leasing a van, the mileage-rate trap, tools and plant, the drainage question, what happens when you sell an asset, and how all of it feeds a CIS subcontractor's refund.

    14 min read

  • Expenses

    Expenses CIS Subcontractors Can Claim: the 2026/27 Guide

    CIS subcontractors overpay tax because deductions are taken at 20% on the labour element of every payment before any expenses are accounted for. Claiming every allowable expense is how most of that overpayment turns into a refund. This guide covers the full construction-specific expense map for 2026/27, including the new 55p mileage rate, tools and PPE, materials, subsistence on site, and the trades-by-trade breakdown.

    15 min read
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