CIS Tax Refund Calculator 2026/27: How Much Could You Get Back?

Paid under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS)? Your contractors take 20% off the labour part of your pay (30% if you're not registered) and send it to HMRC as an advance on your tax. That's taken before your Personal Allowance and expenses are counted - so many subcontractors are owed some of it back. Enter your figures for the 2026/27 tax year to estimate yours.

Estimated refund
£0
CIS taken off
£0
Your tax + NI
£0

How a CIS refund works

  1. Each month your contractor takes CIS off the labour part of your invoice - not materials, VAT, plant hire or consumables.
  2. They must give you a payment and deduction statement within 14 days of the end of each tax month (so by the 19th). Keep every one.
  3. After the tax year ends on 5 April, you file your Self Assessment return. Turnover goes in gross (before CIS), your expenses go in, and the total CIS taken goes in the CIS box (box 38 on the short self-employment pages).
  4. HMRC works out your real tax and Class 4 National Insurance, takes off the CIS already paid, and refunds anything extra.

Get it back sooner

You don't have to wait until January. For the 2026/27 tax year you can file online from 6 April 2027. The deadline is 31 January 2028.

Expenses subcontractors often forget

  • Tools and power tools, and repairs to them
  • PPE and workwear - boots, hi-vis, hard hat, gloves
  • CSCS or CPCS card renewals and training for your current trade
  • Public liability and tools insurance
  • Business share of your phone
  • Travel to sites - 55p a mile in your own car or van, plus parking

Every £100 of allowable expenses adds about £26 to a basic-rate refund (20% tax + 6% NI).

Track every payment and statement - see your refund as you go

Our CIS Subcontractor Tax Refund Tracker logs your payments and CIS statements, flags contractors who took CIS off materials or missed a statement, tracks expenses and mileage, and keeps your estimated refund up to date. Excel and Google Sheets.

See the CIS Refund Tracker

Or buy it direct from my own shop - no marketplace fees, so it costs a little less.

Rates for 2026/27 (England, Wales and NI) from GOV.UK: Personal Allowance £12,570, basic rate 20%, Class 4 NI 6% then 2%, mileage 55p/25p. Not included: Scottish tax bands, student loans, the High Income Child Benefit Charge, payments on account or other income. Materials you paid for are counted as an expense. An estimate, not tax advice. Your contractors' statements are the official record. Nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere.

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