CIS returns service for contractors
We check your subcontractors, work out every deduction and have your CIS return ready before the 19th each month. You look it over and send it.
Who does what each month
CIS comes with the same six jobs every month. We do four of them, prepare the fifth for you to send, and the sixth, paying HMRC, stays with you.
The CIS month, and who does each part once we take it over.
| When | What has to happen | Who does it |
|---|---|---|
| Before you pay anyone new | Check them with HMRC | Us |
| When their invoice arrives | Split the labour from the materials | Us |
| Same time | Work out the deduction on the labour | Us |
| Within 14 days of the 5th | Prepare a payment and deduction statement for each subcontractor to pass on | Us |
| By the 19th | CIS return ready for you to check | Us, then you send it |
| By the 22nd | Pay HMRC what you deducted. If the 22nd is a weekend or bank holiday, pay by the working day before | You |
Want CIS itself explained? Read how CIS works, or try the free CIS deduction calculator. If contractors take CIS off your own invoices too, see bookkeeping for subcontractors.
What stays with you
You send the return
We prepare it, check it and hand it to you ready to go. It goes from your HMRC account, so nothing is sent that you have not seen.
You pay HMRC
We tell you the exact amount and the date it must clear by. The money goes from your account, never ours.
You see everything first
Subcontractor statements and the return both come to you before they go anywhere. If a figure looks wrong, we sort it first.
The three most common CIS mistakes, and how we avoid them
Paying someone before checking them with HMRC
Checking a subcontractor with HMRC (verifying them) tells you what rate to deduct. Pay before you check and you can deduct the wrong amount, and any shortfall is yours to pay, not theirs.
We check every new subcontractor before their first payment, and check again anyone who has not been on one of your returns this tax year or in the last two.
Taking the deduction off the wrong amount
The deduction comes off the labour only, never the materials or the VAT. Take too little and HMRC comes to you for the difference.
We split every invoice line by line, and only count materials that have a receipt or invoice behind them.
Forgetting the return in a quiet month
Even if you paid no subcontractors, a return is still due. Nothing reminds you, and a late return is still £100.
We keep track of the quiet months as closely as the busy ones.
We prepare your nil returns too
If you paid no subcontractors in a month, you still need to send a return, or tell HMRC in advance that you are not using CIS for now. This has been required since 6 April 2026, and a late nil return gets the same £100 penalty as any other.
It is easy to miss, because there is no invoice to remind anyone. We track every month, and if you have genuinely stopped using subcontractors, we tell you so HMRC can be told, rather than sending nil returns forever.
How we take it over
We look at where you are
Which subcontractors you pay, who has been checked with HMRC, and which returns have been sent. A few questions cover it.
We start from this month
There is no need to wait for a year end. CIS runs month by month, so when you join we pick up with the next return due.
Anything outstanding is priced separately
If returns are behind, we quote that catch-up work as its own job, not as part of your monthly fee.
Then it is off your plate
Each month you get the statements to pass on, the return to check and send, and the amount to pay.
More than a month or two behind? Our catch-up bookkeeping clears it, with a price agreed before any work starts.
What we do not do
- Send the CIS return to HMRC. We prepare it and you send it, because the declaration is yours.
- Pay HMRC for you. We give you the amount and the date, and you pay from your own account.
- Do your year end accounts or corporation tax. Your accountant does those. They get clean, up to date books, so there is less for them to sort out.
- Claim to be accountants or tax advisers. We are bookkeepers, and you do not need an accountant to have your CIS returns done.
You can have CIS done alongside our monthly bookkeeping, which covers your bank, VAT and the reverse charge in the same fee.
Common questions about CIS returns
How much does it cost to have my CIS returns done?
It depends on how many subcontractors you pay, along with your turnover. You can see your exact monthly price on our pricing page in about a minute, with no email needed.
What do I need to send you each month?
Tell us before you pay anyone new, so we can check them with HMRC first, and make sure their invoices reach us. We see the payments in your books, so there is nothing else to gather.
Can you take over part way through the year?
Yes. CIS runs month by month, so there is nothing to wait for. We pick up from the month you join and prepare the next return due.
What if I am already behind?
We price the catch-up work separately, so you never pay a monthly fee for months we did not cover. The monthly work starts from the month you join, and the missing months are quoted once we have seen what is outstanding.
Do I have to use Xero?
Xero is what we work in. The subscription is in your name, so if you ever leave, you keep your books. If you use something else, tell us and we will talk it through.
How many subcontractors can you handle?
Up to 50 are priced on our pricing page. Above that, we agree the price with you. Each subcontractor is checked, has their deduction worked out and gets a statement, so the number you pay affects the price, along with your turnover.
What happens if HMRC queries a return?
You have the working behind every figure, so a query is easy to answer, and we help you gather what HMRC asks for. Arguing your case with HMRC is a job for an accountant or tax adviser, and we will tell you if it gets to that point.
What if a subcontractor disputes their statement?
The statement shows what was paid, what was deducted and what it was worked out on, so the answer is usually there. If not, we go back to the invoice and correct it if we got it wrong.
What if a return you prepared turns out to be wrong?
We prepare the correction. For CIS you send it; for VAT we file it once you approve it. You see the old figure, the new one and the reason before anything goes to HMRC.
Primary sources and further reading
Everything on this page is drawn from HMRC's own published guidance.
- What you must do as a Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) contractorGOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- Construction Industry Scheme: a guide for contractors and subcontractors (CIS340)HMRC (opens in a new tab)
- Construction Industry Scheme (CIS)GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- Sign in to the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) online serviceGOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- Construction Industry Scheme Reform ManualHMRC (opens in a new tab)
Hand over your CIS returns
When you join, tell us how many subcontractors you pay and where you are up to, and we give you a fixed monthly price. Join the waitlist for 2027.
We pay any HMRC penalty we cause, except on the CIS300, which you submit yourself.