Tax Filed For You

How long HMRC is taking to pay CIS refunds (updated monthly)

By Patrick Roper ACA, ICAEW chartered accountant. Last reviewed 1 November 2026. Figures next checked by 1 December 2026.

Nobody outside HMRC has a reliable figure. HMRC's only published timescale is for limited companies: a response "within 8 weeks". For sole traders the guides read 1 November 2026 quote anything from two to twelve weeks, and HMRC's own guidance to agents is to chase after 40 working days. The one thing every source agrees on is that a return filed in April is paid sooner than one filed in late January. From this desk's first refund onwards, this page will carry its own filed-to-paid days.

What each source says

Every figure below was read on 1 November 2026. None of the firms publishes the data behind its range, so treat them as experience, not measurement.

SourceTimescale quoted
HMRC, limited-company refund guide"We'll usually respond to your claim within 8 weeks." Companies only; no figure is published for sole traders.
HMRC guidance quoted on AccountingWEBChase a repayment once it has been outstanding for 40 working days, which is eight weeks.
RIFT, "When can I claim a CIS refund?"Online claims "often processed within two to six weeks", varying with checks and workload.
TIK-TAX guideTwo to four weeks once HMRC receives the return; paper takes longer.
Pie, "CIS Tax Refunds: A Complete Guide"Four to eight weeks, longer if HMRC runs compliance checks.
Taxfix, CIS refund FAQsSix to twelve weeks, longer for a large rebate.
An accountant on r/LegalAdviceUKFour to twelve weeks, with clients paid in as little as two.

Why the ranges are so wide

  • When you file. HMRC processes returns in roughly the order they arrive. The tax year ends on 5 April; a return filed in April or May joins a short queue. A return filed in the last fortnight before 31 January 2027 joins the longest queue of the year.
  • Whether the figures match. HMRC holds the deductions each contractor reported. If the total on your return matches, the refund is usually automatic. If it does not, a person has to look at it. One accountant on AccountingWEB reported that in 2025 HMRC checked all CIS totals before issuing refunds.
  • Security checks. A proportion of repayment returns are selected for checks, and a selected return can take eight to twelve weeks. There is no published selection rate.
  • The Making Tax Digital trial. In June 2026 an accountant reported a £4,000 2025/26 CIS refund held because the client had been signed up to the MTD trial and the repayment had "passed to the MTD team", with "no timescale" for release. Another reply in the same thread quoted HMRC: it "may need a further 12 weeks after 29 May 2026 to issue your repayment".

What to do about it

  1. File in April or May. The refund arrives weeks earlier and the figures are fresh.
  2. Add up the deductions from the statements, not from memory, so the total matches HMRC's record.
  3. Put your own bank details on the return. A refund to an agent's account adds a step.
  4. If nothing has arrived after eight weeks, chase. Before that, wait.

This desk's own numbers

This desk files its first CIS returns for the 2025/26 year once HMRC's adviser registration is approved. From the first refund paid, this section will show, for each month, how many returns were filed, the median number of days from filing to the money landing in the client's account, and the longest wait. That is a measurement nobody else publishes, and it is why the page is marked "updated monthly". The fee for a return is £249, paid when you approve it with the refund figure shown (£149 if no refund is due); the fee does not change the speed, and no fee anywhere does.

Common questions

Can anyone make HMRC pay faster?

No. HMRC sets its own order of work. A firm that sells a "rapid refund" is advancing you its own money against the refund and charging for the loan; HMRC is not paying any sooner. Filing early and filing accurately are the only two things that shorten the wait.

When should I chase?

After eight weeks, which is the 40 working days HMRC's guidance gives. Before then a phone call rarely changes anything. If HMRC has opened a check on the return, it will write to you; answer that letter rather than phoning.

Why was my 2025/26 refund held when my mate's was paid?

Three common reasons: the deductions on your return did not match what contractors reported, HMRC selected the return for a security check, or, new in 2026, you were signed up to the Making Tax Digital trial and the repayment was routed to a different team. The guide on MTD and CIS refunds covers the third.

See your own number

Three figures from your CIS statements give you an estimate on the page before you give a name. The fee is fixed and HMRC pays the refund to you.

Estimate my refund

Sources