What you keep from a £2,000 CIS refund: every firm's fee compared
On a £2,000 refund you keep £2,000 if you file the return yourself, £1,280 at a firm charging 36%, and somewhere between £1,646 and £1,961 at the fixed-fee firms, depending on which one. Our fee is £249, paid when you approve the return, so you keep £1,751. The table shows every price found on 1 November 2026, with its conditions.
The table
Prices are as published on each firm's own site on 1 November 2026. Where a firm quotes before VAT, the VAT-inclusive figure is in brackets, because that is what you pay. "Keep" is £2,000 less the fee, rounded to the pound.
| Who files it | Fee | You keep | Conditions on the page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yourself, through HMRC | £0 | £2,000 | Self Assessment is free. HMRC pays the refund to your bank account. |
| Hayes Chartered Certified Accountants | £39 including VAT | £1,961 | Flat fee stated in its 2026 CIS guide. |
| Tax2u | From £99 plus VAT (£118.80) | £1,881 | "From" price; the page does not say what moves it up. |
| Taxfix | £99 to £169, conditions apply | £1,831 to £1,901 | The £99 is a new-customer, annual-plan price; the plan card shows £169. VAT treatment not stated on the page. |
| Tax Filed For You | £249, no VAT added | £1,751 | Paid when you approve the return with the £2,000 figure in front of you. £149 if a return shows no refund is due. |
| Taxpro | £220 plus VAT (£264) | £1,736 | Nothing upfront. |
| Baa Accounting (formerly Brian Alfred) and Caroola | £229 plus VAT online (£274.80), £259 plus VAT by post | £1,725 | Both sites quote the same two prices, to consumers, before VAT. |
| Danbro | From £249 plus VAT (£298.80) | £1,701 | Fee deducted from the refund, per its page. |
| RIFT | £354 including VAT | £1,646 | Its CIS page and price list say £354; its homepage showed £330 on 3 November 2026. A "rapid refund" option is listed by a comparison site at £125 plus VAT more, which would leave £1,496. |
| Sorted Refunds | 36% of the refund, VAT included | £1,280 | Its own worked example: £2,168 refund, £780 fee. |
Three things the price does not tell you
- Where the money goes. HMRC pays a refund to whichever bank account is on the return. Some firms put their own account on it and pay you the balance. Ask, before you sign anything, whether the refund comes to you.
- Who signs. A return carries the name of the agent who filed it. If that is a company rather than a person, nobody individually answers for the expenses claimed on it. HMRC can ask you about them for years afterwards.
- What the fee is tied to. A percentage fee grows with the refund, which is why the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group warns about it. A fixed fee is the same whatever the number.
What the advertising rules require
Since May 2024 the Advertising Standards Authority's enforcement notice, issued jointly with HMRC, says that adverts for tax-refund services must not leave out the fee, must not hide the fact that refunds can be claimed direct from HMRC for no fee, and must not suggest HMRC approval. Linked pages count as part of the advert. Several of the pages above quote prices to consumers before VAT; one gives three different "typical refund" figures. The rule this desk works to is shorter: every fee on the page, the refund paid to you, and a named chartered accountant on the return.
Where this desk sits
Mid-table on price. Hayes and Tax2u are cheaper. What you are paying £249 for is a return prepared and filed by an ICAEW chartered accountant whose name is on it, a fee that is paid only when you have approved the return with the figure on it, and the refund going to your own account. If your year is simple and you are comfortable with the Self Assessment form, file it yourself and keep the whole £2,000.
Common questions
Why do some firms charge a percentage?
Because a percentage fee rises with the refund. The Low Incomes Tax Reform Group says firms paid this way "have a vested interest in maximizing the value of the claim", for instance by adding expenses that are not allowable. A fixed fee is the same whether the refund is £400 or £4,000.
Is the cheapest firm the best choice?
Price is one of three things to check. The other two are whether the refund is paid to your account rather than the firm's, and whether a named, regulated person signs the return. Since 2023 HMRC will not pay a refund to an agent under an assignment, so any firm still asking you to sign one over is asking for something HMRC will not honour.
Can I claim it myself for free?
Yes. A sole trader claims CIS deductions on the ordinary Self Assessment return: enter your gross pay and the total deductions, and HMRC works out the difference. The guide to claiming as a sole trader on this site walks through the boxes.
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 refundRelated
Sources
- GOV.UK: What you must do as a CIS subcontractor: pay tax and claim back deductions.
https://www.gov.uk/what-you-must-do-as-a-cis-subcontractor/pay-tax-and-claim-back-deductions - Low Incomes Tax Reform Group: Construction industry scheme (CIS) tax refunds, section "Using an agent" (updated 26 May 2026).
https://www.litrg.org.uk/tax-nic/how-tax-collected/tax-refunds/construction-industry-scheme-cis-tax-refunds - Advertising Standards Authority: Enforcement Notice: Advertising Tax Repayment Agents Services (updated 2 May 2024).
https://www.asa.org.uk/resource/enforcement-notice-advertising-tax-repayment-agents-services.html - Hayes Chartered Certified Accountants: CIS Tax Refund UK 2026: £39 including VAT flat fee.
https://hayes-accountants.co.uk/blogs/cis-tax-refund-uk-guide/ - Tax2u: CIS Tax Return Accountants: from £99 plus VAT.
https://www.tax2u.co.uk/tax-return/cis - Taxfix: CIS construction worker tax returns: plan prices and new-customer conditions.
https://taxfix.com/en-uk/cis-construction-worker/ - Taxpro: CIS tax rebate and tax return for subcontractors: £220 plus VAT, nothing upfront.
https://taxpro.co.uk/cis-construction-tax-rebates - Baa Accounting: Claim your CIS refund with no upfront cost: £229 plus VAT online, £259 plus VAT by post.
https://baa-accounting.com/l/rebate/ - Danbro: CIS Tax Refund Specialists: from £249 plus VAT.
https://www.danbro.co.uk/cis-tax-refund/ - RIFT: CIS Tax Rebates: £354 including VAT.
https://www.riftrefunds.co.uk/tax-rebates/construction-cis/ - Sorted Refunds: Sorted Refunds: 36% fee, VAT included, with worked example.
https://sortedrefunds.co.uk - Caroola: CIS Rebate Services: £229 plus VAT online, £259 plus VAT by post.
https://caroola.com/accounting-services/cis-rebate/ - Righto Tax: How much do CIS tax refund companies charge? (reviewed 30 October 2026).
https://rightotax.co.uk/compare/cis-refund-companies/