Accounting

CIS Tax Returns · South East

CIS tax returns in Brighton

CIS for contractors and subcontractors in Brighton, from an accountant that works to the 19th of every month. Verification of new subcontractors, the right deduction rate every time, monthly returns and statements, and for subcontractors the annual return that turns deductions into a refund. Online, fixed-fee, serving every postcode.

from £30/mo · fixed, per month

Next deadlines

  • VAT return and payment for the quarter that ended last month
  • CIS monthly return and deduction statements to subcontractors
  • PAYE and National Insurance for last month paid to HMRC (electronic)
  • VAT return and payment for the quarter that ended last month

Who this is for

CIS Tax Returns for Brighton

Construction businesses in Brighton on either side of the scheme: sole trader and limited company subcontractors with 20% or 30% deductions to reclaim, contractors who pay subcontractors and must file monthly, businesses that do both, and established subcontractors with turnover high enough to apply for gross payment status and stop deductions altogether.

What is included

Everything inside the fixed fee

  • Subcontractor verification with HMRC and the correct deduction rate (20%, 30% or gross) applied each time
  • Monthly CIS300 return filed by the 19th with deduction statements issued to every subcontractor
  • Subcontractor annual Self Assessment with CIS deductions reclaimed and the refund chased with HMRC
  • Gross payment status application prepared with the turnover, compliance and business tests evidenced
  • Domestic reverse charge VAT checked on every CIS invoice in both directions
  • CIS deductions offset against PAYE for limited company subcontractors through the EPS each month

How it works

CIS Tax Returns from Brighton, step by step

  1. Scope the job

    We find out what you need filed, when it is due and what state the records are in, and tell you which fixed-fee package applies.

  2. Agree the price

    The fee is confirmed in writing. There is no hourly billing and nothing added for questions during the work.

  3. Hand over the records

    Photographs, PDFs, software access or a spreadsheet, sent however suits you. We confirm what we have and what is missing within two working days.

  4. Approve, then we submit

    You review the draft with our explanation, sign off, and we file. Receipts, copies and the next deadlines come back to you immediately.

Why IGI

The IGI way of working, in Brighton

No hourly rate and no surprise invoice. Brighton clients know the fee for cis tax returns before they send a single document, and it stays fixed.

Deadline-first: the dates that matter for cis tax returns are shown at the top of this page, diarised for every Brighton client and chased before they arrive.

We serve Brighton remotely by design: records by WhatsApp or email, drafts back for approval, filing electronic. The saving on premises is passed to you in the fee for cis tax returns.

Continuity matters in cis tax returns: the person who prepared last year's work for your Brighton business prepares this year's, and remembers what was agreed.

Plain English, with the numbers. Every draft for Brighton comes with a short explanation of what the figures mean and what, if anything, you should do about them.

Approval before filing is a rule, not a courtesy. For cis tax returns in Brighton, every submission to HMRC or Companies House follows your written go-ahead.

Local facts

About Brighton

Brighton is in South East, in the BN1 postcode district, England. For businesses in England the tax rules are those set by the UK Parliament: the 20/40/45% income tax bands, Class 4 National Insurance for the self-employed at 6% and 2%, Corporation Tax at 19% to 25%, and Stamp Duty Land Tax on property. Business rates are set locally by the council.

Nearby places we also serve for cis tax returns
PlaceDistanceDirection
Brighton and Hove0.2 miNW
Montpelier, South East0.6 miNW
Queens Park, Brighton and Hove0.7 miE
Brunswick0.8 miW
Roundhill1 miN
Whitehawk1 miE
Kemp Town1 miE
Hove1 miNW

Worth knowing

Rules that come up in this work

The trading and property allowances

Small side incomes are covered by two £1,000 allowances, one for trading and one for property, which remove the need to register or report income below that level. Once income exceeds £1,000, the allowance can be used in place of expenses, a choice worth making deliberately: a freelancer with £900 of costs is better off with the allowance, one with £3,000 is not.

Dormant companies

Dormancy is a status that is easy to lose. The strict rule is no accounting transactions other than share capital and Companies House fees, which means no bank account activity at all in practice. Fees should be paid personally by the director. A company that traded and has stopped becomes dormant only after its final trading accounts and tax return are filed and HMRC is told.

Workplace pensions and auto-enrolment

Auto-enrolment duties begin the day you take on your first employee, not when the Pensions Regulator writes to you. Eligible staff must be enrolled, contributions paid every pay period and re-enrolment carried out every three years. Director-only companies without employment contracts are usually exempt. Fines for non-compliance are fixed and escalating.

Employer National Insurance

Since April 2025 employer National Insurance has been 15% on earnings above a £5,000 secondary threshold, a substantial increase for small employers. The Employment Allowance rose to £10,500 at the same time to soften it for the smallest businesses. Directors deciding their own salary weigh this cost against the Corporation Tax deduction a salary provides.

Allowable expenses

Expense claims are where a return is won or lost in an enquiry. The test is wholly and exclusively for the trade; where a cost is mixed, the business proportion can be claimed if it can be identified. Capital items such as equipment and vans are relieved through capital allowances rather than as expenses, except under the cash basis where they are simply deducted when paid.

Record keeping

Good records are the difference between a quick enquiry and a long one. For the self-employed, five years after the filing deadline; for companies, six years from the year end; for VAT, six years. Photographs of receipts, PDF statements and software exports all count. The requirement is to keep records, not paper, and a well-organised cloud folder satisfies it.

The 60-day property CGT return

Selling UK residential property that was not your main home for the whole period of ownership triggers a separate Capital Gains Tax return, due within 60 days of completion along with payment of the tax. This is in addition to the annual Self Assessment. The gain is taxed at 18% or 24% depending on your income band, after the £3,000 annual exempt amount.

Questions

CIS Tax Returns questions from Brighton

What records do I need to keep for CIS?

Subcontractors: every deduction statement, invoices and bank records. Contractors: verification references, gross payments, materials costs, deductions made and the statements issued, for at least three years. Missing deduction statements are the most common reason refunds are delayed, so we help you obtain copies from contractors.

What counts as construction work under CIS?

Site preparation, building, alteration, repair, decoration, demolition, and installing systems such as heating, lighting and water. Professional work such as architecture and surveying, scaffolding hire without labour, and carpet fitting are outside the scheme. Mixed contracts fall within it entirely. We check borderline cases against HMRC's list.

How does CIS work for a limited company subcontractor?

Deductions suffered by a company are not reclaimed through Self Assessment. They are offset against the company's own PAYE and CIS liabilities each month through the Employer Payment Summary, and any excess at the year end is reclaimed from HMRC in writing. The £49 CIS plus payroll bundle handles this monthly.

What is gross payment status and can I get it?

Gross status means contractors pay you in full with no deduction; you pay your tax through Self Assessment or Corporation Tax instead. You need a construction turnover of at least £30,000 (sole trader) or £30,000 per director for companies, a clean compliance record for the previous 12 months and a UK bank account. Our £199 service prepares and submits the application.

Do I need to register for CIS?

Subcontractors should register so deductions are 20% rather than 30%; registration is free with HMRC or £49 through our service with your UTR sorted at the same time. Contractors must register before paying their first subcontractor. If you are both, both registrations are needed; our dual package is £99.

How does the VAT reverse charge affect CIS work?

Since March 2021, where both parties are VAT and CIS registered and the supply is within the scheme, the subcontractor does not charge VAT; the contractor accounts for it on their own return. The invoice must state that the reverse charge applies. We check your sales and purchase invoices for this on every return.

Is cis tax returns in Brighton really the same price as elsewhere?

Yes. The fee published on this page is what a client in Brighton pays and what a client in any other part of England pays. It is confirmed in writing before work starts and the invoice matches the quote. Where a higher package applies because your situation is more complex, we say so at the quote stage, never afterwards.

Do you have an office in Brighton?

No. IGI Accounting is an online-only firm. We serve Brighton and every other UK postcode remotely, with records sent by WhatsApp or email and everything filed electronically. The absence of local premises is why the fee for cis tax returns is the same in Brighton as anywhere else in the country, and why there is nothing to visit and nothing to print.

Get a fixed quote for Brighton today

Tell us what you need. You get one fixed fee in writing, and nothing is filed until you approve it.

WhatsApp for a fixed quote