CIS Tax Returns · Scotland
CIS tax returns in Edinburgh
If you work in construction in Edinburgh, CIS touches almost everything: how you are paid, how you pay others, how VAT is charged under the reverse charge, and how much tax you get back in January. We handle all of it for trades across Scotland from a published fee menu, with nothing filed until you have approved it.
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 Edinburgh
Construction businesses in Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh, step by step
Tell us your situation
A short message or call about what you do and what needs filing. We ask the questions that determine the right package and nothing more.
Fixed fee in writing
You receive one price for the work, confirmed by email before anything starts. It does not change if the job takes longer than we expected.
Send records, review the draft
Records come by WhatsApp or email. We prepare the draft, explain the figures in plain English and answer your questions.
We file, you get the receipts
Once you approve and the fee is settled, we submit electronically and forward the HMRC or Companies House acknowledgement the same day.
Why IGI
The IGI way of working, in Edinburgh
The price for cis tax returns is published on this page and is what a client in Edinburgh pays. We confirm it in writing first, and the invoice matches the quote.
Deadline-first: the dates that matter for cis tax returns are shown at the top of this page, diarised for every Edinburgh client and chased before they arrive.
Online only, UK based. There is no office in Edinburgh to pay for, which is why the fee is the same here as anywhere in Scotland; the work is done by people in the UK who answer the same day.
Continuity matters in cis tax returns: the person who prepared last year's work for your Edinburgh business prepares this year's, and remembers what was agreed.
Plain English, with the numbers. Every draft for Edinburgh comes with a short explanation of what the figures mean and what, if anything, you should do about them.
You stay in control of cis tax returns: drafts go to Edinburgh clients first, with the figures explained, and nothing leaves us until you say so.
Local facts
About Edinburgh
Edinburgh is in Scotland, in the EH1 postcode district, Scotland. Scottish taxpayers pay income tax under six Scottish bands set by the Scottish Parliament, from the 19% starter rate through 20%, 21%, 42% and 45% to the 48% top rate, applied to non-savings income. Dividends and savings are taxed at UK rates, National Insurance and Corporation Tax are UK-wide, and property purchases pay Land and Buildings Transaction Tax.
| Place | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Broughton, City of Edinburgh | 0.7 mi | N |
| Canonmills | 0.8 mi | NW |
| Abbeyhill | 0.8 mi | E |
| West End, City of Edinburgh | 0.9 mi | W |
| Tollcross, Scotland | 0.9 mi | SW |
| Pilrig | 1.0 mi | N |
| St Leonard's | 1 mi | SE |
| Bonnington, City of Edinburgh | 1 mi | N |
Worth knowing
Rules that come up in this work
Employer National Insurance
Employers pay National Insurance at 15% on each employee's earnings above the £5,000 secondary threshold, following the April 2025 changes. The Employment Allowance offsets up to £10,500 of this for eligible employers, which for a small team often removes the liability entirely, but companies where the director is the only employee do not qualify.
Workplace pensions and auto-enrolment
Workplace pension compliance is part of payroll, not separate from it. Each pay period the payroll assesses who is eligible, calculates employer and employee contributions on qualifying earnings between the lower and upper thresholds, and sends the contribution file to the scheme. The minimum total is 8%, and many employers choose to contribute more as a recruitment advantage.
Dormant companies
Companies formed to protect a name or hold a future business are dormant but not exempt: Companies House still expects dormant accounts within nine months of the year end and a confirmation statement annually with its £50 fee, and HMRC must be told the company is dormant or it will demand Corporation Tax returns. The filings are short, but the penalties for missing them are the same as for a trading company.
The trading and property allowances
The first £1,000 of trading income and, separately, the first £1,000 of property income each year is tax free under the trading and property allowances. Below those figures no return is needed for that income. Above them you can deduct the £1,000 allowance instead of actual expenses if that is better, which suits side businesses and single-room lets with few costs.
Crypto records and reporting
HMRC treats cryptoassets as property. Swapping one token for another, spending crypto or gifting it are all disposals for Capital Gains Tax, and staking and lending rewards are income. Gains are computed under pooling rules with same-day and 30-day matching. From 2026 HMRC receives data from exchanges worldwide under the Cryptoasset Reporting Framework, so unreported activity is increasingly visible.
The 60-day property CGT return
The 60-day Capital Gains Tax return on residential property is the deadline landlords most often miss, because it falls outside the Self Assessment cycle and runs from completion, not exchange. Private residence relief for periods you lived in the property, plus the final nine months, reduces the gain. Penalties for a late return mirror Self Assessment, starting at £100.
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.
Questions
CIS Tax Returns questions from Edinburgh
Can my CIS deductions be set against my VAT or other taxes?
For sole traders, no; CIS deductions are credited against your income tax and Class 4 National Insurance through Self Assessment, with the excess refunded. For companies, deductions are offset against PAYE and CIS owed, and the remaining balance is repaid by HMRC after the year end or, on request, set against Corporation Tax.
I have not filed for several years. Can you catch me up?
Yes. Late Self Assessment returns can be filed for the last four tax years to reclaim CIS deductions, and HMRC will offset refunds against any penalties. We quote a fixed fee for the set based on the number of years and reconcile each year's statements. The sooner this is done the more years remain claimable.
When are contractor returns due?
The CIS300 monthly return covers the tax month to the 5th and must reach HMRC by the 19th. Deduction statements must go to subcontractors by the same date. A nil return is still required if you paid no subcontractors. Late returns cost £100 immediately, rising to £200 after two months and then percentage-based penalties.
What rate do I deduct from a subcontractor?
You must verify each new subcontractor with HMRC before the first payment. HMRC tells you 20% if they are registered, 30% if not, or 0% if they hold gross payment status. Deductions apply to the labour element only, never to materials, VAT or plant hire. We verify every new subcontractor and record the result.
What does the £149 subcontractor return include?
Your full Self Assessment with the self-employment pages, every CIS deduction statement reconciled to your income, allowable expenses claimed, the refund calculated and the return filed. We then track the repayment with HMRC, which usually arrives within two to six weeks of filing in the quieter months.
How much CIS refund can I expect?
It depends on your profit and expenses. Deductions are 20% of the labour element of your invoices; tax is only due on profit after expenses and the £12,570 personal allowance, with Class 4 National Insurance on top. Many subcontractors earning under £35,000 get back several thousand pounds. We give you the figure before filing.
Do you have an office in Edinburgh?
No. IGI Accounting is an online-only firm. We serve Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh as anywhere else in the country, and why there is nothing to visit and nothing to print.
Is cis tax returns in Edinburgh really the same price as elsewhere?
Yes. The fee published on this page is what a client in Edinburgh pays and what a client in any other part of Scotland 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.
Let us take the deadlines off your plate in Edinburgh
Tell us what you need. You get one fixed fee in writing, and nothing is filed until you approve it.