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BuiltX Insights

Straight-talking advice for the trade

CIS, VAT, pricing and tax, explained the way you’d want a mate in the know to explain them. No jargon, no waffle.

Guide
CIS·6 min read

CIS explained: contractor, subcontractor, deductions and reclaims

The Construction Industry Scheme trips up more trades than anything else. Here's how it actually works, in plain English.

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CIS
By the BuiltX team·6 min read

CIS explained: contractor, subcontractor, deductions and reclaims

If you work in construction, the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) affects how you get paid and how you pay others. It's not complicated once someone explains it properly, so here goes.

Contractor or subcontractor?

Under CIS, a contractor pays subcontractors for construction work and has to make deductions from their payments. A subcontractor does the work and has those deductions taken off. Plenty of trades are both at once, paying subbies on one job while being a subbie on another.

The deductions

When a contractor pays a subcontractor, they deduct money from the labour element and pay it to HMRC as an advance towards the subbie's tax. The rate depends on whether the subcontractor is registered and verified. Materials are not subject to the deduction, only the labour.

Getting it back

If you're a subcontractor, those deductions aren't lost, they're a payment on account of your tax. At the year end they're set against what you owe, and very often there's a refund due. Done properly, that's money back in your pocket.

  • Register with HMRC as a contractor, subcontractor, or both.
  • Verify your subbies before you pay them so you apply the right rate.
  • File your monthly CIS returns on time to avoid penalties.
  • Consider applying for gross payment status so you hold onto your cash.

The takeaway: CIS is admin you can't avoid, but you can make it painless and make sure you reclaim everything you're owed. That's exactly what we do.

Want CIS handled and your deductions reclaimed?

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Latest insights

VAT%
VAT·5 min

The VAT domestic reverse charge for construction

The rule that catches builders out the most, explained so your invoices and returns are right.

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VAT
By the BuiltX team·5 min read

The VAT domestic reverse charge for construction

The domestic reverse charge (DRC) changed how VAT works on a lot of construction jobs, and it still catches people out. Here's the short version.

What it does

For certain construction services between VAT-registered businesses, the customer accounts for the VAT instead of the supplier. So rather than you charging VAT and handing it over, your customer deals with it. You don't collect that VAT at all.

Why it matters to you

It changes how you word your invoices and how your VAT return looks. Get it wrong and you can either overcharge a customer or land yourself with penalties. It also affects your cash flow, because you're no longer holding that VAT money between collecting it and paying it over.

When it applies

  • Both you and your customer are VAT-registered and CIS-registered.
  • The work falls within the scope of CIS.
  • Your customer isn't the end user.

The takeaway: the reverse charge isn't optional, and the detail matters. We make sure your invoices are worded right and your returns are spot on.

Want your reverse charge VAT handled properly?

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Pricing£
Pricing·4 min

Pricing a job so you actually make money

Busy and still skint? It usually comes down to how jobs are priced. Here's how to fix it.

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Pricing
By the BuiltX team·4 min read

Pricing a job so you actually make money

Plenty of trades are flat out and still wondering where the money goes. Nine times out of ten, it's not the workload, it's the pricing.

Cover your real costs

Labour, materials, plant, fuel, waste, the lot. It's the small bits people forget, the trips to the merchants, the parking, the dump runs, that quietly eat your margin.

Add a proper margin, not just a markup

A markup on materials isn't the same as making a profit on the job. Decide the margin you need to run the business and build it in, every time, not just when you remember.

Protect yourself

  • Take deposits so a cancellation doesn't leave you out of pocket.
  • Charge for travel on jobs further afield.
  • Review your prices regularly, costs creep up every year.

The takeaway: price each job knowing your numbers and you stop working hard for nothing. Our job pricing calculator is a good place to start.

Want help setting rates that protect your margin?

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Expenses+
Expenses·4 min

Van, tools and mileage: what you can actually claim

The everyday costs of being on the tools, and how to make sure you're claiming them.

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Expenses
By the BuiltX team·4 min read

Van, tools and mileage: what you can actually claim

If you're spending your own money to do the job, a fair chunk of it can usually be claimed against your tax. The trick is keeping track of it.

The van

The cost of running a work van, fuel, insurance, repairs, and often the van itself through capital allowances, is generally an allowable business cost. How you claim depends on how the van is owned and used.

Tools and equipment

Power tools, hand tools, plant and equipment you buy for work can usually be claimed, either as an expense or through capital allowances for the bigger stuff.

Mileage and travel

  • Keep a simple record of business miles, it adds up fast.
  • Hold onto receipts, a photo on your phone is fine.
  • Don't mix personal and business spending in one account if you can help it.

The takeaway: the difference between guessing and claiming properly is real money each year. We make sure nothing allowable gets left on the table.

Want every allowable cost claimed for you?

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