CIS & Construction Accountants
A specialist accountant for construction companies, contractors, subcontractors and trades businesses — CIS returns, reverse charge VAT, payroll, accounts and job costing on a fixed monthly fee. Brentwood, Essex office; clients across the UK.
Speak to a real accountant who understands CIS, site teams and construction cash flow.
CIS accounting, handled properly
Whether you're a contractor paying subbies or a subcontractor having 20% or 30% held back, the Construction Industry Scheme is where most trades businesses lose time and money. We verify subcontractors with HMRC, apply the right deduction rate, file the monthly CIS return, issue payment and deduction statements, and reclaim CIS suffered through payroll or your self assessment return.
It runs alongside the rest of the finance function — VAT returns with the domestic reverse charge set up correctly, payroll for site teams, bookkeeping on Xero or FreeAgent, and limited company accounts and corporation tax if you trade through a company.
Not registered yet? Read our guides on registering for CIS and registering as a CIS contractor. Working on the tools in Essex? See our accountants for tradespeople in Essex page. Fees start from £75 + VAT a month — see business pricing.
Run an interior design studio handling fit-outs and procurement? We also act as accountants for interior designers.
Who this is for
Built for trades businesses — not corporates.
If you run a small construction or trades firm in Essex or London, this is the page for you.
Sound familiar?
The stuff that quietly costs you money.
You're good at the trade. The paperwork side just isn't where you want to spend your evenings — and it shouldn't have to be.
Missing invoices and receipts
Suppliers, fuel, materials — half of it never makes it back to the office.
Random supplier payments
Cash in, cash out, no clear picture of what's actually owed or paid.
CIS deductions and returns
Verifying subbies, monthly returns, deduction statements — easy to get wrong.
Reverse charge VAT confusion
Wrong invoicing leaks cash and triggers HMRC queries.
Unexpected tax bills
A good year on paper, then a corporation tax or self assessment bill you weren't ready for.
No idea which jobs make money
You're busy, turnover looks fine, but profit is thin and you can't see why.
What we do
Everything a trades business actually needs.
CIS returns & subcontractor management
Monthly CIS filing, subbie verification, deduction statements, refunds reclaimed.
Reverse charge VAT done properly
Correct invoicing, clean VAT returns, no cash-flow surprises.
Bookkeeping on Xero or FreeAgent
Receipts in by photo, bank feeds reconciled, books always up to date.
Payroll for site teams
Weekly or monthly payroll, holiday pay, pensions, CIS deductions through PAYE.
Year-end accounts & corporation tax
Prepared, reviewed and filed ahead of the deadline — with reminders well before anything is due.
Job costing & management accounts
Margin per job, not just a year-end number. Know which work to chase and which to walk away from.
Cash-flow forecasting
Plan around stage payments, retentions, and the lumpy reality of construction cash flow.
Virtual FD & profit planning
Quarterly strategy calls so you're running the business, not just working in it.
The four that matter most in construction are usually CIS, VAT, bookkeeping and cash flow. If you're setting up, start with CIS registration as a subcontractor or registering as a CIS contractor if you pay subbies. On VAT, the domestic reverse charge changes how you invoice other VAT-registered construction businesses — our VAT guide covers the basics and the registration threshold if you're close to it.
Day-to-day records run on Xero or FreeAgent, which is what makes job costing possible — you can't see margin per job without clean bookkeeping behind it. And because stage payments, retentions and CIS deductions all land at different times, we build a 13-week rolling cash flow forecast so you know what's actually available before you take on the next job. Already with another firm? See how switching accountant works.
Construction pricing
Fixed monthly packages built for construction limited companies.
CIS, reverse-charge VAT and payroll are in the price — not bolted on afterwards. Pick a package and sign up online in a few minutes.
Construction Core
£150 + VAT / month
- Annual company accounts
- Corporation tax return (CT600)
- Director payroll
- Quarterly VAT returns, including domestic reverse-charge support
- Monthly CIS return
- Subcontractor verification and CIS statements
- Routine CIS and accountancy support
- FreeAgent included*
- Confirmation Statement filing (Companies House filing fee excluded)
- Company secretarial support
Bookkeeping charged at £15 + VAT per hour.
Sign upConstruction Managed
£180 + VAT / month
- Everything in Construction Core
- Includes up to 3 hours bookkeeping per month
- Monthly CIS return
- Subcontractor verification and CIS statements
- Quarterly VAT returns, including domestic reverse-charge support
- Director payroll
- Dedicated accountant for support and queries
- FreeAgent included*
- Confirmation Statement filing (Companies House filing fee excluded)
- Company secretarial support
Extra bookkeeping beyond the included allowance: £15 + VAT per hour.
Sign upConstruction Premium
£250 + VAT / month
- Everything in Construction Managed
- Quarterly management P&L and balance sheet reporting
- Quarterly review meeting
- Comprehensive, proactive tax planning
- Priority support
- Pension regulator compliance and monthly filings
- FreeAgent included*
- Confirmation Statement filing (Companies House filing fee excluded)
- Company secretarial support
Extra bookkeeping beyond the included allowance: £15 + VAT per hour.
Sign up*FreeAgent licence included at no extra cost when used with an eligible NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank or Mettle business account. Mettle-funded FreeAgent requires the applicable account/usage conditions. Optional FreeAgent add-ons may be chargeable. If you bank elsewhere, software is charged separately.
All prices exclude VAT. Not sure which fits? Talk it through with us.
How we work
Built to fit around a working day on site.
Simple onboarding, cloud software, and a real person who picks up the phone.
Discovery call
20 minutes, no jargon. Tell us about the business, where it hurts, and what good looks like.
Clear quote
Fixed monthly fee based on what you actually need. No surprise invoices.
Setup & cleanup
We get Xero or FreeAgent running, tidy the historic mess, and take over HMRC filings.
You get on with the job
Snap receipts on your phone. We handle the rest and flag anything that needs your call.
ACCA-qualified accountants — not an unqualified bookkeeping shop.
Fixed monthly fees. One agreed monthly fee. No hourly billing and no surprise invoices.
Xero & FreeAgent. Xero Silver Partner and FreeAgent partner — your books stay current.
Why trades businesses choose us
We speak builder, not boardroom.
We actually know CIS
Monthly returns, subcontractor verification and refunds reclaimed — not bolted on as an afterthought.
Reverse charge VAT done right
Correct invoicing, clean returns, no cash leaking through wrong VAT treatment.
Cloud built for site life
Snap receipts on your phone, bank feeds reconciled in the background. You're not chained to a desk.
Fixed monthly fee
No hourly billing, no surprise invoices. You always know what it costs.
A real person on the phone
Same team, same number. Not a chatbot, not a different junior every quarter.
Brentwood office, UK-wide service
Hands-on in Essex and East London, fully remote anywhere else in the UK.
How switching works
Already with an accountant? Switching is straightforward.
You don't have to manage the awkward bit. We handle professional clearance, request your records and take over the filings.
Free call
20 minutes to learn about the business and what's not working.
We handle handover
Professional clearance letter, records request, HMRC agent registration.
You carry on working
We migrate Xero or FreeAgent and take over the filings.
Common Questions
What does a CIS accountant do?
A CIS accountant handles everything the Construction Industry Scheme puts on you: verifying subcontractors with HMRC, applying the right deduction rate, filing the monthly CIS return, issuing payment and deduction statements, and reclaiming CIS suffered through payroll or self assessment. We also keep it joined up with VAT, payroll and your year-end accounts so nothing is filed twice or missed.
How much does a construction accountant cost?
Our business packages start from £75 + VAT a month and are quoted as a fixed monthly fee based on turnover, VAT, payroll, how many subcontractors you run through CIS and how much bookkeeping you want us to take on. You'll have the figure before you commit to anything.
Do you handle CIS returns for contractors and subcontractors?
Yes. We file monthly CIS returns, verify subcontractors with HMRC, produce payment and deduction statements, and reclaim CIS deductions through payroll or self assessment. If you're a subcontractor owed a refund, we deal with the claim as soon as the year-end figures are in.
How does reverse charge VAT work for construction?
Since March 2021, most construction services between VAT-registered businesses fall under the domestic reverse charge — the customer accounts for the VAT, not you. We set this up properly in your bookkeeping so invoices show the right wording, your VAT returns are correct, and you don't lose cash flow by paying VAT you shouldn't.
Can you tell me which of my jobs are actually making money?
Yes. We track labour, materials, subcontractor costs and overheads against each job so you get a clear margin per project — not just an end-of-year profit figure. Most clients are surprised which jobs make them money and which ones drain it.
I'm behind on bookkeeping — can you catch me up?
Almost always. We've onboarded plenty of trades businesses with a year (or more) of receipts in a shoebox. We'll clean it up, get you on Xero or FreeAgent, and put a simple process in place so it never gets that bad again.
Do you work with sole traders or just limited companies?
Both. We work with sole trader sparkies and plumbers right through to limited company main contractors with payroll and subbies. Pricing is based on what you actually need, not a tier you're forced into.
Are you based in Essex? Can you help if I'm in London?
We're in Brentwood, Essex, and work with trades businesses across Essex, East London and the wider M25. Everything runs on cloud software so we don't need to be on your doorstep — but we're happy to meet on site or at our office.
Let's get the finance side off your plate.
Simple cloud tools for the paperwork, backed by personal advice from people who understand the trade.