The UK trade's VAT & CIS guide
When you have to register, which rate goes on which job, and how the Domestic Reverse Charge changes what you put on an invoice. The rules that decide how much of a job's money you keep.
Straight-talking guides for UK trades.
The tax, pricing and payment rules that decide whether a job makes money, worked through with the actual sums and free to download.
Every guide shows the month it was last updated, and the tax guides are checked against HMRC every year.
How to price a job and not lose money
Most trades price the work and forget the business. This is how the overheads, your own wage and the profit get into the number before you send it.
How to quote a job properly
A price is not a quote. What has to be in writing for the number you worked out to be the job you actually get, and the wording that settles an argument later.
Getting paid on time
Deposits, staged payments and what the law already gives you when a business pays late. How to keep the money moving without the awkward phone call.
CIS for subcontractors, explained simply
Why the contractor holds back 20% of your labour but none of your materials, what a deduction statement has to show, and how you get the money back.
Trade calculators
Add or strip VAT, work out a CIS deduction, turn your overheads into a day rate, and check a real margin. No sign-up.
By trade: how TradeDraft quotes for builders, plumbers, electricians, roofers, plasterers, carpenters, decorators, tilers, kitchen fitters, landscapers and handymen.
To keep a copy: the four core guides as print-ready PDFs, plus a one-page job-pricing checklist, all free.
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These guides are general information for UK tradespeople, current to the best of our knowledge in 2026. Tax rules, rates and thresholds change, and how they apply depends on your circumstances. They are not tax, accounting or legal advice.
Always confirm with HMRC or a qualified accountant before relying on them. Questions: hello@tradedraft.co.uk.