Industry News Premier Construction

Over £125 Million Claimed Back in Tax by Construction Workers Since Records Began

Planning approvals edge higher on last year
Written by Amy

Construction workers have claimed over £125 million in tax refunds, according to figures from tax refund specialist RIFT Tax Refunds.

The tax refund specialists analysed their own company data to explore the amount they’ve claimed back for Construction workers so far.

Although HMRC sit on £800 million a year in unclaimed expenses, RIFT Tax Refunds have helped workers claim £191,874,363 back in tax. Over £125 million of that has been claimed for construction workers either self-employed via the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) or are employed via Pay As You Earn (PAYE)

Their data found that PAYE construction workers have claimed the most tax back, claiming £93,851,899.

When looking at the difference in claim amounts per region for PAYE construction workers, Scotland tops the leader board having claimed back £30,469,004.57.

A full breakdown of the amount tax claimed by PAYE construction workers by region can be seen below:

Region Amount of Refund claimed back
East Midlands £3,511,440.61
Greater London £1,619,903.47
North East £16,116,784.92
North West £11,563,395.46
Northern Ireland £2,162,905.20
Scotland £30,469,004.57
South East £9,910,668.16
South West £4,164,759.02
Wales £6,785,632.27
West Midlands £7,193,057.65
#N/A £354,348.61
Grand Total £93,851,899.93

1.162 million workers were paid via the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) in the 2016/2017 tax year – a 7% increase from the previous tax year.

Despite the rising amount of CIS construction workers, RIFT Tax Refunds’ figures show that the amount of construction CIS refunds only totalled to £31,554,032.

RIFT Tax Refunds figures show CIS construction workers in the South East have claimed back the most tax claiming £8,718,324 since their records began – while CIS construction workers from Wales are claiming back the least amount of tax (£1,359,252).

A full breakdown of the amount tax claimed by CIS construction workers by region can be seen below:

Region Amount of Refund claimed back
East Midlands £1,669,511.17
Greater London £3,023,425.06
North East £3,754,210.76
North West £3,874,820.96
Northern Ireland £279,170.16
Scotland £4,088,301.66
South East £8,718,324.72
South West £1,730,531.83
Wales £1,359,252.97
West Midlands £2,788,729.10
#N/A £267,754.14
Grand Total £31,554,032.53

Since the start of the new tax year in April RIFT Tax Refunds have already helped 1,165 CIS construction workers claim a tax refund and that number continues to grow

Bradley Post, Managing Director at RIFT Tax Refunds comments: “Rift Tax Refunds have helped workers claim back millions of pounds in tax rebates – especially those in the construction sector.

“It is easy for workers to forget claim back expenses such as uniform, equipment, travel and food purchased during the working day,

“We would advise construction workers whether they are CIS or PAYE to make sure they keep a log of their receipts to ensure they are able to claim back the tax they are owed – which may be a nice little windfall.”

About the author

Amy