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MTD software for CIS subcontractors: what HMRC's software list says

About 6 minutes to readLast reviewed 12 October 2026

Priya is fictional. She is a self-employed tiler paid under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS), and she is choosing software for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax. Her deductions are a large part of her tax position each year, so she wants software that shows them, and lets her check the figures HMRC adds, before she sends her tax return. The question she keeps coming back to is which products handle CIS at all. This guide sets out what HMRC’s own software list says about each product we compare, so she can start from HMRC’s answer.

Why CIS support is worth checking

At the end of the year, GOV.UK says HMRC adds the CIS deductions it holds to your tax return. In its words, “Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) — subcontractor deductions” is among the items HMRC adds, and after HMRC has added this information, you can find it in either your software (when you ask for a calculation) or your HMRC online services account. You must check this information before you submit your tax return. Your software is where you see that information and make the check, so it helps to know what each product says it can do before you choose.

HMRC’s software finder asks about this too. If you’re a sole trader or a landlord, you’ll be asked a few questions to get a personalised list of software options. One of the things it asks you to know is any other income sources you need to report in your tax return.

What HMRC’s list says about the products we compare

HMRC’s list marks each feature as “Available” now or “Intended” for later. These are HMRC’s words as the list stood on 30 October 2026, not something we have tested ourselves, and each group is in alphabetical order. A date beside a product is when HMRC’s list changed its CIS answer from intended to available.

Available

HMRC’s list marked CIS as “Available” for 19 of the products we compare.

Intended

It marked CIS as “Intended” for 18 more. HMRC’s finder shows these as “In development” and explains that “The software provider has committed to building this in time for the 2026 to 2027 tax return.” The list gives no date for an individual product, so a commitment is worth checking with the provider before you rely on it.

Not stated

For nine, HMRC’s list said nothing about CIS either way.

HMRC’s list changes as providers add features, and the software finder shows the current answers. We count how HMRC’s list has changed month by month. Each product’s page shows the rest of what HMRC’s list says about it, and every product on HMRC’s list is set out with HMRC’s words for each feature.

Questions to ask a provider before you choose

HMRC’s list gives one word for CIS, so it cannot tell you how a product handles your deductions day to day. GOV.UK’s own advice, where a product does not yet do what you need, is to ask. If you currently use software not listed or have an income source not yet supported, ask your preferred software provider about their plans. More software options will become available over time.

Priya plans to ask each provider on her shortlist:

  • how she enters the pay and deductions from her monthly statements
  • where she sees the CIS deductions HMRC adds before she submits her tax return
  • whether a product marked “Intended” will handle CIS before her first tax return is due

The guide to how MTD and CIS fit together explains why the first two answers matter, and the comparison of MTD software sets out each product’s prices and the date we checked them.

Questions about MTD software and CIS

What does "Available" mean on HMRC's software list?

HMRC's list marks each feature as "Available" now or "Intended" for later. We show HMRC's words as they stood on 30 October 2026, and we have not tested the products ourselves.

How many of the products you compare say they handle CIS?

On 30 October 2026, HMRC's list marked CIS as "Available" for 19 of them and "Intended" for 18, and said nothing for nine.

My software does not handle CIS yet. What should I do?

GOV.UK's advice is to ask the provider. If you currently use software not listed or have an income source not yet supported, ask your preferred software provider about their plans. More software options will become available over time.

More in: Construction work and CIS

Next in this stage

CIS for sole traders who pay subcontractors: monthly returns and nil returns

If you are a sole trader in construction and you start paying subcontractors, the Construction Industry Scheme asks more of you than it does of the people you pay. This guide explains, from GOV.UK's own guidance, how you register as a contractor, when the monthly return and your payment are due, what to do in a month with no payments, what changed for nil returns and what a late return costs.

Other guides in this stage

See this stage on the guides page

Sources

This is general information, not tax advice. For advice on your own situation, speak to an accountant or tax adviser.

Hear about price changes once a month

We’ll email you a link to confirm first. Once you confirm, Acrenvo will send one email a month summarising the MTD software price changes we have checked and any changes to HMRC’s list of software for MTD for Income Tax, with links to the pages on Acrenvo where each change is recorded. Each email may also pick out one dated finding from that month’s record and list the coming MTD for Income Tax deadlines. If nothing changed in a month, we send nothing. In future it may also carry one advert and news of paid guides or templates from Acrenvo, each clearly labelled for what it is. Every email has a stop link, and stopping takes a single click.

This is separate from the deadline reminders, and signing up for one does not sign you up for the other. No account is needed. How we use your email address. Past emails and what each one holds