Subcontractors and CIS
Send a subcontractor the job. Keep your price to yourself.
Offer a job by link to a firm you trust. They don't need an account. They see the job, the customer and what you're paying them, never what you charge. CIS comes off each payment, and the monthly return figures are worked out for you to file.
14 days free, no card. Then £19 a month for you and £9 for each person you add.
Step 1 of 6 · Offered
You · Elm Heating
OfferedBathroom first fix: pipework and waste
Sam Whitaker · 4 Mill Lane, Leeds LS6 2AB
What they're owed
Waiting for Marlow to reply. They open it from the email.
Them · Marlow, on their phone
Job offer from
Elm Heating
You've been offered a job.
Have a look at the details below, then let Elm Heating know either way. There's nothing to sign up for.
The job
Bathroom first fix: pipework and waste
One job, on both sides at once. Press the buttons on either side, or pick a step.
01Who sees what
Three people, three views of one job.
The subcontractor's link is built without your price in it, so there's nothing to forget to hide. Your customer sees the visit in their portal, with who's coming and when, and nothing about the deal between you.
- What you charge the customerYou: YesSubcontractor: NeverCustomer: Their own quote and invoice
- What you pay the subcontractorYou: YesSubcontractor: YesCustomer: Never
- The job, the address and the dayYou: YesSubcontractor: Yes, before they acceptCustomer: Yes
- The customer's nameYou: YesSubcontractor: YesCustomer: Yes
- The customer's phone and emailYou: YesSubcontractor: Once they acceptCustomer: Yes
- Your other customers and jobsYou: YesSubcontractor: NeverCustomer: Never
- The subcontractor's nameYou: YesSubcontractor: YesCustomer: Tagged Subcontractor
- The subcontractor's contact detailsYou: YesSubcontractor: Their ownCustomer: Never
In Sam's portal, under Appointments
AppointmentSubcontractor
Marlow Plumbing & Heating for Elm Heating
Thu 15 Oct 2026 · 08:00 to 16:00
4 Mill Lane, Leeds LS6 2AB
No price, no notes and no contact details for the subcontractor.
- Offer one job to one firm or several. The first to accept gets it.
- Take work in from other firms too. It works both ways.
02CIS on every payment
Labour gets deducted. Nothing else does.
Split the price once, and OnPoint takes the deduction from the labour only, leaving materials and VAT alone. The same figure shows on the job, on their link, on your monthly return and on their statement.
And anything else CIS applies to
Never CIS-able
Deduction rate
Whatever HMRC returned when you verified them. 30% is the safe default.
What they're owed
A job that isn't split counts as all labour, which deducts the most. Under-deducting is the mistake that costs you.
OnPoint works out the deduction from the rules HMRC publishes. It isn't tax advice. Verifying subcontractors with HMRC, and what you file, stay with you.
03The monthly return
The 19th, worked out by the 6th.
Every payment you mark paid goes on the tax month it was paid in, 6th to 5th. When the month closes, the figures for HMRC's return are waiting, one line per subcontractor, with a statement for each.
- Export the figures as a CSV for you or your accountant
- A payment and deduction statement for each subcontractor, to download or email
- A warning for anyone paid without a UTR or a verification number
- Nothing paid that month? Mark the nil return filed
OnPoint doesn't send anything to HMRC. You enter the figures in HMRC's CIS online service and mark the month filed.
Outsourcing
CIS returns
Tax month 6 September to 5 October 2026 · Due 19 October
- Statement
Marlow Plumbing & Heating
UTR 12345 67890 · 20%
- Gross (ex VAT)
- £2,400.00
- Materials
- £300.00
- Liable
- £2,100.00
- Deducted
- £420.00
- Net paid
- £1,980.00
- VAT paid
- £0.00
- Statement
K. Walsh Electrical
UTR 98765 43210 · 30%
- Gross (ex VAT)
- £900.00
- Materials
- £0.00
- Liable
- £900.00
- Deducted
- £270.00
- Net paid
- £630.00
- VAT paid
- £0.00
No verification number. HMRC needs one for anyone deducted at 30%, so add it before you file.
You file the return yourself in HMRC's CIS online service. These are the figures to enter.
CIS return due 19 October
Sent on the 12th if the month isn't marked filed.
04Bigger jobs, harder days
Costed on the project. Recorded if it goes wrong.
Project · Sam Whitaker
Bathroom refit
- MaterialsBills from Purchasing£2,150.00
- SubcontractorsMarlow Plumbing & Heating, agreed£480.00
- SubcontractorsK. Walsh Electrical, agreed£900.00
Quoted, ex VAT
£6,400.00
Costs
£3,530.00
Margin
£2,870.00
The agreed price lands in the costs.
Send a job out from a project and, once it's agreed, what you pay them counts in the project's costs, in full. The CIS you withhold still leaves your account, so it's never counted as a saving.
More about job costsEvidence pack · PDF
Sealed when the dispute opened
- Offer terms
- £480.00, within 7 days of completion
- Accepted
- Mon 12 Oct, 09:06
- On site
- Thu 15 Oct, 08:12
- Report
- Submitted Thu 15 Oct, 15:27, 4 photos
- Payments
- None yet
- Messages
- The whole thread
One record, both sides.
Mark a job disputed and OnPoint seals what was agreed and what happened into one document with a SHA-256 fingerprint. You and the subcontractor download the same file, so a changed copy shows. It's a record of what happened, not a ruling on who's right.
Part of the same job.
An outsourced job sits beside your own work, on the same customer, project and invoice.
Made for builders, roofers, electricians, kitchen and bathroom fitters and property maintenance. Moving from another app? See how OnPoint compares.
- Purchasing, stock and job costsOrders, supplier bills and subcontractors, costed against the project.
- Invoices and paymentsCIS and the VAT domestic reverse charge worked out on your own invoices.
- Customer portalWhere your customer sees the visit, tagged Subcontractor.
- Photos, reports and job sheetsBefore and after photos and visit reports from your own team, in the same records.
- Roles and permissionsDecide who can send work out and who can see CIS returns.
- Scheduling and the diarySee who in your own team is free before you send the work out.
Questions about subcontracting.
Anything else? Ring +44 7884 697405 or email us.
What is the partner jobs network?
It's how you send a job to a subcontractor, or take one on, inside OnPoint. You offer the job by link. The subcontractor accepts it, marks themselves on site, sends a report and photos, and you confirm it and pay them, with CIS worked out on the way.
Does the subcontractor need an OnPoint account?
No. They open the offer from the email and work the job from that link. There's nothing to sign up for or install, and they don't count as a person on your plan.
Will my subcontractor see what I charge the customer?
No. Their link is built without your price in it. They see the job, the address, the day, the customer's name and what you're paying them.
What can they see about my customer?
The customer's name and the address before they accept, and the customer's phone and email once they do. Never your other customers or your other jobs.
Will my customer know a subcontractor is coming?
Yes, if they use your customer portal. The visit is listed with their appointments, tagged Subcontractor and named as the subcontractor's firm for your business, with the day, the time and whether it's booked or done. It never shows what you pay them, their notes or their contact details.
Does OnPoint work out CIS?
Yes. It takes the deduction from the labour only, at 20% for a verified subcontractor, 30% if they're unverified or you don't know, or 0% for gross payment status. Materials, plant, consumables and VAT are never deducted from.
Does OnPoint file my CIS return?
No. It works out the figures for each tax month and makes a payment and deduction statement for each subcontractor. You enter the return in HMRC's CIS online service yourself and mark it filed. If a month isn't marked filed by the 12th, you get a reminder before it's due on the 19th.
Can I offer a job to more than one firm?
Yes. Send the offer to one firm or several, by their OnPoint account or just an email address. The first to accept gets the job.
What happens if we disagree about a job?
Mark it disputed, and OnPoint seals a record of what was agreed and what happened into one document with a SHA-256 fingerprint. Both sides can download the same pack. It's a record, not a ruling on who's right, and not legal advice.
What does it cost?
It's part of OnPoint: £19 a month for you and £9 a month for each person you add, with every feature and no contract. Subcontractors who work from a link are free. You get 14 days free first, with no card needed. Or pay yearly: £228 a year for you and £108 for each extra person.
Send one job out. See both sides of it.
£19
A month for you, and £9 for each person you add, with every feature and no contract. Subcontractors who work from a link never count. 14 days free, no card.