5 Best VAT and CIS-Ready Invoicing Apps for UK Trades (2026)

What Actually Changes on a Trade Invoice Once CIS and the VAT Reverse Charge Apply?

Two separate rules stack on a CIS invoice. The VAT domestic reverse charge changes who accounts for the VAT. The CIS deduction changes how much cash the subcontractor actually receives. Both can apply at once.

The VAT domestic reverse charge for building and construction services has applied since 1 March 2021, covering standard or reduced-rate construction services reported within CIS between two VAT-registered businesses. Instead of the subcontractor charging VAT for the contractor to reclaim later, the contractor accounts for it directly on their own VAT return, as both output tax and input tax.

A reverse charge invoice still needs everything a normal VAT invoice needs, plus a clear note that the reverse charge applies and either the VAT amount due or the rate. Accepted wording includes “VAT Act 1994 Section 55A applies” or the plainer “Customer to pay the VAT to HMRC.” That VAT is never added to the subcontractor’s total.

CIS applies separately. Once a contractor verifies a subcontractor with HMRC, they deduct 20% from a registered subcontractor’s labour, 30% from one they cannot verify, or 0% with gross payment status, calculated on labour only after materials, VAT, consumables, fuel and plant hire are stripped out.

A single invoice can therefore show a net figure, a reverse charge note instead of a VAT line, and a CIS deduction off the labour portion. Checker’s own guide to invoicing VAT, CIS and the reverse charge walks through a full worked example, if you want the mechanics rather than the app comparison.

What VAT Rate Should Go on a UK Trade Invoice in 2026?

Most trade work is standard-rated at 20%. That covers the bulk of repairs, installations, and general building and engineering work a UK trade business invoices for.

A reduced rate of 5% applies to a narrower set of jobs. Renovating or altering a residential property that has been empty for 2 years or more qualifies, as does most home energy. A non-housing-association conversion of a non-residential building into a dwelling is also reduced-rated at 5% in most cases.

A zero rate of 0% applies to new dwelling construction, and separately to installing specified energy-saving materials, such as insulation, heat pump controls, solar panels and battery storage, in residential accommodation. That zero rate on energy-saving materials runs from 1 May 2023 to 31 March 2027, after which it reverts to the 5% reduced rate.

An invoicing app that only offers a single flat VAT rate on every line item will get some of these jobs wrong. All 5 apps below let you set a rate per invoice line rather than per account, which matters the moment a job mixes standard-rated labour with a zero-rated energy-saving material.

Which 5 Invoicing Apps Actually Handle VAT and CIS for UK Trades?

The order below is for readability, and every claim is checked directly against each company’s own site or help documentation as of August 2026.

App	Native CIS deduction	VAT domestic reverse charge	Built for trade job management
QuickBooks	Yes. Verifies subcontractor status (0%, 20%, 30%) and e-files CIS returns to HMRC.	Yes. Dedicated reverse charge VAT codes; not available under the Flat Rate Scheme.	No. Full accounting software, not a job or quoting app.
Checker	Yes. Applies the deduction to labour on the same invoice as the job.	Yes. Issues the required reverse charge wording, then syncs to Xero, QuickBooks or Sage.	Yes. Quotes, invoicing, scheduling and certificates in one flat-fee account.
Xero	Yes. Calculates the subcontractor withholding once CIS is enabled and verified.	Yes. 4 dedicated reverse charge VAT codes across 20% and 5% rates.	No. Full accounting software, not a job or quoting app.
Tradify	No. Requires a connected Xero or Sage account with CIS configured there.	Partial. Displays the reverse charge line only once Xero or Sage is set up for it.	Yes. Quoting, invoicing and job scheduling across multiple trades.
Powered Now	Yes. Inbuilt CIS calculator, CIS invoice template and monthly CIS reports.	Yes, by its own description, though exact invoice wording is not publicly documented.	Yes. Quoting, invoicing and job scheduling for UK trades.

QuickBooks: Full Accounting Software With Built-In CIS Filing

QuickBooks

QuickBooks is Intuit’s general accounting platform, used far beyond construction, and its CIS handling reflects that breadth. Once CIS is switched on, QuickBooks verifies a subcontractor’s status directly and applies the correct rate, 0%, 20% or 30%, automatically to future invoices and bills.

It goes further than most apps here: QuickBooks can file the monthly CIS return directly to HMRC, at no extra cost on the subscription. For the reverse charge, you select a dedicated VAT code on the invoice and QuickBooks handles the accounting entries automatically, though the reverse charge is not supported under the Flat Rate Scheme.

What QuickBooks does not do is job management. There is no quoting, job scheduling or on-site certificate built in. A trade business choosing QuickBooks alone is choosing an accounting system, and will still need something else to run the job side day to day.

Checker: VAT and CIS Recorded on the Same Invoice as the Job

Checker

Checker takes a different starting point. It is a job management and compliance app built specifically for UK gas, heating, electrical, plumbing, oil and refrigeration trades, and VAT and CIS sit inside the same invoice as the quote, the job history and the customer record, rather than in a separate accounting tab.

An invoice in Checker can carry the correct VAT rate, 20%, 5%, 0% or exempt, on each line, and apply the CIS deduction to the labour element the way HMRC requires. Where the reverse charge applies, Checker issues the invoice with the wording HMRC expects rather than a standard VAT line. That invoice then syncs both ways with Xero, QuickBooks or Sage, so a bookkeeper still runs the actual VAT return and year-end accounts in whichever of those three platforms the business already uses.

VAT and CIS recording sit on Checker’s Pro plan, at £19.99 a month plus VAT, and Pro+, at £25.99 a month plus VAT. The entry-level Lite plan, at £10.99 a month plus VAT, covers quotes, invoicing and job scheduling without the accounting sync. All three plans include a 30-day free trial with no card required and no fixed contract.

The trade-off against QuickBooks or Xero is scope, not accuracy. Checker is not a full accounting platform, and a business with complex multi-entity accounting needs will outgrow it. For a sole trader or small team who wants the job, certificate and invoice in one place, with VAT and CIS handled correctly as the invoice is raised, that trade-off runs the other way.

Xero: 4 VAT Codes Built Specifically for the Reverse Charge

Xero

Xero is the accounting platform Checker itself syncs to most often, by Dan Sedgwick’s own direct confirmation of the two-way relationship, and its reverse charge handling is purpose-built rather than bolted on. Xero provides 4 dedicated VAT codes for the domestic reverse charge, covering both the 20% and 5% rates on the purchase and sales sides.

Once CIS is enabled and a subcontractor is set up, Xero’s CIS feature automatically calculates the deduction a contractor should withhold. On an invoice affected by the reverse charge, Xero clearly displays the reverse charge wording along with the items and rates it applies to, so neither party is left guessing what the invoice means.

Like QuickBooks, Xero is an accounting platform first, with no native quoting, job scheduling or certificate function. A trade business using it directly still needs a separate job management tool, the gap Checker, Tradify and Powered Now fill.

Tradify: Job Management First, CIS Only Through Xero or Sage

Tradify

Tradify is a broad field service management platform used across multiple trades, and its own accounting integration pages describe syncing invoices, bills and payments to Xero or QuickBooks. Neither that page nor Tradify’s general marketing makes a VAT or CIS claim of its own.

Tradify’s help documentation is explicit about why: reverse charge and CIS invoicing only works once a connected Xero or Sage account already has CIS and the reverse charge rates configured. Tradify reads those settings and shows a “Reverse Charge: Customer to pay the VAT to HMRC” line on the invoice PDF, but calculates and verifies nothing itself. Its documentation also flags a live sync gap: invoices set to an inclusive reverse charge method will not sync back to Xero.

That makes Tradify a capable job app that depends entirely on a correctly configured accounting platform behind it. A business already committed to Xero or Sage can make this work. One without an accountant already running CIS there will find Tradify alone does not get them there.

Powered Now: A Dedicated CIS Calculator for Subcontractors

Powered Now

Powered Now leans further into CIS specifically than most job management apps. It includes an inbuilt CIS calculator, a CIS invoice template for subcontractors, and mandatory CIS reports that feed the figures a contractor needs to complete the monthly CIS300 return, plus a matching report a subcontractor can use for their own tax return.

On the reverse charge, Powered Now’s own site states plainly that it “fully supports Domestic Reverse Charge” and a business can be “easily DRC compliant” using it, naming plumbers, gas engineers, electricians and builders. Its documentation does not spell out the exact wording or VAT code mechanics the way Xero’s does, so check the actual output against HMRC’s requirements before sending a first CIS invoice.

Powered Now sits closer to Checker and Tradify than to QuickBooks or Xero: a trade-specific job app with CIS built in directly, rather than an accounting platform with job management bolted on.

So Which One Should You Actually Use for VAT and CIS Invoicing in 2026?

If an accountant already runs your books through Xero or QuickBooks, either platform handles the reverse charge and CIS deductions natively and well.

If you want the quote, the job, the certificate and the invoice in one place, with VAT and CIS applied as the invoice is raised rather than fixed up afterwards, Checker and Powered Now build CIS into the job app itself, with Checker syncing that record on to Xero, QuickBooks or Sage.

If you already run Tradify with an accountant handling CIS through Xero or Sage, its reverse charge display will work. Choosing Tradify on the assumption it handles CIS alone is the mistake to avoid.

Whichever app you choose, get the invoice wording right before the first CIS job goes out the door. A contractor who spots a missing reverse charge note, or a subcontractor who gets short-paid because a deduction was calculated on the gross figure instead of labour alone, remembers it.

Authoritative sources

1. HMRC: Check when you must use the VAT domestic reverse charge for building and construction services
2. HMRC: VAT domestic reverse charge technical guide, for the required invoice wording.
3. HMRC: Make deductions and pay subcontractors under CIS, for the 20%, 30% and 0% deduction rates.
4. HMRC: VAT rates on different goods and services
5. HMRC: Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708), for the empty-property renovation and conversion rates.
6. HMRC: VAT on energy-saving materials and heating equipment (Notice 708/6), for the 2027 zero-rate sunset date.

Frequently Asked Questions About VAT, CIS and Invoicing Apps for UK Trades (2026)