CITB Launches Consensus for 2026-29 Levy Proposals

LAUNCHING its Consensus process today, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is assessing industry support for its Levy Proposals.

The levy will fund construction training for the next three years.

Consensus is the process through which CITB asks for Levy-paying employers’ views and agreement to its skills and training funding plans.

CITB Consensus 2025

The CITB Consensus will take place between Monday 17 March – Friday 9 May 2025. CITB’s Levy Proposals for the 2026 – 29 Levy are:

• PAYE: 0.35%
• Net paid (Taxable) CIS Sub-contractors: 1.25%
• Increasing the Levy Exemption threshold so companies that have an employee payroll and net paid (taxable) CIS contractors of less than £150,000 are exempt from paying the Levy
• Reducing the Levy Reduction threshold so companies that have an employee payroll and net paid (taxable) CIS contractors of between £150,000 – £499,999 will get a 50% reduction on the Levy
• No other exemptions will apply.

Measuring Consensus 2025 is a sample-based process, so there is no expectation that all Levy payers will be asked to provide their views.

However, Prescribed Organisations will gather views from their members, and an independent market research company (IFF) will conduct a representative sample survey of 4,000 employers who are not part of a Prescribed Organisation. This number is large enough to report reliable results, CITB says.

The combined results will show the level of support by measuring the number of employers that are supportive and the amount of Levy paid by supportive employers.

Wrongful Subcontractor Levy Deductions

To address Levy-registered employers passing on the Levy to subcontractors, a new anonymous online reporting system has been introduced.

This will help to understand the scale of the practice and gather insights to help bring an end to it. Subcontractors affected by these wrongful deductions can use the platform to report instances confidentially and completely anonymously.

For those who want further action, CITB can contact the contractors involved and formally request that they cease making deductions.

Tim Balcon

Tim Balcon, CEO at CITB, said: “The Levy is designed to ensure that construction employers of all sizes feel supported with their skills and training needs. It plays a vital role in investing in the British construction industry, ensuring the development of a skilled workforce to meet the sector’s current and future demands.

“Following the publication of our Strategic Plan 2025 – 29, employers now have a full picture of how we intend to support the industry over the life of the Strategic Plan and accompanying Levy Order.”

>>Read more about CITB in the news