FREE TOOL · UK 2026 RATES
What should you charge per hour? Get a personalised rate based on your trade, experience, region and overheads — using current UK market data for 2026.
Covers van, tools, insurance, accountancy, materials wastage, and downtime.
Hourly Rate
£68
inc. overheads
Day Rate
£544
8 hrs/day
Weekly
£2,720
Monthly
£11,778
Annual
£130,560
| Trade | Hourly | Day Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Electrician | £40 – £70 | £280 – £500 |
| Plumber | £40 – £65 | £280 – £480 |
| Gas Engineer | £45 – £75 | £300 – £540 |
| Builder / General | £35 – £60 | £250 – £440 |
| Carpenter / Joiner | £35 – £55 | £250 – £400 |
| Roofer | £35 – £60 | £250 – £440 |
| Painter & Decorator | £30 – £50 | £220 – £360 |
| Plasterer | £35 – £55 | £250 – £400 |
| Tiler | £35 – £60 | £250 – £440 |
| Bricklayer | £35 – £55 | £250 – £400 |
| Landscaper | £30 – £50 | £220 – £360 |
| HVAC Technician | £40 – £65 | £280 – £480 |
National averages. Adjust using the calculator above for your region and experience.
The calculator above is more than an averages lookup. It stacks four real-world inputs that decide whether a rate keeps you profitable or busy-but-broke.
Every UK trade has its own base range driven by certification, risk and market demand. Gas engineers and electricians sit highest because Gas Safe and Part P certification limit supply. Painters and landscapers sit lower because anyone can enter the market. The calculator uses ONS-derived 2026 midpoints for each trade.
An apprentice earns ~60% of mid-rate. 1-3 years experience earns ~80%. 7-15 years earns 115%. 15+ year masters can command 130%+. The multiplier reflects what customers will actually pay — not what you might wish they paid.
London rates run +30% above the national average; the South East +15%; Midlands and South West close to average; the North East, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland 10-15% below. Demand and cost-of-living drive this, not snobbery.
Van, fuel, tools, public liability and professional indemnity insurance, accountancy, software, workwear, sick pay, pension, and the time you spend on admin you can't bill. The overhead slider tops your base rate so the figure you charge actually leaves a profit after overhead is paid.
Aisha is a 5-year-qualified electrician in Manchester. She does domestic rewires, EV charger installs and EICRs. Here's how the calculator builds her rate:
Trade base
£50/hr
Experience (3-7 yrs)
×1.0
Region (NW)
×0.9
Overhead
+20%
Aisha's recommended rate
£54/hr
≈ £390 day rate · £85,800 / year at 7 billable hrs/day
Names are illustrative. Plug in your own trade, experience, region and overhead in the calculator above for a personalised rate.
Everything tradesmen ask about setting hourly rates in the UK.
The average UK tradesman hourly rate ranges from £30-£70 per hour depending on the trade, experience level and region. Gas engineers and electricians command the highest rates (£40-£75/hour) thanks to certification requirements (Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, 18th Edition). Painters, decorators and landscapers sit at the lower end (£30-£50/hour). London rates are typically 20-30% higher than the national average.
Self-employed tradesmen should add 15-25% on top of the equivalent employed rate to cover overheads — van, tools, fuel, public liability insurance, professional indemnity, accountancy fees, materials wastage, sick pay, holidays and pension. The calculator above factors in your overhead percentage so you set a rate that's actually profitable, not just busy.
Day rates for UK tradesmen typically range from £220 to £540 for an 8-hour day. Electricians (£280-£500), gas engineers (£300-£540), plumbers (£280-£480), builders (£250-£440), carpenters (£250-£400) and painters (£220-£360). London commands the highest day rates; rates in Wales, Northern Ireland and the North East are usually 10-15% lower than the national average.
Aim to bill 6-7 hours of an 8-hour working day. The other 1-2 hours are taken by travel, quoting, invoicing, customer messages, parts runs and admin. The calculator uses a billable-hours slider so the rate you see assumes you only get paid for those hours — not for the unpaid admin around them. If you reduce admin time (with AI quoting, for example), you can either keep the same rate and earn more or drop your rate slightly to win more work.
No — review annually. Material costs rise, insurance premiums increase, fuel prices fluctuate and your skill grows with experience. We recommend reviewing your rate every 12 months as a minimum, and bumping it 4-6% per year just to keep pace with cost-of-living and material inflation.
Quote per job for most domestic work. Customers prefer fixed prices, you protect your margin against jobs that take longer than expected, and there's no awkward conversation about hourly creep. Use your hourly rate as the underlying baseline when calculating the job price. Hourly billing makes more sense on diagnostic call-outs and small repairs.
Demand and cost of living vary across the UK. London and the South East run 15-30% above the national average; the South West and Midlands sit close to average; the North East, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland are typically 10-15% below average. The calculator applies regional multipliers based on ONS data so the suggested rate reflects what your local market will actually pay.
Yes — certifications justify a 10-20% premium because customers can't legally have certain work done by an uncertified tradesman, and insurers/mortgage lenders increasingly require certified work. Gas Safe (gas), NICEIC or NAPIT (electrical Part P), Competent Persons Scheme registrations, and 18th Edition all earn higher rates and more enquiries than uncertified equivalents.
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