Free tool · BuildMeA Projects
Day Rate Calculator for UK Trades
Your day rate isn't what the bloke next to you charges. It's your costs plus your life, worked backwards. Most trades undercharge because they've never done this sum — do it here in two minutes.
Every day you work is carrying £0 of overheads before you earn a penny. Annual overhead total: £0.
Busyness isn't profit
Same costs, same target income — just different utilisation. See how much the rate has to move to make up for quiet weeks.
| Utilisation | Billable days | Day rate needed |
|---|
Who this is for
Any self-employed tradesperson working out what to charge per day — builders, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, decorators, gardeners, cleaners, and anyone else who prices jobs by the day rather than a fixed contract. If you've never actually done the sum and just price off what the competition charges, this is the two-minute reality check.
Why is this higher than I charge?
Because most trades price off what competitors charge, not what the job actually costs them to run. Vehicle costs, insurance, tools, admin time and quiet days are all real costs of being in business — if they're not in your rate, you're paying for them out of your own take-home without realising it.
Should VAT be added on top?
Yes, if you're VAT registered. This calculator produces a pre-VAT day rate — VAT (currently 20% standard rate) gets added to the invoice on top, not absorbed into your rate.
What about materials?
Materials should be passed through to the client and marked up separately — never absorbed into your day rate. Mixing the two makes it much harder to see whether your labour pricing is actually covering your costs.
Do I really lose that many days?
Most trades are surprised how few of their 260 working days are genuinely billable once holiday, sick/quiet days and non-billable time (quoting, driving, admin, no-shows) are stripped out. Tracking your actual utilisation for a month is the best way to sanity-check the 75% default.
What next?
Once you know your day rate, use our Break-Even Calculator to see how many billable days a month you actually need to cover your costs, and our Price List Builder to turn it into a published call-out price list customers can see before they ring.
Please note: this tool gives a guide or estimate only. It may not be 100% accurate and is not professional advice — always check the figures before you rely on them. Everything you type stays in your browser — nothing is uploaded, saved or sent anywhere.
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