Free tool

Hourly rate calculator for trades

Start from what you want to take home, add what the business costs to run, and take off the hours nobody pays for. The answer is the least you should charge.

Your numbers

You

What you want to take homeAfter income tax and National Insurance, for the whole year.

Business costs

VanLease or loan payments, or what it loses in value each year, plus servicing and tyres.

Fuel

InsurancePublic liability, van and tools.

Tools and stock you don't charge for

Phone, software and subscriptions

Accountant

Advertising and listings

Anything elseTraining, memberships, workwear, parking, bank fees.

Your time

Weeks you work in a year52, less holidays, bank holidays, sick days and training.

Days a week

Hours a day

Share of those hours you can charge forTravel, quotes, buying parts and paperwork usually aren't charged.

I'm VAT-registered

Worked out in your browser. Nothing you type is stored.

Your answer

Charge at least

£37.60 an hour

£300.80 for a full day of 8 hours.

Take-home you asked for: £35,000
Income tax: £6,062
Class 4 National Insurance: £1,819
Profit you need: £42,881
Business costs: £9,000
Turnover you need: £51,881
Hours you can charge: 1,380 a yearAbout 30 a week.

What other rates would leave you
Hourly rate	Take-home a year
£28	£25,202
£33	£30,308
£38	£35,414
£43	£40,509
£48	£44,511

Uses 2026/27 income tax and Class 4 National Insurance for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland's income tax bands are different.
For sole traders. Leaves out student loan repayments, pension contributions and voluntary Class 2 National Insurance.
Materials you pass on to customers go on top of this rate.

Put your prices where customers see them

A Jobbo page shows your call-out and hourly prices, packages and the towns you cover, so people know what they'll pay before they ring.

Set up your page

How it works

Profit you need. We find the profit that leaves you your take-home after 2026/27 income tax and Class 4 National Insurance, using the bands for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Turnover you need. We add your business costs for the year.
Hours you can charge. Weeks × days × hours, times the share you can bill. Travel, quotes, buying parts and admin all take time nobody pays for.
Your rate. Turnover divided by chargeable hours, rounded up to the penny.

The day rate is the hourly rate times your working day. Materials you pass on to customers are extra, and so is VAT if you're registered.

Questions

What do tradespeople charge per hour in the UK?

It varies by trade, area and how busy things are, so a national average tells you little about your own business. Work from what you need to earn, then compare with the prices local competitors show on their websites and Google listings.

Why is the rate so much more than an employed wage?

An employer pays for the van, tools, insurance, holidays, and the hours spent travelling and quoting. When you're self-employed, your rate has to cover all of them.

Does this work for a limited company?

Not exactly. A limited company pays corporation tax, and directors usually take a salary and dividends, which are taxed differently. The costs and hours parts still apply.

What about Scotland?

Scotland sets its own income tax bands, so the tax figure here will be a little out for Scottish taxpayers. National Insurance is the same across the UK.

Get your own page in a few minutes

Your prices, photos, areas and hours on one page, and callback requests that come straight to you.

Free while Jobbo is in early access. See a sample page first