Job price and quote calculator
Price a job from labour, materials, travel and margin, with VAT if you charge it.
Open →Free tool
What should you charge a day?
Charging what everyone else charges is a guess. Put in the take-home pay you want, your real costs and the days you actually get paid for, and see the day rate and hourly rate that gets you there after tax.
Free tool
Work out your rate
How it works
How the rate is worked out
Paid days
(52 − weeks off) × (days you work − unpaid admin days), minus bank holidays and sick days. Quoting, travel and paperwork are real work, but nobody pays you a day rate for them.
Profit before tax
We find the profit that leaves your take-home figure after 2026/27 income tax and Class 4 National Insurance, including the personal allowance taper over £100,000.
Turnover you need
Profit before tax plus your business costs for the year. This is what your customers have to pay you in total.
Day and hourly rate
Turnover ÷ paid days gives the day rate; ÷ paid hours in a day gives the hourly rate. Both are before VAT.
VAT check
If the turnover you need is over the £90,000 threshold, you would have to register for VAT, and VAT-registered prices to most customers are 20% higher.
General information, not tax advice. Rates are for England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Scottish income tax bands differ. Pension contributions, student loans and other income change the answer - check with an accountant. Sources: gov.uk income tax rates and self-employed National Insurance rates.
Questions
Common questions
How do I work out my day rate if I am self-employed?
Start with the take-home pay you want, add your income tax, National Insurance and business costs to get the turnover you need, then divide by the days you are actually paid for in a year. The calculator above does all of that, including the tax, using the current rest-of-UK rates.
How many days a year does a self-employed person actually get paid for?
Far fewer than most people assume. Take four weeks of holiday, eight bank holidays, a handful of sick or bad-weather days and half a day a week for quoting and admin, and a five-day week gives around 200 paid days, not 260. Your own figures may be higher or lower.
Should my hourly rate be my day rate divided by eight?
Only if you are paid for eight hours a day. Many people charge a higher hourly rate for short jobs, because travel and setting up take the same time whatever the job length. A minimum charge or call-out fee is a common way to cover that.
Does this include VAT?
No. The rates are before VAT. If your turnover goes over the VAT registration threshold you must register, and then most customers pay 20% on top. The calculator warns you when the turnover you need is over the threshold.
Does it work for Scotland?
Partly. National Insurance is the same across the UK, but Scotland has its own income tax bands, so the tax figure here will be out for Scottish taxpayers. Use it as a guide and check the Scottish rates on gov.uk or with your accountant.
What costs should I include?
Everything you pay to run the business that an employer would otherwise pay: your vehicle, tools, insurance, phone, software, accountant, marketing and website, training and workwear. Leaving costs out is the most common reason a day rate looks fine on paper but does not pay.
Charge more with a website that proves it
A good website makes a higher rate easier to ask for. Ours start at a setup fee then £99 a month. Tell us about your business - we reply the same working day.