Free calculator · UK
Day rate calculator for tradespeople
Start from what you want to take home in a year, add what the business costs to run, and spread it over the days you'll actually be working. You get a day rate and an hourly rate, with every step of the sum shown. It's an estimate to help you price, not tax advice.
What you want left after tax.
Van, fuel, insurance, tools, phone, accountant, scheme fees.
A rough share of your profit: check yours with HMRC or an accountant.
The working
- £35,000.00 ÷ (100% − 20%) = £43,750.00 profit before tax
- £43,750.00 + £8,000.00 costs = £51,750.00 to bring in
- £51,750.00 ÷ 220 days = £235.23 a day
- £51,750.00 ÷ 1,760 hours (220 × 8) = £29.40 an hour
An estimate, not tax advice: tax works in bands, not as one flat share. Rates are before VAT.
Plain maths to help you price work: an estimate, not tax or accounting advice. Nothing you type is sent to us.
How to use the day rate calculator
- 1Type the yearly take-home pay you're aiming for: what you want left after tax.
- 2Put in your yearly business costs: van, fuel, insurance, tools, phone, accountant and scheme fees.
- 3Set the share to put aside for tax and National Insurance, the days you'll work in a year and the hours in a day.
- 4Read your day rate and hourly rate, with the working underneath.
Worked example
A plasterer wants to take home £35,000 a year, has £8,000 of business costs, puts 20% of profit aside for tax and plans on 220 working days of 8 hours.
- 1£35,000.00 ÷ 0.8 = £43,750.00 profit before tax.
- 2£43,750.00 + £8,000.00 costs = £51,750.00 to bring in.
- 3£51,750.00 ÷ 220 days = £235.23 a day.
- 4£235.23 a day is about £29.40 an hour over 8 hours.
Do this in 30 seconds on your phone
Put your rates in once, then quote by voice
- 1Put your day rate, hourly rate and usual materials in your price list in ViperJob.
- 2Hold the mic and say the job. ViperJob prices the lines from your price list and adds VAT.
- 3Send a branded PDF by WhatsApp, text or email, or a link the customer accepts online.
ViperJob is the quote and invoice app for UK trades, on Android. Free for 3 quotes a month. ViperJob Pro is £12.99 a month or £119.99 a year, with a 14-day free trial.
Launch offer: £8.99 a month for your first 12 months with code FOUNDER (500 of 500 places left).
(opens in a new tab)See what ViperJob doesDay rate calculator: questions
How many working days are there in a year?
52 weeks of 5 days is 260. Take off 4 weeks' holiday and the 8 bank holidays in England and Wales, and you're at about 230. Then allow for days lost to weather, illness, quiet spells, pricing jobs and fetching materials. Use a number you're confident of: planning on fewer days is safer than planning on too many.
What share should I put aside for tax?
It depends on your profit. Income Tax and National Insurance work in bands, with a tax-free personal allowance at the bottom, so one flat percentage is only a rough guide. Check what applies to you with HMRC's guidance or your accountant, and set the share to match.
Should I charge by the day or by the job?
A fixed price for the job is easier for a customer to say yes to, but you carry the risk if it overruns. Knowing your day rate helps either way: price the job by the days it'll take at your day rate, plus materials, and you know the price covers your costs and your pay.
Is the day rate before or after VAT?
Before VAT. If you're VAT registered, add VAT on top when you quote: the VAT goes to HMRC, not into your take-home pay.