Free Day Rate Calculator for UK Tradespeople

Published 28 Oct 2026

Work out what you need to charge per day to cover your business costs and reach your ideal take-home pay after estimated Income Tax and National Insurance. Enter your own figures in the free calculator below. No sign-up required.

Calculate your day rate

Work out what one chargeable day needs to earn. Illustrative figures are pre-filled — replace them with your own.

1. Your income and business costs

Ideal take-home pay per year (£)

What you want left after estimated Income Tax and National Insurance, once business costs are covered.

Annual business running costs (£)

Van, insurance, tools, software and general business costs. Exclude materials charged separately to specific jobs.

Where do you live?

Uses 2026/27 sole-trader Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance rates.

Tax assumptions

An estimate for a UK-resident sole trader under State Pension age, with no other income. It uses the standard Personal Allowance, reduced where income requires it. It excludes student-loan repayments, pension contributions, benefits charges, other reliefs and voluntary National Insurance.

Your running costs are assumed to leave the estimated taxable profit shown. Tax treatment can differ from cash spending. This does not cover limited-company salary, dividends or Corporation Tax, or the timing of payments on account. Rates need reviewing for each tax year.

Hours you can charge per billable day

Use paid/chargeable hours, not necessarily all the hours you are out of the house.

2. Days you can genuinely bill

Estimate from my working yearI already know my billable days

Starts with 52 weeks × your days worked per week, then subtracts the days you cannot charge for. Adjust public holidays for your own calendar and do not deduct the same unpaid time twice.

Days normally worked each week

Annual leave (days)

Public holidays you will not work (days)

Adjust this for your UK nation and working pattern. Do not subtract days already counted elsewhere.

Sickness allowance (days)

Unpaid quoting, travel, admin and training (days)

Weather delays and gaps between jobs (days)

How the day rate calculator works

Your target labour day rate is calculated as:

(Income needed before tax + annual business running costs) ÷ billable days per year

Enter your ideal take-home pay. The calculator first estimates the income you need before Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance, then adds your annual running costs. Choose Scotland or England, Wales and Northern Ireland for the appropriate 2026/27 sole-trader rates.

The calculator helps estimate billable days from your normal working week, holidays, sickness, unpaid quoting and admin, and other downtime. Alternatively, enter your own total if you already track paid days.

It also converts the result into an hourly equivalent using the number of hours you can actually charge in a billable day.

What to include in your costs

Include the business share of your van, fuel, tools, insurance, training, accountancy, marketing and software. Materials, subcontractors, skips and plant hire charged separately to individual jobs should not also be included in annual overheads. Avoid counting the same cost twice.

Your take-home target is after estimated personal tax. The estimate assumes a UK-resident sole trader under State Pension age with no other income. It excludes student loans, pension adjustments, benefits charges, other reliefs and voluntary National Insurance. It does not cover limited-company salary or dividends, or the timing of payments on account. Running costs are assumed to leave the taxable profit shown, although cash spending and tax deductions can differ.

Rates are for 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027 and need reviewing each tax year. See HMRC's Income Tax rates and self-employed National Insurance guidance. Apply the correct VAT treatment separately when preparing your quotation.

Why billable days matter

Five days of work does not necessarily mean five days of invoiced labour. Site visits, paperwork, training, leave and weather can all reduce your paid capacity. Even a small reduction in billable days increases the rate you need to charge to achieve the same annual revenue.

To explore the quoting part of that unpaid time, try our quoting time savings calculator. Choose an hourly value that reflects what your admin time is worth to you; your customer charge-out rate is not automatically the value of an hour saved.

For a complete worked example, read our guide to calculating your day rate. Once you know your labour rate, Quote Forge can help you turn the labour and materials for a particular job into a clear, itemised quote.

Frequently asked questions

Is this day rate calculator free?

Yes. You can use the calculator without creating an account. It doesn't save your entries.

Does the result include VAT or personal tax?

The labour rate excludes VAT. The calculator allows for estimated 2026/27 sole-trader Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance when working backwards from your desired take-home pay. It is a pricing estimate, not a tax-return calculation.

Is the rate a recommended price for my trade?

No. It is a cost-based target. Compare the result against work you can actually win, your experience, regional demand and the scope of each job.