Tree Surgeon Day Rate UK 2026: What to Charge
What should a self-employed tree surgeon charge per day in the UK? Published guides put the typical tree surgeon day rate at around £240 to £400 per person, or £300 to £700 for a team. This page shows where those figures come from, what official ONS data shows about employee pay, and a calculator to work out the day rate you need to charge to cover your overheads and the days you can’t bill.
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Published UK guides put a tree surgeon’s day rate at around £240 to £400 per person, or £300 to £700 for a team in 2026. Official ONS figures for the closest occupation, “Forestry and related workers”, show a median of £15.76 an hour, about £126 for an 8-hour day. A self-employed tree surgeon charges more than that because the rate has to cover a van, tools, insurance, holidays and unbilled days. On our worked example, matching that median pay needs about £249 a day over 200 billable days.
Tree Surgeon Day Rates: What Published Guides Say
These are the figures quoted by named UK sources, with the date each was last updated. They are averages across very different jobs and areas, so treat them as a sense-check rather than a price list.
| Source | What it quotes | Updated |
|---|---|---|
| Checkatrade tree removal cost guide | £240 to £400 a day per tree surgeon, £30 to £50 an hour | June 2026 |
| Housekeep tree surgery cost guide | £300 to £700 a day for a team, £40 to £80 an hour per person | March 2026 |
Official ONS Pay Data: The Closest Occupation
The Office for National Statistics’ Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (2025, provisional) records the pay of full-time employees in the occupation “Forestry and related workers” (SOC 9112). This is what an employer pays, not what a self-employed tree surgeon charges, but it is the most reliable benchmark for what the work is worth as a wage.
| Full-time employees, 2025 | Lower quarter | Median | Upper quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly pay (gross) | Not published | £15.76 | Not published |
| Day equivalent (8 hours) | Not published | £126 | Not published |
| Annual pay (gross) | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Source: ONS, ASHE Table 14, 2025 provisional, full-time employees, gross pay. Day equivalent is hourly pay multiplied by 8 and is our calculation. “Not published” means ONS judged the estimate not reliable enough to release.
ONS does not publish a separate figure for tree surgeons. The closest occupation, forestry and related workers, has an hourly median only; annual and quartile figures were not reliable enough to publish.
Work Out Your Own Tree Surgeon Day Rate
A sustainable day rate is the income you want, plus the cost of running the business, spread over the days you can actually bill, with a margin for risk and profit. The calculator starts with the ONS median pay as the income target. Change any figure to match your own business.
On the starting figures (£32,781 income, £12,000 overheads, 10% margin), the day rate you need depends heavily on how many days you can bill:
| Billable days a year | Day rate needed | Hourly (8-hour day) |
|---|---|---|
| 180 days | £276 | £34.55 |
| 200 days | £249 | £31.10 |
| 220 days | £226 | £28.27 |
The overheads figure is a planning assumption, not a measured average; yours could be far higher once a newer van or specialist kit is included. For the full method, see our day rate calculator, and to see what you keep after tax, try the self-employed take-home pay calculator.
What Affects a Tree Surgeon’s Day Rate
- Team and kit: Most jobs need a climber, a groundsperson and a chipper, so team day rates are the norm.
- Waste removal: Chipping and taking away waste is often priced separately.
- Access and risk: Difficult access, large trees and work near buildings or power lines justify higher rates.
- Qualifications and insurance: NPTC/City and Guilds tickets and proper insurance are expected and cost money to maintain.
- Where you work: London rates are well above most of the UK.
Day Rate or Fixed Price?
Many tree surgeons quote fixed prices for defined jobs and keep a day rate for open-ended work, extra work and subcontracting. Your day rate still matters either way: it is the number you price every fixed quote from. Read our guide on fixed price vs day rate, and how to quote tree surgery jobs in the UK.
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Published UK guides put a tree surgeon’s day rate at around £240 to £400 per person, or £300 to £700 for a team in 2026: Checkatrade tree removal cost guide quotes £240 to £400 a day per tree surgeon, £30 to £50 an hour, and Housekeep tree surgery cost guide quotes £300 to £700 a day for a team, £40 to £80 an hour per person. Rates vary with location, qualifications and the type of work.
ONS data for 2025 shows full-time employed tree surgeons earned a median of £15.76 an hour. ONS does not publish a separate figure for tree surgeons. The closest occupation, forestry and related workers, has an hourly median only; annual and quartile figures were not reliable enough to publish.
A day rate has to cover everything an employer would normally pay for: the van, tools, insurance, holidays, sick days, pension and the days spent quoting, travelling and doing admin. Spread over the days you can actually bill, that pushes the rate well above an hourly wage.
Add the income you want to your yearly business costs, add a margin for risk and profit, then divide by the number of days you can realistically bill. With £32,781 income, £12,000 overheads, a 10% margin and 200 billable days, that is about £249 a day.
TradeStack HQ helps UK tradespeople find the best tools to run smarter businesses. Some links on this page are affiliate links; we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. Published figures are quoted from the named sources on the dates shown; ONS figures are for full-time employees and are not charge-out rates. Checked October 2026. See how we test and check.