Am I Undercharging? Free UK Trade Day Rate Checker
Are you undercharging? Put in your trade, your region and the day rate you actually charge, and this free day rate checker shows where you sit against published UK rates for your trade and against other tradespeople who have shared theirs. It is anonymous: we never ask for your name, and you can see your result without giving an email address.
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Check Your Day Rate
Am I undercharging?
How the Day Rate Checker Works
Your rate is compared in three ways:
- Published UK day rates for your trade. These are the figures on our day rate guides, taken from named sources such as Checkatrade, trade surveys and live job adverts, each checked at source in October 2026.
- Published rates and job adverts in your region. We researched day rates for every trade and UK region from published price guides and live job adverts (October 2026), and kept only figures we could check on the source page. Each one is shown with its source and date, and the full tables are in our UK trade day rates by region report. Guide prices are usually what customers pay a self-employed tradesperson; adverts are usually what agencies and contractors pay, so they tend to be lower.
- Rates shared by other tradespeople. Every rate entered here goes into the TradeStack HQ Day Rate Index. Once at least 5 people in your trade have shared a rate, the checker shows your percentile: the share of them who charge less than you. Once 5 people in your trade and region have shared, it shows a regional figure too.
Shared rates are self-reported and are not verified, so treat them as a guide. To keep the numbers honest, the checker only accepts rates between £60 and £1,500 a day, counts one rate per trade from each connection every 30 days, and uses medians and percentiles, which a few silly entries cannot drag around. Only rates from the last 12 months are used.
Published Day Rates by Trade
These are the typical UK day rate ranges the checker uses for each trade. Click a trade for the sources, the official ONS pay data and a calculator that works out the rate you need to charge.
| Trade | Typical UK day rate |
|---|---|
| Electrician | £312 to £400 |
| Plumber | £320 to £480 |
| Gas engineer | £280 to £450 |
| Builder | £300 to £400 |
| Bricklayer | £200 to £320 |
| Joiner | £240 to £360 |
| Plasterer | £150 to £480 |
| Painter and decorator | £230 to £355 |
| Tiler | £200 to £350 |
| Roofer | £280 to £360 |
| Kitchen fitter | £150 to £350 |
| Landscaper | £180 to £400 |
| Groundworker | £175 to £300 |
| Tree surgeon | £240 to £400 per person |
What We Do With Your Data
We store your trade, region, day rate, who you work for, years in the trade and the date. We never store your name or postcode. To stop spam, your connection address is turned into a one-way code that cannot be turned back into the address; we use it only to limit repeat entries. If you add your email and tick the box, we send you one confirmation email straight away, store your address to send you the Day Rate Index, and you can ask us to delete it at any time through our contact page. We only ever publish figures for groups of 5 or more rates, so nobody’s individual rate can be picked out.
Day Rate Checker FAQs
Compare your day rate with published rates for your trade and region, then check it covers your costs. If you are below the typical range for your trade, fully booked weeks ahead and rarely lose a quote on price, you are very likely undercharging. Our trade day rate guides include a calculator that works out the rate you need from your income target and overheads.
Yes. It never asks for your name or postcode, the email box is optional, and we only publish figures for groups of at least 5 rates, so no single tradesperson’s rate can be identified.
We only show a percentile once at least 5 people in your trade have shared a rate, and a regional figure once 5 people in your trade and region have. Until then you are compared with the published UK range for your trade. Sharing your rate helps the numbers fill in faster.
Without. Enter your labour-only rate for one person for a normal working day, before materials and VAT, so everyone is compared on the same basis.
It is a regular summary of the day rates shared through this checker, broken down by trade and region wherever there are enough rates to publish. Tick the box when you check your rate if you would like it emailed to you.
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 day rate ranges were checked at source in October 2026. Shared rates are self-reported and not verified. See how we test and check.