Painter and Decorator Day Rate UK 2026: What to Charge
What should a self-employed painter and decorator charge per day in the UK? Published guides put the typical painter and decorator day rate at around £230 to £355. 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 painter and decorator’s day rate at around £230 to £355 in 2026. Official ONS figures show employed painters and decorators earn a median of £16.25 an hour, about £130 for an 8-hour day. A self-employed painter and decorator charges more than that because the rate has to cover a van, tools, insurance, holidays and unbilled days. On our worked example, matching a median painter and decorator’s pay needs about £249 a day over 200 billable days.
Painter and Decorator 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 tradesperson costs | £250 to £350 a day, £30 to £40 an hour | April 2026 |
| Fantastic Services painting cost guide | £230 to £355 a day outside London, 20 to 30% more in London and the South East | 2026 (no update date shown) |
What Employed Painters and Decorators Earn: Official ONS Data
The Office for National Statistics’ Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (2025, provisional) records the pay of full-time employees in the occupation “Painters and decorators” (SOC 5323). This is what an employer pays, not what a self-employed painter and decorator 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) | £14.03 | £16.25 | £18.45 |
| Day equivalent (8 hours) | £112 | £130 | £148 |
| Annual pay (gross) | £28,462 | £32,763 | £39,007 |
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.
Work Out Your Own Painter and Decorator 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 (£32,763 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 | £34.54 |
| 200 days | £249 | £31.09 |
| 220 days | £226 | £28.26 |
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 Painter and Decorator’s Day Rate
- Preparation: Stripping, filling and sanding take time; rooms needing heavy prep should cost more.
- Interior, exterior or specialist: Exterior work, spraying and specialist finishes usually support higher rates.
- Per room or by the day: Many decorators quote per room; your day rate is what you price each room from.
- Materials: Check whether your rate includes trade paint or whether materials are charged separately.
- Where you work: London and the South East pay 20 to 30% more according to published guides.
Day Rate or Fixed Price?
Many painters and decorators 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 painting and decorating jobs in the UK.
Tradify lets you save your day rate and per-room prices, then quote and invoice decorating jobs from your phone. 14-day free trial, no card needed.
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Published UK guides put a painter and decorator’s day rate at around £230 to £355 in 2026: Checkatrade tradesperson costs quotes £250 to £350 a day, £30 to £40 an hour, and Fantastic Services painting cost guide quotes £230 to £355 a day outside London, 20 to 30% more in London and the South East. Rates vary with location, qualifications and the type of work.
ONS data for 2025 shows full-time employed painters and decorators earned a median of £16.25 an hour and £32,763 a year. The middle half earned between £14.03 and £18.45 an hour.
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 £32,763 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.