One of the most common questions new handymen and tradespeople ask is: how do I know what to charge? Price too high and you lose the job. Price too low and you're working for less than minimum wage once you factor in materials, travel, and overhead. Getting your pricing right is one of the most important business skills you can develop.
This guide walks you through exactly how to price handyman jobs in the UK in 2026 — from calculating your hourly rate to handling materials markup and VAT.
Step 1: Calculate your minimum viable hourly rate
Before you can price any job, you need to know what you must earn per hour just to break even. This is your minimum viable rate — not your profit rate, just your survival rate.
Start by adding up all your annual costs: van insurance, public liability insurance, tools, fuel, phone, accounting software, and any other business expenses. According to Simply Business, public liability insurance for a sole trader handyman typically costs £80–£200 per year. Add your desired annual income (e.g. £35,000), then divide the total by the number of billable hours you can realistically work in a year.
Most sole traders can bill around 1,000–1,200 hours per year after accounting for holidays, admin, travel, and unpaid time. If your total annual costs plus desired income come to £50,000, you need to charge at least £42–£50 per hour just to break even.
Step 2: Research local market rates
Once you know your minimum rate, check what other handymen in your area are charging. According to Checkatrade, handyman day rates in the UK range from £150–£300 depending on location, with London rates typically 30–50% higher than the national average.
You don't need to be the cheapest — you need to be competitive while still making a profit. If the market rate is £200/day and your minimum viable rate is £160/day, you have room to price at £200 and make a healthy margin.
Step 3: Calculate materials costs accurately
Materials are where many handymen lose money. The key rules are:
- Always add a markup — typically 15–25% on materials to cover your time sourcing them, carrying them, and the risk of over-ordering.
- Include sundries — fixings, tape, sealant, and other small consumables add up. Add a lump sum (e.g. £20–£50) for sundries rather than trying to itemise every screw.
- Quote based on supplier prices, not retail — if you have a trade account at a builders' merchant, use those prices in your quote.
Tools like GoFix let you add individual material line items with a markup percentage applied automatically, plus a separate sundries field — so you never forget to charge for consumables.
Step 4: Account for call-out fees and travel
If you're travelling more than 15–20 minutes to a job, consider adding a call-out fee or travel charge. This is standard practice and customers generally accept it when it's stated clearly on the quote. GoFix includes a dedicated call-out fee field in the quote builder so you never forget to add it.
Step 5: Decide on VAT
If your annual turnover exceeds the VAT registration threshold (currently £90,000 for 2024/25), you must register for VAT and charge 20% on top of your prices. If you're below the threshold, you can still voluntarily register — which can be beneficial if your customers are VAT-registered businesses.
Always make it clear on your quote whether your prices are inclusive or exclusive of VAT. GoFix handles this automatically with a simple VAT toggle on every quote.
Step 6: Build your quote professionally
A professional quote does more than state a price — it builds trust. Your quote should include:
- A clear description of the work to be done
- An itemised breakdown of labour and materials
- Your VAT status (registered or not)
- A validity period (typically 30 days)
- Your contact details and any relevant trade qualifications
Research consistently shows that the first tradesperson to send a professional quote wins the job more often than not. Using GoFix to generate a PDF quote on the spot — while you're still at the customer's property — gives you a significant competitive advantage.
Common pricing mistakes to avoid
The most common pricing mistakes handymen make are: undercharging for their time, forgetting to add materials markup, not accounting for travel, and failing to include VAT when required. The second most common mistake is taking too long to send the quote — by the time you get home and write it up in Word, the customer has already accepted someone else's offer.
Ready to quote faster and more accurately? Try GoFix free today — create your first professional quote in under 60 seconds.
