What is your hourly rate as a self employed electrician? (2024-25)

[HappyHippyDad]

I did a poll last year (and the year before) on exactly this.

Below I have pasted what I wrote in the thread last time so there is a degree of similarity. We can then see if we have changed our prices much (again, bit of fun, not accurate)

pasted...

I thought I would start a poll to see 'roughly' what the average hourly rate is for self employed electricians?

To keep it as simple as possible, forget about any 'first hour' rate you may or may not charge and just go for your rate after that.

I realise this isn't going to cover lots and lots of scenarios (quotes, domestic, commercial, geographical location etc etc), but it's just for a bit of amusement and perhaps along the way we'll gain a very rough idea of an electrician's hourly rate.

It will be anonymous so please do answer honestly

 

[MDJ]

I did a poll last year (and the year before) on exactly this.

Below I have pasted what I wrote in the thread last time so there is a degree of similarity. We can then see if we have changed our prices much (again, bit of fun, not accurate)

pasted...

I thought I would start a poll to see 'roughly' what the average hourly rate is for self employed electricians?

To keep it as simple as possible, forget about any 'first hour' rate you may or may not charge and just go for your rate after that.

I realise this isn't going to cover lots and lots of scenarios (quotes, domestic, commercial, geographical location etc etc), but it's just for a bit of amusement and perhaps along the way we'll gain a very rough idea of an electrician's hourly rate.

It will be anonymous so please do answer honestly

well obviously your unsure, what is your current rate

 

[HappyHippyDad]

well obviously your unsure, what is your current rate

I've done this poll for 3 years now.
I find stats and maths interesting. Plus, I imagine most sparks are interested in what others charge. But, as in the OP, a bit of fun.
Also, its interesting to see if I'm above or below the average.
My hourly rate is £45, it has been for almost 3 years, I'm thinking of putting it up to £50.

 

[Bluetit]

Normally 2x for the first hour to cover getting there and back etc.
I've only been on my own for a short while so am still finding my feet with prices. I have been £40 an hour, which I think for my area is probably low-average.
The hardest thing for me has been getting used to charging this for tiny jobs. Realistically though even swapping an accessory ends up taking 1.5 hours by the time I've chatted to the customer briefly, driven there and back, potentially collected the part etc.

 

[buzzlightyear]

Some customers thinks we are all robbers charging £45.00 per hour.
They don't think what it will cost them to have car serviced, especially if it's a top range car.
With the cost of living I have found that not many customer are ring me.
The price of gas has you know and every thing.
It want be long that we will get paid with either magic beans or sea shells.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Come on everyone! We need lots more votes

 

[Welchyboy1]

I've done this poll for 3 years now.
I find stats and maths interesting. Plus, I imagine most sparks are interested in what others charge. But, as in the OP, a bit of fun.
Also, its interesting to see if I'm above or below the average.
My hourly rate is £45, it has been for almost 3 years, I'm thinking of putting it up to £50.

After the huge spike in inflation we have had in the past 3-4 years, the cost of most things have practically doubled. Not only within business costs but as in housing, fuel, food, debt, etc. If you are still charging the same day rate as 3-4 years ago, you have greatly reduced your profit! You must have felt this somewhat?

One of the positives about running your own business over being employed, is that you can adjust your charges(and therefore your profits) at the same pace or more than inflation. As a business owner you should be keeping an eye on levels of inflation and adjusting your margins higher when required(not so much lower when inflation drops though, as costs dont drop they only rise at a slower pace)

Really this poll should show a big increase in hourly charges in respect to 3-4 years ago to reflect this, if this is not the case then guys you need to really consider your charges!

 

[DefyG]

65 first hour then 48 but been like that for about 3 years so maybe too low now for the area!

 

[happysteve]

This thread has prompted me to consider what I'm charging. I last changed my rates in October 2020. The Bank of England has a good cumulative interest rate calculator - you put in an amount for a certain year (e.g. £40 in 2021) and it tells you what that's worth now (£48.41 in October 2024): Inflation calculator - https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator

So I'm putting my rates up by 20% in January. We'll see how it goes.

 

[SparkySy]

This is an interesting poll, earlier this year I went Ltd for various reasons and had to put my prices up to cover the extra costs involved.
As a self employed contractor I charged £35 an hour flat rate & £70 for the 1st hour on call.
I informed all my customers that my business was changing and so were my rates beforehand, all were happy to pay more for my service and some still said I was too cheap for what I did.
I will be looking at my books for this first year very closely but was going to up my rate again in January.
Especially after customers telling me I'm cheap and then reading some of the post above, it would seem that I am still cheap!

 

[littlespark]

It’s still a very localised pattern with rates… I mean, I couldn’t charge what some of the big city sparks might charge… but I am thinking of going up maybe £5 an hour in new year… that’s 12.5%

I might even have 2 rates…. One for little jobs in domestic, and another for commercial…. Companies I know can afford a little more.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

It’s still a very localised pattern with rates… I mean, I couldn’t charge what some of the big city sparks might charge… but I am thinking of going up maybe £5 an hour in new year… that’s 12.5%

I might even have 2 rates…. One for little jobs in domestic, and another for commercial…. Companies I know can afford a little more.

Going up to £45 p/hr seems reasonable.

This poll is perhaps making me feel the opposite. I'm 'fairly' happy with my rate (£45), and looking at the poll it seems smack on average, which pushes me a little into not increasing it. I think I'll go up to £50 in perhaps 6 - 12 months, rather than now.

 

[richy3333]

Going up to £45 p/hr seems reasonable.

This poll is perhaps making me feel the opposite. I'm 'fairly' happy with my rate (£45), and looking at the poll it seems smack on average, which pushes me a little into not increasing it. I think I'll go up to £50 in perhaps 6 - 12 months, rather than now.

Why wait mate? I’ve had no negative experiences in raising my rates. In this day and age I think £50 per hour is a minimum rate.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Why wait mate? I’ve had no negative experiences in raising my rates. In this day and age I think £50 per hour is a minimum rate.

Ok, done

 

[HappyHippyDad]

It's getting more interesting now more are voting.
The £40 - £49 band is still by far the most popular, but the rest of the votes are now far more spaced out.
I expect this is partly due to regional variation, although that's almost ridiculous to say given the small population of results.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

It's getting more interesting now more are voting.
The £40 - £49 band is still by far the most popular, but the rest of the votes are now far more spaced out.
I expect this is partly due to regional variation, although that's almost ridiculous to say given the small population of results.

 

[richy3333]

It's getting more interesting now more are voting.
The £40 - £49 band is still by far the most popular, but the rest of the votes are now far more spaced out.
I expect this is partly due to regional variation, although that's almost ridiculous to say given the small population of results.

You can’t run a business at £20 per hour. I’d suggest those charging that don’t have a true handle on their business outgoings. In this day and age with various costs I be looking at £50 per hour as a minimum.

Not sure if the rates include/exclude VAT

 

[HappyHippyDad]

You can’t run a business at £20 per hour. I’d suggest those charging that don’t have a true handle on their business outgoings. In this day and age with various costs I be looking at £50 per hour as a minimum.

Not sure if the rates include/exclude VAT

Within the last 2 days I've had 2 small quotes, charged at £75 first hour, then £50. The customers didn't even blink. Both jobs accepted.
I think half the time it's just changing our own mind set about what a high price is.

 

[Diddy]

You can’t run a business at £20 per hour. I’d suggest those charging that don’t have a true handle on their business outgoings. In this day and age with various costs I be looking at £50 per hour as a minimum.

Not sure if the rates include/exclude VAT

I don't think you can really run a so called successful business for less than £50 per hour and even that is treading a very thin margin. There are "plenty" of subby jobs out there within 1 hours commute of most places in the UK where rates of £25-£30 are realistic.
If someone can tell me they can cover the extra costs between being a subby with a basic set of tools and no need for a van/test equipment/nothing more advanced than a drill, plus they don't need scheme membership, - if you can cover that plus all the "free quotes/ insurances fuel/admin time" for £20 per hour then you are doing bloody well, I base the £20 per hour as you can easily get £25 within commutable distance then £45 is really right...so is £50 when you can get £30's within commutable distance.
I mean obviously there is more to life - some people such as myself enjoy total freedom and only do 2-3 days per week, But I achieve this by being expensive lol. But yeah some just love the freedom, Others can't stand working under any sort of supervision...again fair enough, But one must be careful not to actually end up effectively "paying" to be a sole trader. It's a fools game, Nobody will care when you have that bit of bad luck that kills your whole business stone dead, IMHO if you are charging <£45 you are an accident away from financial distress/ A couple of thefts away from the same, A slow paying customer away from similar. Businesses are actually "supposed" to make a profit AFTER wages and expenses are accounted for.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

I think we need more votes.

Here is a (mean) average of the last few polls for hourly wage, for the last 3 years.

2022 - 2023 = £41.48
2023 - 2024 = £46.30
2024 - 2024 (so far, after 28 votes) = £40.46

 

[HappyHippyDad]

I think we need more votes.

Here is a (mean) average of the last few polls for hourly wage, for the last 3 years.

2022 - 2023 = £41.48
2023 - 2024 = £46.30
2024 - 2024 (so far, after 28 votes) = £40.46

@Yellowhammer bit odd to dislike this post? I can understand disliking many of my other posts, but this was a rather non descript one to dislike I'd be interested in your reasoning.

 

[Bluetit]

@Yellowhammer bit odd to dislike this post? I can understand disliking many of my other posts, but this was a rather non descript one to dislike I'd be interested in your reasoning.

It wasn't meant in that way, apologies I dislike the information contained in it, nothing against you. Hourly rates should be increasing, not just with inflation, but with the ever expanding skillset and knowledge required of the humble electrician.

Sadly, I know many other trades who are charging significantly more than this, and without sounding too up myself, trades that require much less investment in equipment and continued training! Not to suggest they should be on less, simply that sparks should be on more!

 

[littlespark]

We should all be on 1/7th more than we are….... just because the regs book is now 8 chapters long instead of 7

Go ask a plumber what an “island mode” is

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Update on averages...

The mean average hourly wage is now £46.94.
This is based on 31 votes.
A population of 31 is far too low for any meaningful stats, so just a bit of fun.
Would be nice to get it to 100 votes, but I think this is extremely unlikely.
I think last year's poll capped at around 55 votes.
Where's @Dustydazzler when you need him! He'd bump the average up

 

[mainline]

Go ask a plumber what an “island mode” is

He would ask a kitchen fitter.

 

[baldelectrician]

Within the last 2 days I've had 2 small quotes, charged at £75 first hour, then £50. The customers didn't even blink. Both jobs accepted.
I think half the time it's just changing our own mind set about what a high price is.

Have been toying with the idea of making the first hour £60 and hours after that £50

This gives a leeway to discount pensioners and regular clients to £50

 

[Jock from the north]

I don't think you can really run a so called successful business for less than £50 per hour and even that is treading a very thin margin. There are "plenty" of subby jobs out there within 1 hours commute of most places in the UK where rates of £25-£30 are realistic.
If someone can tell me they can cover the extra costs between being a subby with a basic set of tools and no need for a van/test equipment/nothing more advanced than a drill, plus they don't need scheme membership, - if you can cover that plus all the "free quotes/ insurances fuel/admin time" for £20 per hour then you are doing bloody well, I base the £20 per hour as you can easily get £25 within commutable distance then £45 is really right...so is £50 when you can get £30's within commutable distance.
I mean obviously there is more to life - some people such as myself enjoy total freedom and only do 2-3 days per week, But I achieve this by being expensive lol. But yeah some just love the freedom, Others can't stand working under any sort of supervision...again fair enough, But one must be careful not to actually end up effectively "paying" to be a sole trader. It's a fools game, Nobody will care when you have that bit of bad luck that kills your whole business stone dead, IMHO if you are charging <£45 you are an accident away from financial distress/ A couple of thefts away from the same, A slow paying customer away from similar. Businesses are actually "supposed" to make a profit AFTER wages and expenses are accounted for.

I beg to differ .there is more than one way to skin a cat .you charge 35 an hour but just add an extra day or even two to price .works out the same .I've lost count of how many sole traders charging ridiculous amounts per hour and then cant afford to pay there 28 grand tax bill in January and have to plead with hmrc for a payment plan.plus I have enough stress in my life without having vat receipts/returns to keep on top of .

 

[Markyd]

£80 first hour...£70 per hour after that, If full day 7 hrs £420

 

[mainline]

£80 first hour...£70 per hour after that, If full day 7 hrs £420

If I ever think of moving house, I know where I'll be going.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Bump....

 

[HappyHippyDad]

So far (population of 42), 25% of self employed electricians charge ≥ £60 p/hour.

65% charge somewhere between £30 and £59.

Bit too tired to work out the mean average, but it's somewhere around £42 p/hour

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Bumping this one again to try and get the population of voters over 50.

More statistics on the way, even though I expect I'm the only one enjoying them

 

[brianmoooore]

Eldest daughter has just announced she's planning a large extension on her house. She wants to get on with it quickly "so I can get one last job out of the old man before he croaks".
Pay £0.00 p/hour.

 

[oscar21]

Just voted, we charge at least £30 an hour now but nearly all our jobs are price work so we don't work for an hourly rate that often and we aim to come away with about £300 per day on price.

I remember back in about 2006 a condescending builder told me I was worth about £18/hr and he wouldn't pay any more, labourers were on about £10/hr back then. But putting those figures into an inflation calculator comes out at the hourly rate we charge today. We should be charging more.

I do live in the dark ages money wise though, I've just priced a re-wire up, 3 bed house with big extension on the side. In my mind approaching the house I thought oooh this will be about 5K, sitting down with the plans and spec sheet after talking with the client though I get it to £9000.... £9K, in my mind you could buy a new car for that.

 

[CoastGuardJon]

Just a bit of information for trade comparisons - our cars are serviced by a local independent mechanic who now charges us £120ph + VAT, which I consider excessive and more like a Main Dealer rate.

 

[UNG]

Just voted, we charge at least £30 an hour now but nearly all our jobs are price work so we don't work for an hourly rate that often and we aim to come away with about £300 per day on price.

Your day rate would suggest your hourly rate should be more like £50/hr

I remember back in about 2006 a condescending builder told me I was worth about £18/hr and he wouldn't pay any more, labourers were on about £10/hr back then. But putting those figures into an inflation calculator comes out at the hourly rate we charge today. We should be charging more.

Always been the case with builders who always seem to think they are worth more than they really are while screwing the trades