FREE TOOL · TRADESMEN
Calculate the total UK labour cost for any job in 2026 — including National Insurance, travel allowances, and a suggested overhead markup for your customer quote.
Include employer NI (13.8%)
For employed workers (PAYE) — not for self-employed subbies
HMRC approved mileage: 45p/mile for first 10,000 miles.
Total Labour Cost
£3,600
80 total hours
Cost Per Day
£720
£360/worker
15% overhead markup
£4,140
25% overhead markup
£4,500
Markup covers insurance, PPE, tools, training, and overhead not captured in the hourly rate.
Labour costing is the foundation of every profitable trade quote. Get it wrong — by omitting NI, travel, or your own overhead rate — and you're handing money back to customers without knowing it.
The starting point is straightforward: workers × hours/day × days × hourly rate. A team of 2 bricklayers working 8 hours/day for 5 days at £42/hour costs 2×8×5×£42 = £3,360 in basic labour. This is the floor, not the ceiling — additional costs must always be added on top to avoid undercharging.
Employer NI is charged at 13.8% on earnings above the secondary threshold (£9,100/year; £175/week as of 2026). For a worker earning £42/hour × 40 hours/week = £1,680/week, the employer pays NI on £1,680 − £175 = £1,505 × 13.8% = £207.69 per worker per week. On a 5-day job this adds approximately £207 per employee — a cost that is invisible until you forget to include it and wonder why the job made less than expected.
Travel is a hidden cost on longer jobs. HMRC's approved mileage rate is 45p/mile for the first 10,000 miles per year. A team driving 25 miles each way per day in two vehicles costs (25×2) × 2 × 45p = £45 per day, plus the time cost of 1–2 hours of driving. On a 10-day job that's £450 in mileage alone — never absorbed into the hourly rate.
The 15–25% suggested markup covers the real cost of employing or subcontracting people: PPE, tools, training, liability insurance allocated to the job, subcontractor management time, and the risk of having people on your books. For PAYE employees, this also covers sick pay, holiday pay, and pension contributions (minimum 3% employer contribution under auto-enrolment rules). These are real costs that must be recovered from every job.
WORKED EXAMPLE
Rachel runs a groundworks business in Bristol. She has 3 employed workers for a 10-day job. Rate: £38/hour. She drives 20 miles each way daily (2 vans). She needs to cost the job accurately before quoting.
Basic labour (3×8×10×£38)
£9,120
Employer NI
≈ £621
Travel (2 vans × 40mi × 45p × 10 days)
£360
Total true cost
£10,101
Labour charge to customer (20% markup)
£12,121
£2,020 overhead margin · materials quoted separately
Plug your own team size, rate, and days into the calculator above. Materials, plant hire, and skip costs are quoted separately — this tool covers labour only.
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Common questions about labour costing for tradesmen.
Multiply the number of workers by hours per day by the number of days, then multiply by each worker's hourly rate. Add National Insurance contributions if you employ staff (13.8% on earnings above £9,100/year), and any daily travel allowances. The calculator above does all of this automatically and shows a suggested markup range for your customer quote.
Employer NI is 13.8% on employee earnings above the secondary threshold (£9,100/year, approximately £175/week as of 2026). Sole traders and the self-employed do not pay employer NI — only Class 4 NI on profits. If you are employing workers (PAYE), this NI cost must be factored into your quote or you will undercharge on every job.
Yes — for multi-day jobs, daily travel costs can be significant. A crew of 3 driving 30 miles each way at HMRC's approved mileage rate (45p/mile) costs £27/day just in vehicle costs, plus time. The calculator lets you add a per-day travel allowance across the whole team so it's included in your quote before you send it.
For subcontracted labour, a 10–20% management markup is standard practice. For your own employees, factor in overhead recovery (insurance, tools, training, PPE, sick pay) by adding 15–25% on top of direct labour. The calculator shows both markup scenarios so you can present a customer-facing charge that covers your true cost of employing or subcontracting people.
The National Living Wage for workers aged 21+ is £11.44/hour as of April 2024, with further increases expected in 2025/2026. Most experienced UK tradesmen earn £20–£50/hour. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and trade union agreements set recommended rates for various skill levels — CSCS card-holders typically receive £15–£25/hour on commercial sites, rising to £30–£50+ for fully qualified tradesmen.
Divide the total labour cost (workers × hours × rate + NI + travel) by the total area in square metres. For example, if a 2-person team spends 3 days plastering a 100 m² area at £45/hour, the basic labour cost is 2×8×3×£45 = £2,160, giving £21.60/m² for labour. Adding 20% overhead markup brings it to £25.92/m² — this is the labour-only rate to include in your quote.
The Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) applies when a contractor pays subcontractors for construction work. If you are a contractor using subbies for qualifying construction work in the UK, you must deduct 20% (or 30% if unverified) from the labour portion of their invoices and pay this to HMRC. Materials are not subject to CIS deductions. Sole traders using self-employed subbies should register as contractors with HMRC if they use subbies regularly.
For multi-week jobs, use the calculator to set the daily cost rate, then multiply by the number of working days. Factor in: weekend breaks (5-day vs 6-day working week), any planned days off, weather delays for outdoor work, and material delivery days when labour may be underutilised. A contingency of 5–10% on the labour total is good practice for jobs of 3 weeks or more to cover unforeseen delays.
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