How Much Should You Charge as an Electrician in 2026?

Pricing your electrical work correctly is one of the hardest parts of being self-employed. Charge too much and you lose the job. Charge too little and you're working for free. This guide breaks down typical UK electrician rates in 2026 and helps you work out what YOU should charge.

Average UK Electrician Rates (2026)

Rate Type	Outside London	London & SE
Hourly rate	£45-£65	£65-£95
Day rate	£300-£450	£450-£650
Call-out fee	£60-£100	£80-£150
Emergency rate	£80-£120/hr	£100-£180/hr

Common Job Prices

Here's what most electricians charge for standard domestic jobs:

Job	Typical Price	Time
Additional socket	£80-£150	1-2 hours
Light fitting	£50-£100	30-60 mins
Consumer unit upgrade	£600-£900	4-6 hours
Full rewire (3-bed)	£3,000-£5,000	5-7 days
EICR	£150-£300	2-4 hours
Outdoor lighting	£200-£500	Half day
EV charger install	£800-£1,500	4-8 hours
Smoke alarm install (wired)	£60-£100 per alarm	30-60 mins each

How to Calculate Your Day Rate

Your day rate should cover more than just your time. Here's a simple formula:

1. Target annual income: What do you want to take home after tax? E.g., £40,000
2. Add tax & NI: Roughly 25-30%. So £40,000 + 30% = £52,000
3. Add business costs: Van, insurance, tools, fuel, phone, software. Roughly £8,000-12,000/year. Total: £62,000
4. Divide by working days: 220 working days (after holidays, sick days, quiet periods). £62,000 / 220 = £282/day minimum
5. Add profit margin: 20-30% on top. £282 x 1.25 = £352/day

So to take home £40,000/year, you need to charge at least £350/day. In London, aim for £450-550.

Hourly vs Fixed Price

Hourly rate works best for:

• Fault finding and diagnostics
• Small repair jobs
• Jobs where the scope is unclear

Fixed price works best for:

• Consumer unit upgrades
• Rewires
• Socket/light additions
• Any job where you can accurately estimate the time

Fixed pricing is generally more profitable because you get faster with experience but keep charging the same price. A consumer unit upgrade that took you 6 hours as a new spark might only take 4 hours now — but the customer still pays the same.

When to Charge More

• Emergency/out-of-hours work — Charge 1.5x to 2x your normal rate
• Weekend work — At least 1.5x your normal rate
• Specialist work — EV chargers, smart home installations, commercial work
• Difficult access — Loft rewires, tight crawl spaces, high ceilings
• Certification-heavy jobs — Factor in the cost and time of Part P notifications, EICRs

Don't Forget to Include

• Travel time — If the job is 45 minutes away, factor in 1.5 hours of travel
• Materials markup — Add 15-20% on materials you supply
• Certification costs — Part P notifications, NICEIC registration fees
• Waste disposal — Old wiring, packaging, cable offcuts