Kitchen Fitter Day Rate UK 2026: £250-£500 [By Region]

A kitchen fit is one of the biggest single jobs most customers will ever pay for in their home, which makes clear, confident pricing essential. Here's what kitchen fitters are charging across the UK in 2026.

Kitchen Fitter Day Rate by Region — UK 2026

Region	Day Rate	Hourly Rate
London	£380-£500	£50-£68
South East	£340-£440	£45-£58
Midlands	£270-£380	£36-£50
North	£250-£350	£33-£46
Scotland & Wales	£250-£350	£33-£46

Common Job Prices

Job	Typical Price (Labour Only)	Time
Small kitchen full fit	£1,500-£2,200	4-6 days
Medium/large kitchen full fit	£2,500-£4,500	6-9 days
Worktop replacement only	£250-£500	1 day
Island unit install	£400-£800	1-2 days
Appliance installation (each)	£60-£150	1-2 hours

These are labour-only figures — see our new kitchen cost guide for total project costs including units and appliances.

How to Calculate Your Day Rate

1. Target take-home: What do you want to earn after tax? E.g. £38,000
2. Add tax & NI: Roughly 25%. £38,000 + 25% = £47,500
3. Add business costs: Van, tools, insurance, advertising. Roughly £5,000-£8,000/year. Total: £54,000
4. Divide by working days: Roughly 220 days a year. £54,000 / 220 ≈ £245/day minimum
5. Add profit margin: 15-20%. £245 x 1.15 ≈ £280/day

Try our free rate calculator to run your own numbers, then turn the result into a sendable quote with TradeQuoteAI's quoting software.

Day Rate vs Fixed Price

Fixed price is usually the right call for a full kitchen fit, since the kitchen plan gives you a known scope before you start. Day rate suits smaller jobs — a single run of units, a worktop swap, or snagging work where the scope isn't fixed. Whichever you use, always separate labour from any materials you're supplying, so scope changes (like a customer adding an island) are easy to re-quote.

What Increases Kitchen Fitting Prices

• Plumbing and electrics — If you're not Gas Safe or Part P certified yourself, factor in a subcontracted plumber/electrician's day rate for sink, dishwasher, and appliance connections.
• Structural changes — Removing walls or altering layouts adds significant time and often requires building control sign-off.
• Solid worktops — Granite, quartz, and solid wood need templating and specialist fitting, usually subcontracted to a worktop specialist.
• Old kitchen removal — Ripping out and disposing of an existing kitchen adds a day in most cases.

What a Kitchen Fitting Quote Should Include

A kitchen fit touches several trades, so a vague quote is the fastest route to a dispute. Break it into clear sections:

• Strip-out — removing the old kitchen and disposing of it
• Units — base, wall and tall units, and whether they're flat-pack or rigid
• Worktops — laminate cut and fitted on site, or solid surfaces templated and fitted by a specialist
• Sink, tap and waste
• Appliances — how many, and which are integrated
• Plumbing, electrical and gas connections — and who is doing each one
• Finishing — plinths, end panels, cornice, handles and making good
• Exclusions — tiling, flooring, plastering or decorating, unless included

Flat-Pack vs Rigid Units: Price the Difference

Flat-pack units have to be assembled before they can be fitted, which can add a day or more to a full kitchen. Rigid (pre-assembled) units go in faster. If the customer is supplying the kitchen, check which type it is before you price it, and either quote assembly as its own line or price per unit so the extra time is visible.

Sample Kitchen Fitting Quote (Labour Only)

Here's how a labour-only quote for a standard kitchen with rigid units and laminate worktops might be itemised:

Item	Price
Strip out existing kitchen and dispose	£250
Fit 10 base and wall units (rigid)	£900
Cut and fit laminate worktops	£350
Fit sink, tap and waste	£150
Install 3 appliances (at £80 each)	£240
Plinths, end panels, handles and finishing	£200
Total labour	£2,090

That falls inside the typical £1,500-£3,000 labour-only range for a standard kitchen. Itemising it this way means that if the customer later adds an island or switches to a stone worktop, you only need to re-quote the lines that change.

Working With Other Trades

Gas connections must be made by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and new electrical circuits in a kitchen are notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations. If you don't hold those qualifications yourself, name who is doing that work on the quote — whether you're subcontracting it or the customer is arranging it — and allow for the scheduling gaps between trades in your timeline.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do kitchen fitters charge per day in the UK?

UK kitchen fitters typically charge £250-£400 per day outside London in 2026, rising to £380-£500 in London and the South East.

How much does it cost to fit a full kitchen in the UK?

Labour-only for a full kitchen fit typically costs £1,500-£3,000 for a standard kitchen and £3,000-£5,000+ for a large or complex layout.

Should a kitchen fitter charge day rate or a fixed price?

Fixed price is usually better for a full kitchen fit since the scope is known upfront. Day rate suits smaller jobs where the full scope isn't fixed in advance.

Can a kitchen fitter connect a gas hob?

Only if they are on the Gas Safe Register. Otherwise the gas connection must be made by a registered engineer, and the quote should state who is arranging it.

How long does a kitchen fit take?

A small kitchen typically takes 4-6 days and a medium or large kitchen 6-9 days for the fit itself. Solid stone worktops add extra time, because they are usually templated after the units are in and fitted by a specialist.

Related Guides

• New Kitchen Cost UK 2026
• How to Quote Kitchen Installation
• Carpenter Day Rate UK 2026
• Builder Day Rate UK 2026
• Best Quoting Apps for UK Tradesmen