Hi, I am self-employed and do work for 3 different people during the week. For 3 days i do skilled building work which involves lime plastering and other general building work at a large farmhouse. Curantly I am charging £8.50 per hour for this work. The other 2 days are spent on 2 farms doing general farm duties and some building work-all of which is skilled work and i charge £9.00 for this. I do a 7 hour day and am thinking of going to a daily rate insted of an hourly one-have been told by my accountant that i'm not charging anything near enough. So what should I be charging? our builder has a 21 year old lad (I'm 26)who isnt skilled and does easy manuel jobs like cement mixing and digging for £80 per day. Where as the builder charges £140 per day. So what should someone with many skills in many areas be charging?
Self-Employed+how much should I charge
- Thread starter ademco
- Start date
if your happy with the earnings and it covers your life style then stick at that rate then bump it up a bit every so often.
but from your description id say £15-18 per hour sounds about right, but would your contractors stand-on at this rate ?
but from your description id say £15-18 per hour sounds about right, but would your contractors stand-on at this rate ?
Ademco,
If your self employed, you have to stand on your own two feet and work out all these things for yourself. Maybe a builder who earns £140.00, £150 or £200.00 per day has taken a long time to achieve that sort of income, and just because he earns that much, doesn't mean that you should earn the same. You can't compare yourself with him. With the job description you have given, you, with your "many skills"and "general labouring",are more of a handyman than a tradesman. I know clever people who work in the building industry who also have many skills but they are not paid as tradesmen, they are paid a plus rate as skilled labourers. I would class you the same. You also said that the builder has a 21 year old lad working for him who isn't "skilled", and he gets all the EASY jobs like cement mixing and digging
and gets £80.00 a day for that. If that isn't hard work , then I don't know what is. He should definitely be paid more. You could also boost your income by working more than 7 hrs per day. Many self employed tradesmen work longer than that before they stop for their first cup of tea.
Roughcaster.
If your self employed, you have to stand on your own two feet and work out all these things for yourself. Maybe a builder who earns £140.00, £150 or £200.00 per day has taken a long time to achieve that sort of income, and just because he earns that much, doesn't mean that you should earn the same. You can't compare yourself with him. With the job description you have given, you, with your "many skills"and "general labouring",are more of a handyman than a tradesman. I know clever people who work in the building industry who also have many skills but they are not paid as tradesmen, they are paid a plus rate as skilled labourers. I would class you the same. You also said that the builder has a 21 year old lad working for him who isn't "skilled", and he gets all the EASY jobs like cement mixing and digging
and gets £80.00 a day for that. If that isn't hard work , then I don't know what is. He should definitely be paid more. You could also boost your income by working more than 7 hrs per day. Many self employed tradesmen work longer than that before they stop for their first cup of tea.Roughcaster.
It's for dipping your rich teas into Thermo, and warming the hands up on cold days. 
Roughcaster.
Roughcaster.
Hob nobs? Can you eat them? 
I thought they were for turning the heat up and down on your cooker. Ah well, i'll give them a try.
Roughcaster.
I thought they were for turning the heat up and down on your cooker. Ah well, i'll give them a try.Roughcaster.
Ademco,
You also said that the builder has a 21 year old lad working for him who isn't "skilled", and he gets all the EASY jobs like cement mixing and digging
Roughcaster.
If you are paying labourers £20k per year you won't ever have a problem finding one
ademco, what has made you unhappy with your lot, your pay would have been agreed at the commencement of your contract so what has changed ?
Just be careful you don't price yourself out of a job.
V
vinty
I know window cleaners who earn twice that ie. £17ph you have to allow for insurance pension holidays illness ect. you arn't earning nearly enough i'm a roofer and i get £100 pounds a day working for a contractor but i prefer price work, i also do insurance work for insurance companies they allow me £40 call out just to go and look at a job, i then ring them back and give them my estimate if it's accepted i get the job plus the call out, your in the wrong job mate.
so are you in the wrong job at £100 a day.
Yes.I agree with Seco, be a window cleaner and earn £17 per hour, more than your £100.00 a day as a roofer.
Roughcaster.
Roughcaster.
V
vinty
£100 per day after tax is reasonable i think for this type of work,after all it isn't rocket science is it.I have worked around the london area in the past and earned a lot more than that, but the cost of and having to live in london didn't compensate for it.
wouldn't get me up on roofs for £200 aday
I agree.
£100 is low IMHO for roofing.
A few mates of mine are roofers and they wouldnt work for less than £200 a day...you've got to factor in the risk of the job.
Equipment usage/hire..at least thats how they justify it
V
vinty
Do they earn 200 a day working for contractors on P.A.Y.E. full time or are they charging 200 a day for private work.
I agree.
£100 is low IMHO for roofing.
A few mates of mine are roofers and they wouldnt work for less than £200 a day...you've got to factor in the risk of the job.
Equipment usage/hire..at least thats how they justify it