For self employed tradespeople
About Rate Sorted
Where the rate and tax figures come from. Sourced and dated.
What this site is for
Replacing a guessed price with a number built from your figures.
A price copied from someone else is still a guess.
Rate Sorted replaces that guess with a number built from your own figures.
The free calculator starts from the take home pay you want, then adds your real costs and unbillable days.
Out comes your day rate.
It then compares that rate with modelled rates for your town.
The reasoning behind all of it is in the argument for charging what the work costs.
How the numbers are built
Official data, town by town, not a handful of survey replies.
Town rates are modelled from official data. Not from small surveys.
We blend each trade's national median day rate, taken from 5 UK directories.
To that we add local earnings data and local house prices, town by town.
Sources:
- The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings from the Office for National Statistics.
- The UK House Price Index from HM Land Registry.
- Published day rates from Checkatrade, HaMuch, MyBuilder, CostEstimator, MyJobQuote.
Every rate page shows its sources and the date the rates were last reviewed (October 2026).
The method behind the modelled rates is set out in full on the methodology page.
How the tax is worked out
Calculated for a sole trader, not a flat percentage.
The tax is calculated, not estimated at a flat percentage.
Every figure is for the 2026/27 UK tax year, which runs 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027.
We apply Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance for a sole trader.
There is a Scotland setting for the Scottish bands.
Tax sources, each linked to the official page:
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances
- Self employed National Insurance rates
- Register for VAT: when to register
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
- Income Tax in Scotland
Tax figures last reviewed July 2026.
They are checked again at the UK Autumn Budget in late November, and the Scottish Budget in mid January.
Who this is for, and who it is not for
Self employed sole traders. Not companies, IR35 or employees.
It is built for self employed sole traders in any of the trades the calculator lists, anywhere in the UK.
It is not built for limited company directors.
A company pays Corporation Tax, then takes money out as salary and dividends. That is a different calculation.
It is not an IR35 or umbrella company tool.
It is not for employees. They do not set their own rate or carry their own costs.
If you are not a sole trader, the numbers will be wrong for you.
We would rather say so than have you quote from them.
Who writes this site
The Rate Sorted team. Nothing here is sponsored content.
Rate Sorted is written and maintained by the Rate Sorted team.
Nothing here is sponsored content. Commissions from linked services never change the rates we publish.
Contact
Corrections, questions and data requests.
Email hello@ratesorted.co.uk for corrections, questions or data requests.