Decorator day rate calculator, Leeds 2026, after tax
Typical: £185 a day. Work out yours below.
Tell us the take home pay you want.
We show you the day rate to charge in Leeds.
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Hiring a decorator in Leeds? See what a fair quote looks like.
A painter and decorator in Leeds typically charges £185 a day.
To take home £35,500 a year after real costs you need £256 a day.
Both are labour only, from the rate model and the calculator's default assumptions.
Change the inputs and your own number takes over. Quote that one.
Quotable
According to the Office for National Statistics, local pay differs enough by area to move a day rate.
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings
Data from HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index sets the second local input, per the October 2026 review.
Reviewed on .
These figures use the same sums as the free calculator. The two always agree.
Where these figures come from
Rate estimates blend the national median decorator day rate from five UK directories.
Those five are Checkatrade, HaMuch, MyBuilder, CostEstimator, MyJobQuote.
To that we add official ONS regional earnings and local house price data.
Sources: ONS ASHE 2025, UK House Price Index April 2026.
Rates reviewed October 2026.
Where does Leeds sit among the 31 modelled towns?
Each dot is one modelled town, stacked where towns share a rate.
Leeds is number 21 of 31, with 20 above it and 10 below.
The shaded band is the local range decorators here quote inside.
Quotable
What is decorating work like in Leeds?
The private rented sector accounted for 21.8% of Leeds homes in 2021.
The 2021 Census snapshot cited by Leeds City Council records 362,780 properties in Leeds.
Owner occupied homes represented 57.6% of Leeds homes in 2021, compared with 58.6% in 2011.
Sources for this local context
Why do tradespeople undercharge?
Pricing off the going rate.
Pricing off what everyone else charges feels safe.
But the going rate says what customers are used to paying, not what your business needs.
The calculator on this page starts from the take home you want and adds your real costs.
The number it gives is the one to quote.
The whole working is in the sum behind the day rate.
What do decorators in Leeds ask about rates?
What do decorators charge in Leeds in a day?
A decorator benchmark of £185 applies in Leeds; the standard cost and tax calculation gives £256.
The first is the market.
The second is what your costs ask for.
Who pays for decorating work in Leeds?
Owner occupied homes represented 57.6% of Leeds homes in 2021, compared with 58.6% in 2011.
The private rented sector accounted for 21.8% of Leeds homes in 2021.
Most homes are owner occupied, with a steady rented share beside them.
How big is the Leeds market for a decorator?
The 2021 Census snapshot cited by Leeds City Council records 362,780 properties in Leeds.
That is a lot of rooms to keep up.
It is steady work if your rate covers your costs.
What do decorators charge in other towns?
The homepage lists decorator day rates by town, all 31 of them.