Decorator day rate calculator, Leicester 2026, after tax
Typical: £182 a day. Work out yours below.
Tell us the take home pay you want.
We show you the day rate to charge in Leicester.
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Hiring a decorator in Leicester? See what a fair quote looks like.
A painter and decorator in Leicester typically charges £182 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 Leicester sit among the 31 modelled towns?
Each dot is one modelled town, stacked where towns share a rate.
Leicester is number 22 of 31, with 21 above it and 8 below.
The shaded band is the local range decorators here quote inside.
Quotable
What is decorating work like in Leicester?
Much of Leicester's housing is Victorian and Edwardian terraces.
Older walls and woodwork need more preparation than a new build.
That steady supply of similar jobs keeps a lot of decorators competing for the same work.
Competition is why the typical Leicester rate sits at £182.
That is under £192 in Northampton, but above £176 in Derby and £173 in Nottingham.
Customers here often collect several quotes and anchor to the cheapest.
So knowing the rate your own numbers demand matters more here than in a town with less choice.
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 Leicester ask about rates?
How much should a decorator charge in Leicester?
Leicester's typical modelled rate is £182 a day, inside a local range of £137 to £237.
What you should charge is a different question.
On the calculator's default assumptions the answer is £256 a day for a £35,500 take home.
Put your own costs and working pattern into the calculator above to get the number that fits your business.
Why are decorator rates in Leicester lower than in Northampton?
Lower local pay and house prices.
Our model blends local earnings and local house prices with the national decorator rate.
Both run lower in Leicester than in Northampton.
That puts Leicester at £182 against £192 in Northampton.
Lower local prices do not lower your costs.
The rate you need can still sit above the town's typical figure.
Should I charge the same across Leicestershire?
Not always.
Jobs out in the county market towns often carry more travel time and less competition than city work.
Price the travel into the job rather than cutting your day rate to win city work.
Put time on the road in the calculator's days you cannot bill field.
What do decorators charge in other towns?
The homepage lists decorator day rates by town, all 31 of them.