Self employed electrician earnings UK
Typical day rate: the median of five UK directories, reviewed October 2026.
Work out your own yearFree. No login.
Where £56,000 goes
200 paid days at £280. Sample costs, 2026/27 tax.
- Van, tools, insurance, admin£8,646
- Income Tax£6,957
- National Insurance£2,087
- Kept, 68p in every £1£38,310
What an employed electrician earns
From the National Careers Service electrician profile, read 3 October 2026.
| Starter | £26,000 a year |
| Experienced | £45,000 a year |
Those are salaries before tax. The self employed £38,310 above is after costs and tax.
£97 more a day is £11,690 more a year
£377 is the day rate the calculator says £50,000 take home needs.
Same costs, same 200 paid days.
230 working days. 200 get paid.
The other 30 go on quoting, the wholesaler run and cancelled jobs.
The same year, town by town
Each bar is a year kept at that town's modelled day rate. Dashed line: the typical rate.
All 31 towns
| Town | Kept a year |
|---|---|
| London | £46,781 |
| Guildford | £44,461 |
| Oxford | £43,417 |
| Cambridge | £42,953 |
| Brighton | £41,909 |
| Bath | £40,749 |
| Reading | £40,517 |
| Bristol | £39,494 |
| Milton Keynes | £39,494 |
| Cheltenham | £38,754 |
| Edinburgh | £38,606 |
| York | £37,274 |
| Exeter | £37,126 |
| Portsmouth | £36,978 |
| Northampton | £36,682 |
| Southampton | £36,534 |
| Cardiff | £35,942 |
| Norwich | £35,942 |
| Manchester | £35,794 |
| Birmingham | £35,350 |
| Leeds | £35,202 |
| Coventry | £34,462 |
| Leicester | £34,462 |
| Glasgow | £34,314 |
| Sheffield | £34,166 |
| Derby | £33,278 |
| Liverpool | £33,130 |
| Newcastle | £32,834 |
| Nottingham | £32,834 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | £31,650 |
| Sunderland | £30,022 |
Your year, with your numbers
Your day rate, your days, your costs. Tax done for you.
Work out your own yearQuestions electricians ask
How much does an employed electrician earn?
The National Careers Service puts a starter at £26,000 and an experienced electrician at £45,000 a year, before tax. Read 3 October 2026.
Is that before or after tax?
After. 2026/27 Income Tax and National Insurance come off first.
Is £224 a day good for an electrician?
It keeps £30,022 a year over 200 paid days, after sample costs and tax. The typical day is £280.
Where do self employed electricians keep the most?
London, at £46,781 a year from £349 a day. Sunderland is lowest, at £30,022.
Does it include materials?
No. Day rates are labour only, and materials go on top.
Why is my year lower than this?
Usually fewer paid days, not a lower rate. The calculator shows which.
Making Tax Digital and VAT have their own thresholds. We are not accountants.
Check them on gov.uk:
Want a job, not a business?
The National Careers Service covers pay.
Typical day rate: the median of five UK directories, reviewed October 2026.
Town rates are modelled from them. Costs are the calculator's sample figures.