Self employed plumber earnings UK
Typical day rate: the median of five UK directories, reviewed October 2026.
Work out your own yearFree. No login.
Where £54,000 goes
200 paid days at £270. Sample costs, 2026/27 tax.
- Van, tools, insurance, admin£7,749
- Income Tax£6,736
- National Insurance£2,021
- Kept, 69p in every £1£37,494
What an employed plumber earns
From the National Careers Service plumber profile, read 3 October 2026.
| Starter | £24,000 a year |
| Experienced | £46,000 a year |
Those are salaries before tax. The self employed £37,494 above is after costs and tax.
£89 more a day is £11,006 more a year
£359 is the day rate the calculator says £48,500 take home needs.
Same costs, same 200 paid days.
230 working days. 200 get paid.
The other 30 go on quoting, the merchant 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 | £45,793 |
| Guildford | £43,705 |
| Oxford | £42,661 |
| Cambridge | £42,197 |
| Brighton | £41,153 |
| Bath | £39,862 |
| Reading | £39,566 |
| Bristol | £38,678 |
| Milton Keynes | £38,678 |
| Cheltenham | £37,938 |
| Edinburgh | £37,790 |
| York | £36,458 |
| Exeter | £36,310 |
| Portsmouth | £36,162 |
| Northampton | £35,866 |
| Southampton | £35,718 |
| Cardiff | £35,274 |
| Norwich | £35,274 |
| Manchester | £35,126 |
| Birmingham | £34,534 |
| Leeds | £34,386 |
| Coventry | £33,794 |
| Leicester | £33,794 |
| Glasgow | £33,646 |
| Sheffield | £33,498 |
| Derby | £32,610 |
| Liverpool | £32,462 |
| Newcastle | £32,166 |
| Nottingham | £32,166 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | £31,130 |
| Sunderland | £29,502 |
Your year, with your numbers
Your day rate, your days, your costs. Tax done for you.
Work out your own yearQuestions plumbers ask
How much does an employed plumber earn?
The National Careers Service puts a starter at £24,000 and an experienced plumber at £46,000 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 £216 a day good for a plumber?
It keeps £29,502 a year over 200 paid days, after sample costs and tax. The typical day is £270.
Where do self employed plumbers keep the most?
London, at £45,793 a year from £336 a day. Sunderland is lowest, at £29,502.
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.