What do plumbers charge per day in the UK in 2026?

Most UK plumbers charge between £250 and £400 a day in 2026. Published averages range from about £250 to £368 a day depending on the source, with London plumbers charging around £300–£460.

How much does a plumber charge per hour in the UK?

Typically £40–£80 an hour, with most averages around £50–£60. London rates are higher.

Is it cheaper to pay a plumber by the day?

For bigger jobs like bathroom fits or boiler replacements, a day rate often works out better value than paying by the hour. For small repairs, an hourly or fixed price is usually cheaper.

How much is an emergency plumber call-out?

Call-out charges usually range from about £60 to £120, and out-of-hours work is often charged at 1.5x to 2x the normal rate.

Guide · Trades

Plumber Day Rate UK 2026: What Plumbers Charge Per Day

By Future Momentum Systems · Updated September 2026

A plumber day rate typically sits between £250 and £400 in 2026, with London and the South East at the top of the range. But published averages vary a lot depending on who you ask — so we've pulled together the main UK sources in one place, along with hourly rates, emergency charges and what pushes a day rate up or down.

What plumbers charge per day in the UK (2026)

Source	Average day rate	Typical range
Logic4training (2026 survey of plumbers)	£368	£200–£700
Checkatrade cost guide	£350	£325–£375
TradeDoc (sole traders)	—	£250–£380
WhatToCharge (national)	—	£200–£350
Hamuch	£250	£202–£350

Put together, a realistic working figure is £250–£400 a day for an experienced plumber outside London. Logic4training's survey also found the average day rate rose from £331 in 2025 to £368 in 2026 — an increase of roughly 11%.

Plumber hourly rates in 2026

Hourly rates for UK plumbers typically sit between £40 and £80, with most averages landing around £50–£60 an hour. Checkatrade puts the average at £50 an hour, while Logic4training's 2026 survey found an average of £58. Many plumbers also have a minimum charge, usually equal to an hour's work.

Daily rates in London and by region

Where you work makes a big difference. WhatToCharge puts London plumbers at around £300–£460 a day, compared with £190–£300 in the Midlands and £165–£270 in Wales. As a rule of thumb, London rates run roughly 25–30% above the national average.

Region	Typical day rate
London	£300–£460
National average	£200–£350
Midlands	£190–£300
Scotland	£180–£300
Wales	£165–£270

Source: WhatToCharge regional plumber rates, 2026.

Emergency and out-of-hours plumber rates

Call-out charges usually run from around £60 to £120, often including the first hour. Out-of-hours work costs more: evenings are commonly charged at around 1.5x the standard rate, and overnight, weekend and bank holiday work at up to double.

What affects a plumber's day rate?

Location — London and the South East pay the most; Wales, Scotland and the North East the least.
Experience and qualifications — Gas Safe registered engineers and specialists charge more than general plumbers.
Type of work — Planned installations (bathrooms, boilers, re-pipes) suit day rates; small repairs are usually hourly or fixed-price.
Urgency — Emergency and out-of-hours jobs attract a premium.
Domestic vs commercial — Commercial work typically sits at the higher end of the range.

Day rate vs hourly rate: which is better?

Day rates suit bigger, predictable jobs like bathroom installations, boiler replacements and major pipework — they make pricing clearer and avoid disputes about how long a job "should" take. Hourly or fixed prices work better for small repairs, leaks and call-outs. Many plumbers now quote a fixed price per job wherever they can.

What a plumber's day rate has to cover

A day rate isn't all profit. Out of it, a self-employed plumber has to pay for their van and fuel, tools, insurance, training and Gas Safe registration if they work on gas appliances, plus time spent quoting, travelling and doing paperwork – none of which is billed. That's why day rates are usually higher than an employed plumber's hourly wage.

Day rate jobs vs call-outs

Day rates suit planned work such as bathroom installations, re-piping or replacing a heating system. Smaller jobs – a dripping tap, a blocked toilet or a radiator that won't heat up – are usually charged as a call-out plus labour, or as a fixed price agreed before the work starts.

For plumbers: the hidden cost of a missed call

At £350 a day, a single missed enquiry can easily be worth a day's work — or much more if it turns into a boiler installation or bathroom. Yet most plumbers can't answer the phone while they're under a sink, up in a loft or driving between jobs. Most callers won't leave a voicemail; they ring the next plumber on Google.

That's why more trades businesses are using a call answering service that picks up every call, takes the job details and texts them straight to you. See our answering service for plumbers →

Need a website that wins more jobs? See our websites for trades →

Plumber pricing FAQs

Sources

Figures are published averages as of September 2026 and are for guidance only.