Painter and decorator day rate UK 2026: what to charge

A painter and decorator in the UK charges about £250 to £350 a day, or £35 to £45 an hour, according to Checkatrade's cost table last updated in October 2026. Which? says prices in London and the South East are likely to sit at the upper end. Those are prices customers pay for labour, and paint usually goes on top.

A going rate doesn't tell you whether your rate covers your van, ladders, tax and the days lost to rain. This guide gives the published figures with their sources, works out a decorator's own rate, then turns it into a room price. Figures were checked on 1 November 2026.

Key Takeaways

• Checkatrade puts painters and decorators at £250 to £350 a day and £35 to £45 an hour (October 2026); Which? puts London and the South East at the upper end.
• Which?'s surveyed traders quote £250 to £1,100 to paint a medium room over about two days, paint included, VAT excluded.
• Your own rate = (take-home target + business costs + tax) ÷ billable days. With £30,000 take-home, £10,000 of costs and 195 billable days, that's about £237 a day in England in 2026/27.
• Dividing the same year by 260 weekdays (52 five-day weeks) gives £177.40 a day, close to a round £180; billed over 195 real days, that leaves the year £11,531 short.
• Price rooms as days × your rate + paint, not by the hour.

What painters and decorators charge in 2026

The published figures measure different things, and none of them is ChatQuote's data.

The employed salary is useful for one check. An experienced employed decorator earns about £32,000 before tax, plus paid holiday, and the employer often pays for the van and tools. Compare it with your profit before tax, which is £36,124 in the worked example below. If your profit comes out lower than the salary, you're earning less than an employee would while carrying the costs and the risk.

Day rates by region

London and the South East pay more, but we found no official or survey source with regional day rates for decorators. Which?'s cost guide says prices are likely to sit at the upper end in London and the South East.

One commercial guide does split by region. Fantastic Services gives £230 to £355 a day outside London and £280 to £460 in London and the South East. Its page is dated only "2026" and doesn't say how the figures were gathered, so treat it as one firm's view.

Your own area's going rate is best found locally: ask suppliers, other decorators and the customers who turn your quotes down.

Per-room and per-job prices

Which? prices decorating per room. Its cost guide, published 1 May 2026, is based on a survey of nine Which? Trusted Traders in November 2025. Its prices include labour and paint but not wallpaper, and exclude VAT.

Which? adds that scaffolding for an exterior can add significantly to the price. The ranges are wide because a room price is days × day rate + paint, and both the days and the rate vary.

Which? gives no figure for a whole house or for hanging wallpaper. Its times add up, though: a hallway, landing and stairs alone take three days, so repainting a three-bedroom house inside takes two weeks or more for one decorator. When a customer asks why decorating costs so much, the answer is the time and the costs in the next section, not the paint.

How to work out your own day rate

Day rate = (take-home target + business costs + tax and National Insurance) ÷ billable days.

The full method is in how to work out your day rate, with a calculator that shows its working. Here it is for a decorator, using assumed figures for a sole trader in England at 2026/27 tax rates:

1. Take-home target: £30,000.
2. Business costs: £10,000 a year (below).
3. Profit needed: £36,124. Income tax (£4,711) and Class 4 National Insurance (£1,413) take £6,124, leaving £30,000 (income tax rates and self-employed National Insurance rates on GOV.UK).
4. Turnover needed: £30,000 + £10,000 + £6,124 = £46,124.
5. Day rate: £46,124 ÷ 195 billable days = £236.53. Call it £237.
6. Hourly equivalent: £236.53 ÷ 8 hours = £29.57.

The tax is an estimate, not tax advice. It ignores student loans, pension relief and other income, and Scotland's income tax bands differ.

Costs a decorator should count

These are illustrative, not averages. Replace each line with your last twelve months.

Leave paint and wallpaper for a specific job out of this list. They go on that customer's quote with your margin, so counting them here would charge for them twice.

Days a decorator can bill

There are 261 weekdays in 2027. Take off 8 bank holidays in England and Wales (UK bank holidays on GOV.UK), 20 days' holiday, 5 days' sickness, 20 days of quoting, site visits and admin, and 13 days of travel, weather and gaps between jobs. That leaves 195.

The last four are assumptions. The weather line is five days more than the general day-rate guide allows, because exterior work stops in rain and cold, and this example allows for a quiet week or so after Christmas. If you only do interiors, you may bill more days; if half your work is outside, you may bill fewer.

Why £180 a day can leave you short

It's tempting to set a rate from a round number such as £150, £180 or £200. Here is what that does to the worked example. Divide its £46,124 by 260 weekdays (52 five-day weeks) and you get £177.40, close to £180. At 195 real billable days, £177.40 brings in £34,593, which leaves the year £11,531 short. The van and insurance still get paid, so the gap comes out of your take-home.

Every day of rain or a quiet week moves you down the table. Fifteen fewer billable days, from 195 to 180, adds almost £20 to the rate you need.

The worked example's £237 sits below Checkatrade's £250 to £350. A result under the going rate suggests room to charge more; one well above it means checking your costs and days first.

Turning your rate into a room price

Quote most decorating jobs as a fixed price built from your rate. For the walls and ceiling of a medium bedroom, from the decorator in the worked example:

• Labour: 2 days × £237 = £474
• Paint, at your selling price with margin included (illustrative): £95
• Total: £569

That sits inside Which?'s £250 to £1,100 for a medium room. The decorator turns over about £46,100 a year, under the £90,000 VAT registration threshold (Register for VAT on GOV.UK), so no VAT is added. If you're VAT registered, add 20% on top and show it.

For small jobs, use an hourly rate with a half-day minimum, so a short visit still covers the drive. For anything with an unknown, such as wallpaper that may hide damaged plaster, give an estimate and say what could change it. Put the price in writing using a free quote template, and see how to quote a job for the full process.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I pay a painter per day?

Checkatrade's October 2026 table puts painters and decorators at £250 to £350 a day for labour. Paint is usually extra. Which?'s cost guide prices decorating per room instead, so expect many quotes as a fixed price per room or job.

Do decorators charge for paint on top of the day rate?

Usually, yes. A day rate covers labour and the running costs of the business, including small consumables. Paint and wallpaper for the job go on the quote as their own line. Ask whether a quote is labour only or includes materials.

What is a fair hourly rate for a painter and decorator?

Checkatrade gives £35 to £45 an hour (October 2026). The worked example in this guide needs £29.57 an hour over 8-hour days to hit its target. For most jobs a fixed room or job price works better than billing by the hour; keep an hourly rate for small jobs, with a minimum charge.

Is £200 a day good for a decorator?

It depends on your costs and billable days. Over 195 days, £200 a day brings in £39,000. That's £7,124 short of the £46,124 the worked example needs. With lower costs or more billable days it might be enough. Work out your own figure with the day rate calculator.

Set your rate, then price the room

Check the going rate, then work out your own from your take-home target, costs, tax and the days you can really bill, and price rooms as days × rate + paint. Re-run the numbers each April, when the tax year changes, or when your van or insurance costs move.

We make ChatQuote, an assistant for your website that asks each enquirer which rooms, how high the ceilings are and what state the walls are in, then drafts room-by-room quotes for painters and decorators from your own rates for you to review.

Day rates for other trades: plumbers and electricians.

About this guide

Written by the ChatQuote team at CodeLeap Ltd, the company that makes ChatQuote. More guides to quoting and pricing. Tax rates, bank holidays, Which?, LGC Decorators, Fantastic Services and National Careers Service figures were checked on 1 November 2026; Checkatrade's table was read on 1 November 2026. Spotted something out of date? Email support@chatquote.app.