Day rate or price per job for an electrician, and when each fits

3 days ago
3 min read

Introduction

Electricians argue about this endlessly, usually as though one model were simply better. It is not a matter of preference. A day rate puts the risk of the job taking longer onto the customer; a fixed price puts it onto you. Which is appropriate depends entirely on how predictable the work is.

A consumer unit change in a modern house is predictable enough to price firmly. A rewire in a Victorian property with no drawings and unknown routes is not, and a fixed price on it is a bet.

Most electricians should use both, chosen per job rather than adopted as a policy. The choice is a judgement about the property.

1. Day rate or price per job for an electrician depends on predictability

Match the model to the uncertainty.

Fix the price where you can see the whole job

Sockets, lighting, a board change, a car charger on an accessible wall. Known quantities, known routes, known time. Customers prefer this where it is honest.

Use a day rate where the work is exploratory

Fault finding, rewires in old properties, anything behind lath and plaster. The customer should carry that uncertainty because you cannot price it. Say that plainly rather than guessing high.

2. Know your own numbers before choosing either

Both models fail without a costed day.

Cost a working day properly

Van, insurance, certification, tools, testing equipment, non-productive time, holiday, and the profit you intend to make. That is your minimum day. Recalculate it annually.

Convert it into a job price

A fixed price is a day rate multiplied by realistic days plus materials plus contingency. If you cannot estimate the days, you cannot fix the price. Use a day rate instead.

3. Explain the model to the customer

Customers distrust day rates for understandable reasons.

Say why a day rate is being used

Because the work is exploratory and a fixed price would have to include a large contingency they would pay whether or not it was needed. Customers understand that argument.

Cap it or stage it

A stated maximum, or a review after the first day. That removes the customer's fear of an open meter without transferring the risk to you. Review after the first day and re-quote.

4. Handle materials separately

Mixing materials into a day rate hides margin.

Quote materials as a line, with your margin stated or built in

Either is defensible. Concealing it entirely is what causes arguments when a customer prices a part online.

Do not absorb price rises silently

Materials move. Quotes should carry a validity period, and thirty days is normal. State it on every quotation.

5. Review the outcome on every job

This is how estimating improves.

Record estimated days against actual days

For every fixed-price job. Within a few months you will know which job types you consistently underestimate.

Adjust the estimate, not the rate

If board changes always take a day and a half rather than a day, the fix is the estimate. Raising your rate to cover bad estimating penalises the jobs you price correctly.

Conclusion

This is a decision about who carries the risk, not a preference. Fix the price where you can see the whole job — sockets, lighting, a board change on an accessible wall — and use a day rate where the work is genuinely exploratory, because a fixed price on a Victorian rewire is a bet you will sometimes lose badly.

Cost a working day properly before using either model, including van, certification, testing gear and non-productive time. Explain to customers why a day rate is being used and cap or stage it so they are not facing an open meter. Quote materials as their own line with a validity period. Then record estimated against actual days on every fixed-price job, and correct the estimate rather than the rate.