Last Updated on November 9, 2026
Short answer: the three UK price guides we checked put a plumber’s hourly rate at £40 to £60, with a day rate of £325 to £375. Checkatrade puts an emergency call-out at £100 to £120. But when Whito read the websites of 179 emergency plumbers in October 2026, most published no call-out price at all, and the most common published price was “no call-out charge”. So the guide figures tell you what a fair quote looks like. They do not tell you what the plumber in front of you will charge, because most plumbers do not say.
The quick version
- Three UK price guides put a plumber’s hourly rate at £40 to £60, with a day rate of £325 to £375.
- Checkatrade puts an emergency call-out at £100 to £120 (June 2026).
- Most emergency plumbers Whito checked in October 2026 published no call-out price at all.
- Do not compare hourly rates. Compare the total price for the job, in writing, including VAT.
The mistake: comparing hourly rates
Important: Most people shopping for a plumber compare the hourly rate. It is the wrong number. A £45-an-hour plumber who takes three hours, charges a call-out fee and adds VAT costs more than a £70-an-hour plumber who fixes it in one visit with no call-out and no VAT. Compare the total price for the job, in writing, including VAT.
What the price guides say
We read three UK price guides on 5 November 2026. We show each one separately rather than averaging them, because they measure slightly different things and do not publish their methods in full.
Rates
| Checkatrade (updated June 2026) | MyBuilder (no date shown) | WaterSafe blog (“2026”, no date) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | £40 to £60 (average £50) | £40 to £60 (experienced: £60 to £80; apprentice: £15 to £25) | £40 to £70 |
| Day rate | £325 to £375 (average £350) | £325 to £375 | £250 to £400 |
| Call-out fee | Emergency call-out £100 to £120 (average £110) | Not stated | £60 to £120 |
| Emergency hourly rate | £75 to £150 (average £100) | Not stated | Not stated |
All three are third-party estimates. None publishes the number of quotes behind its figures. VAT treatment is not always clear, so check the guide’s own notes before comparing a quote against it.
Two of the three are platforms that sell leads to tradespeople. WaterSafe is the water industry’s register of approved plumbers. None of them is independent of the trade, and neither is a price you can hold a plumber to.
Common jobs
| Job | Checkatrade (June 2026) | MyBuilder (no date) |
|---|---|---|
| Fix a leak | £77 to £128 (average £100) | Leaky tap: £50 to £150 |
| Repair a burst or damaged pipe | £50 to £200 (average £150) | £80 to £150 |
| Unblock a toilet | £75 to £150 (average £100) | Toilet repair: £60 to £200 |
| Unblock a drain | Not stated | £75 to £200 |
| Install a radiator | £150 to £180 (average £165) | Not stated |
| Replace a water tank | £360 to £450 (average £405) | Not stated |
| Boiler installation | See below | £1,500 to £3,000 |
For bigger jobs, see our guides to a new bathroom, a power flush and a new boiler.
What plumbers actually publish
Price guides describe typical quotes. Whito wanted to know what firms themselves tell customers before they call. Across three studies in October and November 2026, we made 422 website checks in the same eight towns: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Norwich. A price was published in 129 of them.
| What we looked for | Websites checked | Published a price | What the prices showed | Study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency call-out charge | 179 | 62 published something; 24 gave a figure | £50 to £190. “No call-out charge” was the most common published price (38 of 62) | Call-out study, read 2 Oct 2026 |
| Boiler service | 197 | 51 | £50 to £129. 27 fixed prices, 24 “from” prices | Boiler service study, read 3 Oct 2026 |
| Boiler replacement (supplied and fitted) | 46 | 16 | Lowest published prices £1,050 to £2,499; middle figure £1,970 | Boiler replacement study, read 4 Nov 2026 |
These are separate samples drawn from different searches, so some firms may appear in more than one. That is why we count website checks, not firms.
Three things stand out.
1. “No call-out charge” is not the same as cheap. Of the 38 firms that said they charge no call-out fee, 37 gave no labour rate. The cost moves from the call-out into the hourly rate, which you only learn once someone is at the door.
2. VAT is usually missing. 50 of the 62 call-out prices, 30 of the 51 boiler service prices and 9 of the 16 boiler prices did not say whether VAT was included. If a business is VAT registered, VAT at 20% can turn a £90 service into £108.
3. A “from” price is a floor. The middle published boiler price was £1,970, while price guides commonly quote more for a fitted combi. Both can be right: a firm’s “from” price is for its simplest job, and a price guide is closer to what most people end up paying. Neither is a quote for your home.
We re-check the call-out prices every month in Emergency Plumbers Monthly. In November 2026, 61 of 62 firms showed the same published price as in October.
Why quotes for the same job vary
- Where you live. Price guides say London and the South East charge more, and MyBuilder notes more experienced plumbers charge £60 to £80 an hour. Our own published prices show wide spreads inside one town: boiler service prices in Birmingham ran from £59 to £126.
- When you call. Evenings, weekends and bank holidays carry emergency rates. Checkatrade puts emergency hourly rates at £75 to £150.
- Fixed price or hourly. A fixed price moves the risk of overrunning to the plumber. An hourly rate leaves it with you.
- Parts. Some quotes include parts; some add them at cost or with a mark-up. Ask.
- Minimum charge. Many plumbers charge a first hour or a minimum visit even for a ten-minute job.
- Business size. A sole trader below the VAT threshold does not charge VAT. A larger firm will.
How to compare quotes in five minutes
- Ask for the total price for the job, not the hourly rate.
- Ask whether VAT is included, and whether the business is VAT registered.
- Ask if there is a call-out fee or a minimum charge, and what the first hour covers.
- Ask how parts are charged.
- For gas work, check the business on the Gas Safe Register before agreeing anything. For everything else, see what to check instead.
If no price was agreed before the work, the law says you pay “a reasonable price … and no more” (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 51). That protects you from an outrageous bill, but it is far easier to agree the price first.
The sharp takeaway
The going rate for a UK plumber is £40 to £60 an hour according to every guide we checked. That is the least useful number in the decision. Most plumbers do not publish their prices, and the ones that say “no call-out charge” rarely say what the hour costs. Get a total, in writing, with VAT.
Questions people ask
How much does a plumber charge per hour in the UK?
Checkatrade (June 2026) and MyBuilder both put it at £40 to £60. WaterSafe’s guide says £40 to £70. More experienced plumbers can charge £60 to £80 (MyBuilder).
What is a plumber’s day rate?
£325 to £375 according to Checkatrade and MyBuilder. WaterSafe gives £250 to £400.
How much is a plumber call-out charge?
Checkatrade puts an emergency call-out at £100 to £120. But of 179 emergency plumber websites Whito read in October 2026, 117 published no call-out price, and the 24 that gave a figure ranged from £50 to £190.
Do plumbers charge VAT?
Only if they are VAT registered. Most small plumbing businesses in Whito’s studies did not say whether their published prices included VAT. Always ask.
How much does a boiler service cost?
Of 197 heating engineer websites Whito read in October 2026, 51 published a price, ranging from £50 to £129.
Is it cheaper to pay a plumber by the hour or a fixed price?
It depends on the job. A fixed price protects you if the job takes longer than expected. For small, quick repairs, an hourly rate with a stated minimum charge can be cheaper.
What if a plumber charges more than I expected?
If you agreed a price, that price applies. If you did not, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says you must pay a reasonable price and no more.
Sources (opened 5 November 2026)
- Checkatrade, plumber cost guide (updated June 2026): https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/plumber-cost/
- MyBuilder, plumber cost guide (no date shown): https://www.mybuilder.com/plumbing/price-guides/plumber-cost
- WaterSafe, how much does a plumber cost (titled 2026): https://www.watersafe.org.uk/blog/posts/how-much-does-plumber-cost/
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 51: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/51
- Whito call-out study (2 Oct 2026), boiler service study (3 Oct 2026), boiler replacement study (4 Nov 2026), Emergency Plumbers Monthly (4 Nov 2026), linked above.
