How Much to Charge for Tree Work UK 2026: Working Out Your Day Rate and Job Prices

How Much Should You Charge for Tree Work in 2026?

In short: we haven't found an official or published source for subcontract day rates in tree work, so work yours out from your own costs with the formula below. Employed tree surgeons earn about £25,000 to £35,000 a year, according to the National Careers Service.

Pricing is where most new arborists leave money on the table — or worse, underprice themselves into exhaustion and resentment. Too low and you're doing dangerous skilled work for less than a plumber charges to change a washer. Too high and you lose quotes to competitors who've done the maths properly.

This guide walks through what a day rate has to cover, how to price common jobs, and a rate-setting formula you can use on your next quote.

If you're still figuring out the full cost of going self-employed, see our tree surgery startup costs guide first. If you're looking for employed arborist jobs, browse the TreeBay jobs board.

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Day Rates vs Job Rates vs Hourly — Which Model?

Day rates are usual for subcontracting, and job rates for domestic clients. Hourly rates are common for consultancy and reports, rare for physical tree work.

Day rates work well when:

• You're subcontracting to a larger firm
• The scope is clear and the day fills a standard shift (7–8 hours)
• You want predictable income without complex scoping

Job rates work well when:

• You're quoting direct to domestic or commercial clients
• Scope is well-defined (fell X tree, grind Y stump, crown-reduce Z)
• You want to reward efficiency — finish in 4 hours, earn a 6-hour day rate

Hourly rates are a trap for most groundwork. An hour spent chipping in a tight driveway is very different from an hour on a productive day. Job rates protect you.

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Pay and Day Rates in 2026

Employed Arborist Salaries

Subcontractor Day Rates

A subcontract day rate is what you charge an arborist firm for your labour, arriving in your own van with your PPE and certifications. We haven't found an official source or published survey for these rates: they're agreed between firms, and vary with your tickets, your region and the kit you bring, such as a chipper. Work out your own floor with the Day Rate Calculator below, and see what others ask in Subcontracting.

Aerial rescue isn't an add-on: it's part of NPTC 0039-22, Climbing Trees and Aerial Rescue (NPTC: arboriculture qualifications).

Your rate is what you earn before income tax and National Insurance: as a self-employed subcontractor you pay those yourself, along with your own insurance. If you subcontract only occasionally — a few weekend days a year alongside another job — the trading allowance and the Self Assessment reporting threshold rise from £1,000 to £3,000 a year from 6 April 2027, so trading income of £3,000 or less won't by itself have to be reported through Self Assessment (Budget 2026).

Direct-to-Client Day Rate (Owner-Operator Solo)

If you're quoting domestic jobs directly as a one-person operation (if the job involves climbing, you still need a second person on site: HSE says a minimum of 2 people must be present during all aerial work, see HSE: aerial work), your break-even day rate depends on your own costs: a van, a chipper or a second person on site each raise it. The next section shows how to work it out.

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What Your Day Rate Actually Needs to Cover

Most new operators forget the invisible costs. Run this calculation before you set your rate.

Annual Fixed Costs: An Example (Solo Operator, Mid-Spec)

These are example figures to show the method, not survey results: put in your own costs.

This example assumes 200 billable days a year, allowing for rain days, holidays, admin, quoting time and sick days. That's £16–£31 a day in fixed overheads, plus your insurance, before you've moved a single branch.

Add your target salary, divide by billable days, add profit margin. That's your floor.

Example: a target take-home of £32,000 a year ÷ 200 days = £160 a day, plus £16–£31 a day of overheads from the table above, plus your insurance premiums ÷ 200. That's your floor as a subcontractor, before fuel, a chipper and your profit margin.

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Pricing Typical Jobs

Rough times for a few common jobs. Every site differs, so price each one from your day rate with the formula below.

Small Domestic Tree Removal (15–25m tall, easy access)

Large Oak or Beech Removal (City garden, tight access, preservation order drama)

Crown Reduction (mature sycamore, 30% reduction, domestic)

Price it from the time on site with the formula below: size, access and how clear the specification is all change it.

Stump Grinding (average 12" diameter stump)

Several stumps on one site can be priced together.

For more on stump grinding equipment, see our stump grinder buying guide.

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Day Rate Calculator: The Rate-Setting Formula

For direct-to-client domestic quoting:

Job Rate = (Crew Hours × Day Rate ÷ 8) + Materials + Disposal + Margin

Walk through an example:

• 2-person crew
• Estimated 6 hours on site
• Day rate: say £700 (an example figure for a two-person crew with a chipper)
• Disposal: chip on site (included)
• Materials: none

Job Rate = (6 ÷ 8) × £700 + £0 + £0 + 20%
         = £525 × 1.20
         = £630

Round to £625 or £650 — clients trust round numbers, especially with "from £X" framing.

Always quote worst-case time, not best-case. Tree work almost always runs long. Quote the 8-hour job as 8 hours, not 6. If you finish in 6, the client is thrilled. If you run to 9 hours because the stump was bigger than expected, you absorb the cost and resent it.

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Seasonal Variation

Autumn and winter suit a lot of tree work: deciduous trees are bare, which makes assessment easier, and it's outside the main bird nesting season. If your diary fills then, hold your rate.

Practical rate adjustments:

• Peak season (Oct–Feb): Hold your rate. You're in demand.
• Shoulder (Mar, Sep): Stick to rate unless you need to fill a specific week.
• Summer (Jun–Aug): Offer a small "summer slot" discount (5–10%) if you're struggling to fill the diary. Don't advertise it as a discount — frame it as "availability."

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Common Pricing Mistakes

1. Quoting on the phone without site visit. Every garden is different. Do the visit or caveat the quote heavily.
2. Not costing disposal. Tip runs, skip hire, and hauling take time. Build it in.
3. Ignoring access. A stump 80m from the street costs 3× as long to clear as one at the gate.
4. Underpricing to win. You attract price-sensitive clients who argue every invoice. Your target client pays fair rates for quality work and refers their neighbours.
5. Not putting it in writing. Every job should have a written quote and acceptance. A paper trail is your protection if there's a dispute.

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Advertising on TreeBay

Hiring, or looking for subcontractors? Post a job advert on the TreeBay jobs board. Self-employed and looking for day-rate work? List your day rate in Subcontracting, or post that you’re available, free, in the forum’s Jobs category.

If you're upgrading equipment — chipper, saw, or stump grinder — browse Kit & machinery on TreeBay for used kit, or list your own before the next season kicks in.

For general business questions covering the full cost of running an arborist operation, see our FAQ page.

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Quick Reference: Rate Summary

Every job differs by region, access, risk and scope. Price from your own costs: the formula above gives you your floor.