Bricklayer day rate UK: what bricklayers charge, and how to set your own rate

TL;DR: Checkatrade puts a UK bricklayer's day rate at £240–£320 (updated April 2026). MyJobQuote says £200–£300 a day. Checkatrade gives a team of two bricklayers at about £560 a day, with a labourer adding about £240. Your own rate should come from your costs, your output and who you're working for, not just the going rate.

These are consumer cost guides: what homeowners are told to expect. They aren't a survey of what bricklayers earn.

For context, Checkatrade puts a general builder at around £400 a day and a labourer at £112–£280 (April 2026).

Both guides say rates vary by area. MyJobQuote says you can expect to pay more in the South than in the North. Checkatrade says builder day rates are often higher in London and the South East.

Some bricklayers price by output, not by day. Checkatrade says quotes may be per 1,000 bricks or per 10–12 m².

Its table (last updated July 2024) gives the cost to lay 1,000 bricks:

Checkatrade also says a bricklayer lays about 500 bricks a day in good conditions, with no access problems.

Quick sum (our arithmetic, using two Checkatrade pages of different dates): £240–£320 a day ÷ 500 bricks is 48p–64p a brick in labour, or £480–£640 per 1,000. Awkward corners, piers, cuts and scaffold lifts slow you down, so the per-brick figure rises.

Our bricklaying start-up guide covers the three methods in detail. In short:

• Day rate suits repairs, repointing and work where nobody knows what's behind the face.
• Per 1,000 or per m² suits repeatable work with a clear spec.
• Fixed price suits domestic jobs once the scope is clear. It needs written exclusions.

Many bricklayers use a day rate to build a fixed price: estimate the days, multiply, then add materials and extras.

If you work for contractors under the Construction Industry Scheme, money can be deducted before you're paid. Before your first contractor job:

1. Read GOV.UK's CIS pages. What you must do as a CIS subcontractor explains the deduction rates, registration and what is and isn't deducted.
2. Work out what lands in your account. On a £280 day, every 10% deducted is £28 you wait for until your tax return. Plan your bills around the lower figure.
3. Keep every materials receipt and show materials separately on your invoices.
4. Keep your payment and deduction statements for your tax return.

Check GOV.UK's VAT registration page to see when registering applies to you. If you're registered, say on every quote whether the price includes VAT.

1. Add up your yearly costs. Van, fuel, insurance, tools, mixer, phone, training, cards, accountant.
2. Count your real working days. Take off holidays, rain days, quoting days and gaps between jobs.
3. Set your target pay. What you need to take home before tax.
4. Divide. (Costs + target pay) ÷ working days is your floor day rate.
5. Check it against the market. If you're well under £240, find out why. If you're over £320, know what makes you worth it.
6. Check it against output. Divide by bricks a day on typical work. Compare with per-1,000 quotes you see.
7. Price labourers and teams separately. Checkatrade's £560 for two and £240 for a labourer are useful sense checks.
8. Write it down. Put your day rate, half-day rate and minimum charge on your price list.

• the day rate and estimated days, or a fixed price
• materials, listed separately, and who supplies them
• scaffold, skip and plant, and who pays
• what's excluded, such as hidden defects
• VAT, if you're registered
• deposit and payment terms

Our building regs and scope guide explains how to write the scope so you don't take on someone else's risk.

The Bricklayer Pricing Calculator — Premium (£14.99) is an Excel workbook with 10 service lines, each with editable labour hours, materials and waste. Enter your hourly rate once and it shows the margin. A quote builder handles multi-day jobs.

The Bricklayer Price List & Service Menu (£4.99) is a one-page A4 menu with 14 services in 4 categories, with structural work shown as "from / quote on request".

Checkatrade says £240–£320 a day (April 2026). MyJobQuote says £200–£300 a day.

Checkatrade says a labourer adds about £240 to the day rate, and a team of two bricklayers averages about £560 a day (July 2025).

Checkatrade says about 500 a day in good conditions with no access issues.

Check GOV.UK's guide for CIS subcontractors. It sets out the deduction rates and what they apply to. Plan your cash flow on the amount you'll actually receive.

All accessed 1 October 2026.

• Checkatrade, "Builder day rate in the UK in 2026" (bricklayer £240–£320; builder about £400; labourer £112–£280; London and South East often higher; updated 04/26)
• Checkatrade, "How much do tradespeople cost in the UK in 2026?" (bricklayer £240–£320 a day; updated 04/26)
• Checkatrade, "Bricklaying: cost breakdown 2026" (team of two about £560 a day; labourer adds about £240; 500 bricks a day; per-1,000 table updated July 2024; page last updated 4 July 2025)
• MyJobQuote, "Bricklayer" (£200–£300 a day, £30–£60 an hour; more in the South than the North; undated)
• GOV.UK, "What you must do as a CIS subcontractor: get paid"
• GOV.UK, "VAT registration: when to register"

These figures are from consumer cost guides and show typical ranges, not what you must charge. This article is general information, not tax advice. Check CIS and VAT on GOV.UK or with an accountant.