How to quote for gardener jobs
A practical 2026 pricing guide for UK gardeners: how to work out your rate, what to build into every quote, realistic price ranges, and the mistakes that quietly eat your margin.
Skip the maths — build a gardener quote in 60 seconds with QuoteRocket.
Rates, markup and VAT applied automatically. Free trial, no card needed.
How to price gardener work
Price from the bottom up, not from what the last bloke charged. Start with your true hourly cost, add the materials at your real buying price plus a markup, then add the things people forget — travel, waste, parking, certification.
1. Work out your real hourly rate
Take the income you want, add overheads (van, insurance, tools, phone, accountant, pension) and divide by hours you can genuinely bill — around 1,000–1,300 a year once quoting, travel and admin are stripped out. For most gardeners that lands near £55 an hour.
2. Estimate labour honestly
Estimate the hours the job actually takes, including setup, testing and clean-up, then add a contingency for the unknowns you always find once you open things up. Underestimating hours is the single biggest cause of a job losing money.
3. Price materials at cost + markup
Charge what you paid, plus a markup of typically 10–25% to cover collection time, waste, returns and the risk of price rises between quoting and buying. If a supplier price is more than a couple of weeks old, re-check it.
4. Add callout, travel and access
A callout or minimum charge protects you on small jobs. Add mileage beyond your normal radius, plus parking, congestion or permit costs where they apply — these are legitimate costs, and customers accept them when they are itemised.
5. Show VAT clearly
If you are VAT registered, show the net figure, VAT at 20% and the gross total separately. If you are not registered, say so on the quote so nobody assumes there is 20% to come.
What to factor into a gardener quote
- Visit frequency and duration
- Tasks per visit (mow, edge, weed, blow paths)
- Green waste disposal
- Extras and their rates
Realistic UK price ranges for gardener work
Indicative 2026 figures, excluding VAT. Regional variation is significant — treat these as a sanity check on your own numbers.
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate | £44 – £77 |
| Day rate (7–8 hrs) | £385 – £440 |
| Callout / minimum charge | £55 – £110 |
| Materials markup | 10% – 25% |
| Example job — Fortnightly maintenance — small garden | ≈ £926 |
See the full itemised breakdown on our free gardener quote template, or run your own numbers in the quote calculator.
Common quoting mistakes for gardeners
- Quoting a round number off the top of your head on site, then discovering the materials alone eat most of it.
- Leaving the scope vague. "One-off garden tidy" means different things to you and the customer — spell out what is and is not included.
- Forgetting the unbillable hours: quoting, collecting materials, travel and waste disposal all have to be paid for by the jobs you do win.
- Not putting an expiry on the quote. Material prices move; 14 or 30 days protects you.
- Taking days to send it. Most customers hire whoever gets a clear, professional quote to them first.
Typical gardener jobs to quote
- One-off garden tidy
- Fortnightly lawn & border maintenance
- Hedge cutting (leylandii, 20m run)
- Seasonal pruning
Gardener pricing FAQs
How much should a gardener charge per hour?
Most UK gardeners work to an hourly rate of around £44–£77 depending on region, with London and the South East at the top of that range. Work backwards from what you need to earn: target annual income plus overheads, divided by realistically billable hours (usually 1,000–1,300 a year, not 1,800).
What is a typical gardener day rate?
A day rate is normally 7–8 billable hours at your hourly figure, often with a small discount for the certainty of a full day. At £55 an hour that is roughly £385–£440 per day before materials and VAT. Quote day rates only for open-ended work; fixed price wins more jobs where the scope is clear.
How much does a typical gardener job cost?
Our worked example — Fortnightly maintenance — small garden — comes to about £926 before VAT once labour, materials and fees are included. Use it as a sanity check rather than a price list: your materials cost, travel and access all move the number.
How do I price recurring garden visits?
Price per visit, not per hour — customers prefer knowing the number. £30–£55 per visit is typical for a small UK garden, more if you dispose of green waste.
Should I charge for green waste removal separately?
Yes, or bundle it in and say so. Landfill/tip fees are real costs and hiding them eats your margin.
Skip the maths — build a gardener quote in 60 seconds with QuoteRocket.
Rates, markup and VAT applied automatically. Free trial, no card needed.