# Day rates and pricing in Northern Ireland (2026)
This guide gives you straight Northern Ireland day-rate ranges for 2026, plus how they compare to GB, and what to watch when you're near the border with the Republic. It's for small builders and subbies who don't want to price like they're in London when they're actually in Lisburn.
Quick rule of thumb: in 2026, aim roughly 10–20% under your equivalent GB city rate for private work in NI, then add clear lines for travel, border hassle and currency risks instead of burying them in a too-low day rate.
1. How NI sits vs GB
Day rates in Northern Ireland are generally lower than in most of Great Britain, with Belfast slightly higher than rural NI but still under a lot of English city rates. Industry intel and UK rate tables consistently put NI at or near the lower end for labour pricing compared with GB regions.
At the same time, NI contractors are fighting similar problems, material inflation, skill shortages and a fairly flat workforce expected to creep up only modestly by 2026. So you can't go in dirt-cheap and expect to hold onto decent trades.
Tip for new starters Treat Belfast rates as "cheap-ish UK city" and rural NI as "one step lower again", then check if your own costs (travel, digs, van) still work at those levels.
2. Typical 2026 day rates, Belfast vs rural
There's no single official rate card for subbies, but UK labour-rate guides and NI job ads give solid bands once you knock a bit off GB averages.
Belfast / larger NI towns (Bangor, Lisburn, Derry/Londonderry, Newry)
| Trade (2026) | Typical day rate, Belfast / larger towns | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bricklayer | £170–£230/day | Complex facework or tight city sites at the top |
| General builder | £170–£230/day | Most small builders fall in this band |
| Carpenter / joiner | £170–£230/day | 1st/2nd fix joinery and kitchens |
| Plumber (domestic) | £180–£240/day | Gas/oil heating and emergency work can push higher |
| Electrician | £190–£260/day | Still below many GB city rates but decent for NI |
| Plasterer | £170–£230/day | Often price per m², but day-rate equivalent sits here |
| Painter/decorator | £150–£210/day | Commercial jobs may firm up the rate |
| Roofer | £180–£250/day | Steep or complex roofs at the higher end |
| Groundworker | £170–£230/day | Tickets and plant ownership move you up the band |
| Labourer | £110–£140/day | Tied closely to National Living Wage plus overhead |
Rural NI
In rural counties (Tyrone, Fermanagh, parts of Armagh/Down), day rates are typically 10–15% lower than Belfast, but long drives and thin competition can push them up on awkward jobs.
| Trade (2026) | Typical day rate, rural NI | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bricklayer | £150–£210/day | Bigger or long-term sites edge up |
| General builder | £150–£210/day | Lots of all-in job pricing around these levels |
| Carpenter / joiner | £150–£210/day | Travel time often baked into the rate |
| Plumber | £160–£220/day | Call-outs often fixed price + mileage |
| Electrician | £170–£230/day | Good sparks still in demand even out in the sticks |
| Plasterer | £150–£200/day | Smaller domestic jobs more common than big sites |
| Painter/decorator | £130–£180/day | Clients very price-sensitive on simple repainting |
| Roofer | £170–£230/day | Weather risk is real, price for lost days |
| Groundworker | £150–£210/day | Plant-owning gangs can do better on package prices |
| Labourer | £105–£130/day | Still above minimum wage once overhead added |
Tip for new starters Pick your rate near the middle of the right band, then add clear extras for travel, difficult access, or border-side logistics instead of trying to squeeze everything into one low number.
3. CEF NI wages, the baseline for employees
The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) in NI, alongside unions, agrees pay and conditions for directly employed workers through the Joint Council for the Building & Civil Engineering Industry (NI). A 2026 Promulgation Notice sets out increased wage rates from 5 January 2026 for operatives under the agreement.
The notice breaks down new hourly rates by skill category (for example, craft, general operative, etc.), with uplifted minimums that all employers signed up to the agreement must pay. While the exact figures differ by grade, they provide a floor, your self-employed or labour-only subcontractor day rate needs to sit comfortably above these hourly wages once you add your overhead.
Typical pattern:
- CEF/Joint Council "craft" hourly rates, when multiplied by 8 hours, work out around the £120–£150/day mark for basic employees in 2026.
- Self-employed trades in Belfast generally charge £40–£100/day more than those employee equivalents to cover their own downtime, holiday and van.
Tip for new starters Get a copy of the latest CEF wages circular, see what an employed worker at your level would earn per hour, then make sure your own day rate has a good 30–50% margin on top once costs are counted.
4. Minimum wage and CIS, the absolute floor
The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 and National Minimum Wage/Living Wage Regulations apply in NI as well as GB. From April 2026:
| Wage band (from April 2026) | Rate per hour (NI as part of UK) |
|---|---|
| Age 21+ (National Living Wage) | £12.71/hr |
| Age 18–20 | £10.85/hr |
| Under 18 | £8.00/hr |
| Apprentice | £8.00/hr |
If your "day rate" divided by hours drops near those numbers, you're effectively working for minimum-wage money in a skilled trade.
The Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) applies to NI just like GB: same rules on registration, verification, deductions and monthly returns. So if you're a NI contractor paying subbies, or a GB firm working in NI, you keep running CIS exactly as you do at home.
Tip for new starters Always sanity-check your effective hourly rate (after costs) against the 2026 minimum, if it's not far above, you're subsidising the job for the client.
5. NI vs GB rates, how far behind?
Compared to UK-wide averages (for example, electricians £235/day, plumbers £205/day, carpenters £194/day in 2025), NI is typically 10–20% lower across most trades.
| Trade | Approx NI city day (2026) | UK-wide avg day (2025 baseline) | NI vs UK-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician | £190–£260/day (Belfast) | £235/day average UK | Often £20–£60/day lower |
| Plumber | £180–£240/day (Belfast) | £205/day average UK | Similar to slightly lower |
| Carpenter | £170–£230/day (Belfast) | £194/day average UK | Typically under, especially rural |
| Bricklayer | £170–£230/day (Belfast) | £181/day average UK | City can match; rural below |
Mainland GB (especially SE and big English cities) will often pay significantly more than NI, which is why some NI trades head to GB for short stints when work slows down at home.
Tip for new starters If you're used to GB city rates and you step into NI, expect pushback if you don't shave anything off, instead of cutting deep, adjust a little and tighten how much you throw in for free.
6. Cross-border work with the Republic, pricing traps
Currency and day rates
Northern Ireland uses GBP; the Republic uses EUR. That means:
- Your labour and van costs are in pounds; some materials and subbies might be priced in euros if bought south of the border.
- Republic day rates are often higher than NI rates, with Connect Trade Union minimums for construction operatives (for example, €16.74/hr and upwards, depending on category, in 2025–26).
So near Derry/Londonderry, Newry and other border areas:
- You might be competing with firms priced in euros and higher wage expectations.
- Exchange rate swings change how attractive cross-border jobs are · a weaker pound means your GBP day rate looks cheaper in euro terms, but your imported materials cost more.
Tax regimes and CIS
Tax is different:
- NI and GB are under UK tax and CIS; the Republic has its own PAYE, RCT (Relevant Contracts Tax) and VAT rules.
- If you cross the actual state border and work in the Republic, you're in a different tax system · you may need Irish registrations and to deal with RCT and Irish VAT.
- If your work stays physically in NI, you're only in the UK system, even if the client is Irish.
Materials and the Windsor Framework
The Windsor Framework changed how goods move between GB, NI and the EU. Key points for a small contractor:
- Goods shipped GB to NI for final use in NI can move through a simplified "green lane" with fewer checks and less EU paperwork, as long as they're not going on into the EU/Republic.
- If materials are likely to move into the EU (for example, NI to Republic), they still need to meet EU rules and full checks.
On a border-area job:
- If the site is in NI, most of your GB-sourced materials should qualify as "staying in NI", which keeps logistics manageable and costs down.
- If you're supplying materials that may end up over the border in the Republic, you or your merchant may need extra EU-compliance paperwork · build the risk and delay into your price.
Tip for new starters Price NI-only jobs in pounds, based on NI rates. If you're actually working in the Republic, switch to euro pricing and get proper tax/accounting advice, don't try to fudge it.
What to do next
- Work out your true cost of working in NI: ferries (if GB-based), fuel, digs, lost travel days, then check against the Belfast and rural rate bands · adjust your day rate so you're not subsidising the trip.
- Get hold of the latest CEF NI wages circular and use it as your "employee baseline" · make sure your self-employed or labour-only rates sit well above that once overheads are factored in.
- If you're doing cross-border work, sit down with an accountant who understands NI and Republic tax to decide whether you're staying fully in the UK system (NI-only sites) or need Irish registrations for ROI jobs.
- For jobs that rely on GB-sourced materials, speak to your merchant about Windsor Framework "green lane" status and any surcharges or delays, and build those into your prelims instead of eating them.
Sources
- CEF NI Promulgation Notice: Wages 2026 · increased hourly wage rates from January 2026 for Joint Council operatives.
- CITB Northern Ireland labour-market report · workforce and recruitment trends up to 2026.
- UK 2025 labour rate tables and averages by trade · bricklayer, carpenter, electrician, plumber, decorator, plasterer, labourer.
- National Minimum Wage Act 1998 · legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/39/contents · legal minimum hourly rates UK-wide including NI.
- 2026 National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates · published April 2026 rates.
- Construction Industry Scheme (Income Tax) Regulations 2005 · legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/2045/contents · CIS applies UK-wide including NI.
- Connect Trade Union Construction Rates 2025–2026 · Republic of Ireland construction operative minimums.
- Windsor Framework analysis · impact on GB–NI goods movements for construction materials.
Know someone who needs this?
Was this guide useful?
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Spotted something wrong or out of date? Email us at hello@kilnguides.co.uk.
In crisis? Samaritans 116 123 ·