How much do carpet fitters earn in the UK?

What is the average carpet fitter salary in the UK?

You might not think it but being a carpet fitter in the UK can be a very lucrative career path. From just starting out to taking your first steps into self-employment, your yearly earnings can quickly grow.

Of course, the average carpet fitter salary will vary depending on several factors. This includes your experience, qualifications, skills, and the size of your fitting projects, which you can grow as you work.

To help you understand what the carpet fitter salary you can expect across such a career, we’ve created this table. Take a look below to see the average carpet fitter salary in the UK at each working stage:

What is the average carpet fitter salary annually?

As you can see, while initial carpet fitter earnings might seem modest, they can quickly grow. In fact, when looking at our table data, you can expect to earn the following yearly salaries in this trade:

• Apprentice fitter – £11,062
• Newly qualified fitter – £23,776
• Employed fitter – £37,835
• Sole trader fitter – £59,001
• Limited company fitter – £71,200

Of course, these totals don’t account for other business expenses, such as material and travel. But even so, you can earn a lot in this trade once you become self-employed.

However, what if you’re yet to earn a self-employed carpet fitter salary? If you’re just starting out, it might actually be more helpful to know your monthly earnings. We’ve outlined these below:

• Apprentice fitter – £1,092
• Newly qualified fitter – £2,346
• Employed fitter – £3,152
• Sole trader fitter – £6,933
• Limited company fitter – £8,366

How much do carpet fitters earn per day?

For most tradespeople, tracking your finances by month is often enough to help you budget. But in some cases, it can actually be more beneficial to know your day rate. This is especially true when charging for larger projects and overtime.

Below is the average carpet fitter salary in the UK per day:

• Apprentice fitter – £50.40
• Newly qualified fitter – £108.32
• Employed fitter – £145.52
• Sole trader fitter – £320
• Limited company fitter – £386

As a carpet fitter, you also have the scope to work on both smaller residential jobs and larger commercial projects.

Therefore, it can be helpful to have a gauge on the hourly rate for carpet fitters for contracting purposes:

• Apprentice fitter – £6.30
• Newly qualified fitter – £13.54
• Employed fitter – £18.19
• Sole trader fitter – £40
• Limited company fitter – £48.27

What is the average self-employed carpet fitter salary?

So, you know what you could potentially earn as an employed carpet fitter. But what if you want to start your own carpet fitting business? You can certainly earn a lot by doing this, but you also have overheads to consider.

From a profit perspective, here is what you can expect your self-employed carpet fitter salary to be:

• Hourly rate – £40 for sole traders and £48.27 for limited companies
• Day rate – £320 for sole traders and £386 for limited companies
• Yearly salary – £59,001 for sole traders and £71,200 for limited companies
• Annual take-home pay – £40,000 for sole traders and £46,150 for limited companies

Thus, if you want to be as profitable as possible with your carpet fitting business, you need to reduce costs. These will be determined by things such as the size of your business, work frequency, and travel time.

How to grow your carpet fitting business

Like any business, profitability needs to be high on your list of priorities. You want to be sure that every job you do brings in money, while also boosting your business profile.

To help with this, here are our top tips for business growth:

• Check that your rates are competitive in the area and are enough to cover your outgoings
• Try to pick jobs that will make you the most money for the least associated costs
• Minimise travel time to save on fuel
• Keep any potential debt to a minimum
• Shop for the best deals possible when buying new gear and equipment
• Start marketing effectively to get your company name out there
• Always aim to deliver a great customer experience to boost your reputation
• Consider joining an online directory like Checkatrade for more work