Quick calculators for UK trades.
Four sums every UK trade reaches for: VAT, the CIS deduction, your day rate and your margin. Free, nothing to install, and your figures never leave your phone. TradeDraft builds all of this into a proper, branded quote for you.
Four sums, worked out.
VAT calculator
Add VAT to a net price, or pull the VAT back out of a gross one.
On a B2B construction job the Domestic Reverse Charge may apply, where you show the VAT but don't charge it. TradeDraft switches that on for you from the client type. Not registered yet? See when you have to register, and how the reverse charge works.
CIS deduction calculator
Work out the deduction on a subcontractor payment: CIS comes off everything except the direct cost of materials, plant hired from someone else, consumable stores, fuel used on site (but not fuel for travelling), and the cost of manufacturing or prefabricating materials.
HMRC rule: CIS is deducted from everything except the direct cost of materials, plant hire, consumable stores and fuel for plant, which are paid in full. Travel and subsistence are NOT excluded — put those in the first box. Enter your figures excluding VAT. New to it? See our CIS guide, or gross payment status if you want the deduction to stop altogether. Paying subbies yourself? CIS for contractors covers the verification, the monthly return and the statement you owe them.
Day rate calculator
Turn your yearly running costs into a daily figure, so every quote covers them before you earn a penny.
Overheads are the costs of being in business (van, insurance, phone, tools, fuel). Most trades bill 200–220 days a year, and often fewer once weekends, holidays, admin and quiet spells come out. This is your break-even per day, before labour and profit. The full three-layer method is in our day rate guide. The costs themselves are in the hidden costs of a job and what a tradesperson can claim.
Markup & margin calculator
See what a markup on your costs actually leaves you, and how markup differs from margin.
Markup is a percentage added to your cost. Margin is that profit as a share of the sell price, so it's always the smaller number: a 20% markup is only a 16.7% margin. The full conversion, both directions, is in our markup vs margin guide. Before you set the markup, check nothing is missing from the cost: the hidden costs of a job.
TradeDraft builds VAT, CIS, the Reverse Charge, overhead recovery and margin into a branded quote you can send from your phone.
These calculators are quick guides to help you sense-check a figure. They are not tax or accounting advice; always confirm your VAT and CIS position with HMRC or your accountant.
Keep the workings.
The four core guides as print-ready PDFs, plus a one-page job-pricing checklist. Free, and yours to keep.