I have a few jobs that need doing - cutting back some large trees, painting,
hanging a few doors etc. I have got quotes from a few "handymen" in my area
(North Cheshire) that range between £20-£40 per hour plus materials. Is this
considered a competitive pricing range or should i ask for a job lot price?
May be Dave can throw some light on this!

I know this is a DIY group but i am busy building a new garage which is far
more enjoyable so would rather get someone in to do these mundane jobs.

Thanks for any advice given.

Tom

I have a few jobs that need doing - cutting back some large trees, painting,
hanging a few doors etc. I have got quotes from a few "handymen" in my area
(North Cheshire) that range between £20-£40 per hour plus materials.

My dad's a self-employed handyman and charges £70 per day (based in
Liverpool)

Colin Wilson o.uk
wrote:

I have a few jobs that need doing - cutting back some large trees, painting,
hanging a few doors etc. I have got quotes from a few "handymen" in my area
(North Cheshire) that range between £20-£40 per hour plus materials.

My dad's a self-employed handyman and charges £70 per day (based in
Liverpool)

He is below the minimum wage then.
That isnt a sustainable rate. I know because I used to charge £75 a day.
I lost £3k in my first year, last year I just broke even.
£100 a day has got to be a minimum for a 7 hour working day. I leave
home at 8, and expect to be home for 5. Any less, and you start to
regret doing the job, as you are not making enough to live a life.

Alan.
--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

A.Lee wrote:
Colin Wilson o.uk
wrote:

I have a few jobs that need doing - cutting back some large trees,
painting, hanging a few doors etc. I have got quotes from a few
"handymen" in my area (North Cheshire) that range between £20-£40
per hour plus materials.

My dad's a self-employed handyman and charges £70 per day (based in
Liverpool)

He is below the minimum wage then.

Too right. He would be better off working at McDonalds. Does he have
insurance & pay tax?

That isnt a sustainable rate. I know because I used to charge £75 a
day. I lost £3k in my first year, last year I just broke even.
£100 a day has got to be a minimum for a 7 hour working day. I leave
home at 8, and expect to be home for 5. Any less, and you start to
regret doing the job, as you are not making enough to live a life.

I charge £160 for a full day which I think is cheap (£20 an hour). That
alone won't generate enough to run a business properly, for smaller jobs I
charge the first hour at £45, then £20 an hour, so a couple of 3 hour jobs a
day + mark up on materials generates nearer £200.

I'm currently booked fully till mid July with more work coming in every day,
so I'm looking at putting my prices up a little, I just need to find a way
of presenting it.

Self employed people erroneously belive that being cheap gets them more work
& it does - until you fill the diary. Then your competitive 'edge' is lost
and you are working for peanuts. The world is full of busy fools.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

Tom wrote:
I have a few jobs that need doing - cutting back some large trees,
painting, hanging a few doors etc. I have got quotes from a few
"handymen" in my area (North Cheshire) that range between £20-£40 per
hour plus materials. Is this considered a competitive pricing range
or should i ask for a job lot price? May be Dave can throw some light
on this!

If you asked me for a 'fixed price' to carry out a list of jobs I would
either overquote or turn down the job. I'd only take on a 'list' on an
hourly rate. Otherwise I could loose money sorting out snags that were
unforseen.

£20 an hour is cheap, £40 an hour a little expensive IMO.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:18:42 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

My dad's a self-employed handyman and charges £70 per day (based in
Liverpool)

He is below the minimum wage then.

Only if he is doing over 12hrs/day. The over 22 min. wage is currently
£5.52 set to rise to £5.73 on 1st Oct.

Too right. He would be better off working at McDonalds. Does he have
insurance & pay tax?

In Liverpool?

No offence intended, but if he has any left after paying tax, PLI and
running a car/van and buying replacemnet tools, I suspect this is a "cash
only" rate, even then I reckon you'd be hard pressed to make much profit..

--
Cheers
Dave.

£20 an hour is cheap, £40 an hour a little expensive IMO.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

Well it *is* North Cheshire. Last time I was up there the guy who was
driving said "We've got a footballer's wife behind". I looked back, it was a
brand new lilac Bentley.....

In article et, Dave
Liquorice writes
On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:18:42 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

My dad's a self-employed handyman and charges £70 per day (based in
Liverpool)

He is below the minimum wage then.

Only if he is doing over 12hrs/day. The over 22 min. wage is currently
£5.52 set to rise to £5.73 on 1st Oct.

It was last October it went up to £5.73.
--
fred
BBC3, ITV2/3/4, channels going to the DOGs

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
om...
Tom wrote:
I have a few jobs that need doing - cutting back some large trees,
painting, hanging a few doors etc. I have got quotes from a few
"handymen" in my area (North Cheshire) that range between £20-£40 per
hour plus materials. Is this considered a competitive pricing range
or should i ask for a job lot price? May be Dave can throw some light
on this!

If you asked me for a 'fixed price' to carry out a list of jobs I would
either overquote or turn down the job. I'd only take on a 'list' on an
hourly rate. Otherwise I could loose money sorting out snags that were
unforseen.

£20 an hour is cheap, £40 an hour a little expensive IMO.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

Thanks for the replies, i have a guy starting this afternoon who is charging
me £30 per hour. I think this is a fair price and is probably what i would
want if i were doing the work for someone else. He claims to be paying tax
but is not VAT registered not that it makes much difference to me anyway.

Tom wrote:
I have a few jobs that need doing - cutting back some large trees, painting,
hanging a few doors etc. I have got quotes from a few "handymen" in my area
(North Cheshire) that range between £20-£40 per hour plus materials. Is this
considered a competitive pricing range or should i ask for a job lot price?
May be Dave can throw some light on this!

I know this is a DIY group but i am busy building a new garage which is far
more enjoyable so would rather get someone in to do these mundane jobs.

Thanks for any advice given.

Tom


Perhaps worth checking if they have liability insurance etc,
in case the house catches fire or they fall off a ladder
...

[g]

"george (dicegeorge)" wrote in message
...
Tom wrote:
I have a few jobs that need doing - cutting back some large trees,
painting, hanging a few doors etc. I have got quotes from a few
"handymen" in my area (North Cheshire) that range between £20-£40 per
hour plus materials. Is this considered a competitive pricing range or
should i ask for a job lot price? May be Dave can throw some light on
this!

I know this is a DIY group but i am busy building a new garage which is
far more enjoyable so would rather get someone in to do these mundane
jobs.

Thanks for any advice given.

Tom
Perhaps worth checking if they have liability insurance etc,
in case the house catches fire or they fall off a ladder
..

[g]

I did that, and they have a policy for cover up to £5m. This is for damage,
public liability etc.

Tom

Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:18:42 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

My dad's a self-employed handyman and charges £70 per day (based in
Liverpool)
He is below the minimum wage then.

Only if he is doing over 12hrs/day. The over 22 min. wage is currently
£5.52 set to rise to £5.73 on 1st Oct.

Presumably he's talking about the equivalent of minimum wage once the
overheads and costs of being self-employed are accounted for.

David

On Tue, 9 Jun 2009 12:17:07 +0100, fred wrote:

In article et, Dave
Liquorice writes
On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:18:42 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

My dad's a self-employed handyman and charges £70 per day (based in
Liverpool)

He is below the minimum wage then.

Only if he is doing over 12hrs/day. The over 22 min. wage is currently
£5.52 set to rise to £5.73 on 1st Oct.

It was last October it went up to £5.73.

Eh? I checked... check again, Ah, not that any of the websites that are on
the first page from google are proper from the horses mouth government
pages... but hard to read acurately press releases from organistaions with
an axe to grind.

£5.80 from 1st Oct 2009. Still needs to do 12hrs work to get £70 tho'.

--
Cheers
Dave.

In article et, Dave
Liquorice writes
On Tue, 9 Jun 2009 12:17:07 +0100, fred wrote:

In article et, Dave
Liquorice writes
On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:18:42 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

My dad's a self-employed handyman and charges £70 per day (based in
Liverpool)

He is below the minimum wage then.

Only if he is doing over 12hrs/day. The over 22 min. wage is currently
£5.52 set to rise to £5.73 on 1st Oct.

It was last October it went up to £5.73.

Eh? I checked... check again, Ah, not that any of the websites that are on
the first page from google are proper from the horses mouth government
pages... but hard to read acurately press releases from organistaions with
an axe to grind.

I've started putting 'gov' & 'uk' in my searches for such things these
days, it seems to find the info with fewer of the misinformation sites.

£5.80 from 1st Oct 2009. Still needs to do 12hrs work to get £70 tho'.

Absolutely, MHM's rates seem about right to actually survive in
business.
--
fred
BBC3, ITV2/3/4, channels going to the DOGs

Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Tue, 9 Jun 2009 12:17:07 +0100, fred wrote:

In article et, Dave
Liquorice writes
On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:18:42 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

My dad's a self-employed handyman and charges £70 per day (based in
Liverpool)

He is below the minimum wage then.

Only if he is doing over 12hrs/day. The over 22 min. wage is currently
£5.52 set to rise to £5.73 on 1st Oct.

It was last October it went up to £5.73.

Eh? I checked... check again, Ah, not that any of the websites that are on
the first page from google are proper from the horses mouth government
pages... but hard to read acurately press releases from organistaions with
an axe to grind.

£5.80 from 1st Oct 2009. Still needs to do 12hrs work to get £70 tho'.

But that £70 is not cash in pocket is it.
Insurance, van tax/insurance/MOT/servicing plus originally buying it.
Cost of tools. Cost of clothing (I get through a pair of trousers every
2 weeks or so).
52 week year. Say, 25 days holiday. 5 other days where it is either too
wet/cold/snowy to work, that's down to 46wks x 5days = 230 days. £70 a
day for 230 days = £16100.
Van tax/Insurance/MOT would be £350 min. PLI insurance, £100,Petrol say
£20/wk=£920/yr, servicing a minimum of £50 takes the total down to
£14680.

Add in the capital costs of vehicle renewal every 3 years or so, regular
tool replacement/renewal.
That assumes the lowest possible outgoings, and the maximum income of
£70 a day. In reality, these figures would be hard to achieve.
From my experience, £70 a day would equal around £10k actual income
after expenses/capital costs.

Add in the work in the evenings going out to give estimates and all the
related paperwork of running the business, then the hourly rate will
drop even more, so my view that it is below the minimum wage is looking
right.

Alan.

--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

fred wrote:

I've started putting 'gov' & 'uk' in my searches for such things these
days, it seems to find the info with fewer of the misinformation sites.

If using google, add "site:gov.uk" without the quote marks as a search term.

On Tue, 9 Jun 2009 16:23:10 +0100, fred wrote:

Eh? I checked... check again, Ah, not that any of the websites that are on
the first page from google are proper from the horses mouth government
pages... but hard to read acurately press releases from organistaions with
an axe to grind.

I've started putting 'gov' & 'uk' in my searches for such things these
days, it seems to find the info with fewer of the misinformation sites.

I use this site for a general portal:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm

has links to just about everything, e.g.:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employme.../Pay/index.htm
--
Peter.
The head of a pin will hold more angels if
it's been flattened with an angel-grinder.

On Mon, 8 Jun 2009 23:13:53 +0100, "Tom"
wrote:

I have a few jobs that need doing - cutting back some large trees, painting,
hanging a few doors etc. I have got quotes from a few "handymen" in my area
(North Cheshire) that range between £20-£40 per hour plus materials. Is this
considered a competitive pricing range or should i ask for a job lot price?
May be Dave can throw some light on this!

I know this is a DIY group but i am busy building a new garage which is far
more enjoyable so would rather get someone in to do these mundane jobs.

Thanks for any advice given.

Tom

I live in north Bristol and for £20 per hour or £100 for a day I can
get several people who are reputable jobbing builders who will
undertake anything. They come with vans, tools and equipment as
necessary.

£40 sounds like inner London scams.

In article , Andy
Burns writes
fred wrote:

I've started putting 'gov' & 'uk' in my searches for such things these
days, it seems to find the info with fewer of the misinformation sites.

If using google, add "site:gov.uk" without the quote marks as a search term.

Great tip, thanks.
--
fred
BBC3, ITV2/3/4, channels going to the DOGs

"george (dicegeorge)" wrote in message
...
Tom wrote:
I have a few jobs that need doing - cutting back some large trees,
painting, hanging a few doors etc. I have got quotes from a few
"handymen" in my area (North Cheshire) that range between £20-£40 per
hour plus materials. Is this considered a competitive pricing range or
should i ask for a job lot price? May be Dave can throw some light on
this!

I know this is a DIY group but i am busy building a new garage which is
far more enjoyable so would rather get someone in to do these mundane
jobs.

Thanks for any advice given.

Tom
Perhaps worth checking if they have liability insurance etc,
in case the house catches fire or they fall off a ladder
..

[g]


If you employ a handyman to work at your house and he then falls off a
ladder why should it be your problem?


Adam

EricP wrote:
On Mon, 8 Jun 2009 23:13:53 +0100, "Tom"
wrote:

I have a few jobs that need doing - cutting back some large trees,
painting, hanging a few doors etc. I have got quotes from a few
"handymen" in my area (North Cheshire) that range between £20-£40
per hour plus materials. Is this considered a competitive pricing
range or should i ask for a job lot price? May be Dave can throw
some light on this!

I know this is a DIY group but i am busy building a new garage which
is far more enjoyable so would rather get someone in to do these
mundane jobs.

Thanks for any advice given.

Tom

I live in north Bristol and for £20 per hour or £100 for a day I can
get several people who are reputable jobbing builders who will
undertake anything. They come with vans, tools and equipment as
necessary.

£40 sounds like inner London scams.

Charging a realistic rate in order to run a business properly & pay your
taxes isn't a scam.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

ARWadsworth wrote:
"george (dicegeorge)" wrote in message
...
Tom wrote:
I have a few jobs that need doing - cutting back some large trees,
painting, hanging a few doors etc. I have got quotes from a few
"handymen" in my area (North Cheshire) that range between £20-£40 per
hour plus materials. Is this considered a competitive pricing range or
should i ask for a job lot price? May be Dave can throw some light on
this!

I know this is a DIY group but i am busy building a new garage which is
far more enjoyable so would rather get someone in to do these mundane
jobs.

Perhaps worth checking if they have liability insurance etc,
in case the house catches fire or they fall off a ladder

If you employ a handyman to work at your house and he then falls off a
ladder why should it be your problem?

Well if he and the ladder land on the tarmac and he breaks his neck, no
problem at all: however, what happens if he decides to cushion his fall
by landing on the roof of my new Lamborghini? Or on SWMBO?

David

On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:01:09 +0100, Lobster wrote:

ARWadsworth wrote:
"george (dicegeorge)" wrote in message

Perhaps worth checking if they have liability insurance etc, in case
the house catches fire or they fall off a ladder

If you employ a handyman to work at your house and he then falls off a
ladder why should it be your problem?

Well if he and the ladder land on the tarmac and he breaks his neck, no
problem at all: however, what happens if he decides to cushion his fall
by landing on the roof of my new Lamborghini? Or on SWMBO?


(a) bad (b) good

PCPaul wrote:
On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:01:09 +0100, Lobster wrote:

ARWadsworth wrote:
"george (dicegeorge)" wrote in message

Perhaps worth checking if they have liability insurance etc, in case
the house catches fire or they fall off a ladder
If you employ a handyman to work at your house and he then falls off a
ladder why should it be your problem?
Well if he and the ladder land on the tarmac and he breaks his neck, no
problem at all: however, what happens if he decides to cushion his fall
by landing on the roof of my new Lamborghini? Or on SWMBO?


(a) bad (b) good

How about on SWMBO's Lamborghini then?

Lobster coughed up some electrons that declared:

PCPaul wrote:
On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:01:09 +0100, Lobster wrote:

ARWadsworth wrote:
"george (dicegeorge)" wrote in message

Perhaps worth checking if they have liability insurance etc, in case
the house catches fire or they fall off a ladder
If you employ a handyman to work at your house and he then falls off a
ladder why should it be your problem?
Well if he and the ladder land on the tarmac and he breaks his neck, no
problem at all: however, what happens if he decides to cushion his fall
by landing on the roof of my new Lamborghini? Or on SWMBO?


(a) bad (b) good

How about on SWMBO's Lamborghini then?

Then he'll need his insurance to cover testicular reattachment surgery I
would have thought...

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
m...


£40 sounds like inner London scams.

Charging a realistic rate in order to run a business properly & pay your
taxes isn't a scam.

Charging £40 ph (about £60k pa) and not being VAT registered like someone
said earlier in the thread sounds like a scam though.

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
PCPaul wrote:
On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:01:09 +0100, Lobster wrote:

ARWadsworth wrote:
"george (dicegeorge)" wrote in message

Perhaps worth checking if they have liability insurance etc, in case
the house catches fire or they fall off a ladder
If you employ a handyman to work at your house and he then falls off a
ladder why should it be your problem?
Well if he and the ladder land on the tarmac and he breaks his neck, no
problem at all: however, what happens if he decides to cushion his fall
by landing on the roof of my new Lamborghini? Or on SWMBO?


(a) bad (b) good

How about on SWMBO's Lamborghini then?


I do not have a SWHBO or a Lamborghini.

Adam

On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:50:36 +0000, ARWadsworth wrote:

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
PCPaul wrote:
On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:01:09 +0100, Lobster wrote:

ARWadsworth wrote:
"george (dicegeorge)" wrote in message

Perhaps worth checking if they have liability insurance etc, in
case the house catches fire or they fall off a ladder
If you employ a handyman to work at your house and he then falls off
a ladder why should it be your problem?
Well if he and the ladder land on the tarmac and he breaks his neck,
no problem at all: however, what happens if he decides to cushion his
fall by landing on the roof of my new Lamborghini? Or on SWMBO?


(a) bad (b) good

How about on SWMBO's Lamborghini then?

I do not have a SWHBO or a Lamborghini.

Well in that case you are clearly going to be sued for negligence by the
handyman when he lands on the drive.

Have you no conscience?

Charging £40 ph (about £60k pa) and not being VAT registered like
someone said earlier in the thread sounds like a scam though.

How so when the VAT registration threshold is currently £68,000 (see eg
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/start/reg...register.htm)?
--
R

On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:50:36 +0000, ARWadsworth wrote:

I do not have a SWHBO or a Lamborghini.

Not charging enough ;-)



--
John Stumbles -- http://yaph.co.uk

Procrastinate now!

dennis@home wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message m...


£40 sounds like inner London scams.

Charging a realistic rate in order to run a business properly & pay
your taxes isn't a scam.

Charging £40 ph (about £60k pa) and not being VAT registered like
someone said earlier in the thread sounds like a scam though.

Threshold is £68k AFAIK. Realistically £40 per hour would prolly come under
that.



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

neverwas wrote:
Charging £40 ph (about £60k pa) and not being VAT registered like
someone said earlier in the thread sounds like a scam though.

How so when the VAT registration threshold is currently £68,000 (see
eg http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/start/reg...register.htm)?

Because charging £40 per hour isn't the same as billing £40 per hour.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
om...
neverwas wrote:
Charging £40 ph (about £60k pa) and not being VAT registered like
someone said earlier in the thread sounds like a scam though.

How so when the VAT registration threshold is currently £68,000 (see
eg http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/start/reg...register.htm)?

Because charging £40 per hour isn't the same as billing £40 per hour.

It is if no materials are charged for, however that is just another scam.

Too right. He would be better off working at McDonalds. Does he have
insurance & pay tax?

AFAIK he's completely legit - and even at his prices he's having
problems finding work at the moment.

He gets a lot of repeat trade and word of mouth recommendations, but
with money being tight everywhere, it's not an easy way to make a
living right now...

Colin Wilson wrote:
Too right. He would be better off working at McDonalds. Does he
have insurance & pay tax?

AFAIK he's completely legit - and even at his prices he's having
problems finding work at the moment.

He gets a lot of repeat trade and word of mouth recommendations, but
with money being tight everywhere, it's not an easy way to make a
living right now...

I'd disagree. I'm fully booked until the 16 July at the moment and have new
jobs coming in every day. At prices more than double what he is charging.

Marketing is the key.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

dennis@home wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message om...
neverwas wrote:
Charging £40 ph (about £60k pa) and not being VAT registered like
someone said earlier in the thread sounds like a scam though.

How so when the VAT registration threshold is currently £68,000 (see
eg http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/start/reg...register.htm)?

Because charging £40 per hour isn't the same as billing £40 per hour.

It is if no materials are charged for, however that is just another
scam.

WTF are you on about now?

If you 'charge' £40 per hour you can't earn £1600 for a 40 hour week trust
me. What with travel, picking up materials etc you can actually bill your
customers for about 30 hours in a 40 hour week. That would be £1200 or £62K
a year for 52 weeks. Given holidays & bank holidays, time taken to visit
acountants etc you can reduce that to £57K.

You can mark up some materials but not all. People are very aware or the
cost of fence panels, laminate flooring etc & the majority buy the items for
you to fit.

You can earn a good living doing this, if you do it properly, but you aint
ever gonna drive a roller.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

In article ,
Lobster wrote:

Well if he and the ladder land on the tarmac and he breaks his neck, no
problem at all: however, what happens if he decides to cushion his fall
by landing on the roof of my new Lamborghini? Or on SWMBO?


Nothing you couldn't knock the dent out of, and then with a bit of Tcut
and some buffing it'd be as good as new.

The lambo would be harder to fix though :-/

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
m...
dennis@home wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message om...
neverwas wrote:
Charging £40 ph (about £60k pa) and not being VAT registered like
someone said earlier in the thread sounds like a scam though.

How so when the VAT registration threshold is currently £68,000 (see
eg http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/start/reg...register.htm)?

Because charging £40 per hour isn't the same as billing £40 per hour.

It is if no materials are charged for, however that is just another
scam.

WTF are you on about now?

Not being very bright then?


If you 'charge' £40 per hour you can't earn £1600 for a 40 hour week trust
me. What with travel, picking up materials etc you can actually bill your
customers for about 30 hours in a 40 hour week. That would be £1200 or
£62K a year for 52 weeks. Given holidays & bank holidays, time taken to
visit acountants etc you can reduce that to £57K.

You can mark up some materials but not all. People are very aware or the
cost of fence panels, laminate flooring etc & the majority buy the items
for you to fit.

But do you add them to the turnover so you (may) exceed the VAT threshold or
do you scam by making the customer buy the goods?

dennis@home wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message m...
dennis@home wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message om...
neverwas wrote:
Charging £40 ph (about £60k pa) and not being VAT registered like
someone said earlier in the thread sounds like a scam though.

How so when the VAT registration threshold is currently £68,000
(see eg
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/start/reg...register.htm)?

Because charging £40 per hour isn't the same as billing £40 per
hour.

It is if no materials are charged for, however that is just another
scam.

WTF are you on about now?

Not being very bright then?


If you 'charge' £40 per hour you can't earn £1600 for a 40 hour week
trust me. What with travel, picking up materials etc you can
actually bill your customers for about 30 hours in a 40 hour week.
That would be £1200 or £62K a year for 52 weeks. Given holidays &
bank holidays, time taken to visit acountants etc you can reduce
that to £57K. You can mark up some materials but not all. People are
very aware
or the cost of fence panels, laminate flooring etc & the majority
buy the items for you to fit.

But do you add them to the turnover so you (may) exceed the VAT
threshold or do you scam by making the customer buy the goods?

If I can make a decent mark up on the materials e.g. decking then I buy it,
so its added to my turnover. If I can't earn a decent mark up e.g. cheap
laminate flooring then I tell the customer to buy it. No point in adding to
my turnover without a margin.

If its a part I carry on the van e.g a toilet siphon, I sell it on with a
mark up. Very often the client will have already bought the item e.g.
flatpack.

What I fail to see is any scam, just business sense.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

But do you add them to the turnover so you (may) exceed the VAT
threshold or do you scam by making the customer buy the goods?

You are right about turnover if the materials are the handyman's and he
then sells them to the customer. But a perfectly legitimate way to
avoid crossing the threshold is to get the customer to buy the materials
(albeit possibly with the handyman acting as agent). Clearly that would
not be practicable for small items the handyman carries and uses day by
day such as the odd screw or length of cable. But even just £8,000
covers a lot of such things.

Why do you say that is a scam? Are you thinking of the handyman
concealing from the customer his commission from the merchant?
--
R