What does a typical electrician earn?
Take the whole UK and the middle half of electricians earn between £33,100 and £51,300 a year. The median sits at about £41,800. That covers employed electricians across domestic, commercial, industrial and maintenance work, and it includes overtime and shift money that people actually got paid. So it runs higher than a flat 37.5-hour week at the JIB rate.
Where you work changes the figure. London has the highest median at about £45,600, followed by the East, the South East and Scotland at around £43,600 to £43,900. Wales and the South West come lowest, at about £39,200 to £39,700. The spread inside each region is wider than the gap between regions, so your grade, sector and hours count for more than your postcode.
What are the JIB hourly rates?
The Joint Industry Board sets national rates for electrical contracting in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. From Monday 5 January 2026, a JIB Electrician on Job Employed (Transport Provided) gets £18.38 an hour. An Approved Electrician gets £20.08 and a Site or Installation Technician gets £22.70. If you get yourself to site, the Own Transport rates are higher: £19.54, £21.19 and £23.87.
Inside the M25 the London Rate applies. That's £20.58 an hour for an Electrician with transport provided. These rates go up again on 4 January 2027, when the Electrician rate becomes £19.23. The agreement runs to 2028, with a 4.85% rise for graded operatives agreed for January 2028. Lots of employers pay above JIB, but the JIB rate is the floor on JIB-registered firms.
How do overtime, shifts and travel add up?
Under JIB rules the first 37.5 hours from Monday to Friday are paid at the normal rate. Anything above that is time-and-a-half. On Saturday, hours past the first six, or anything after 3pm, whichever comes first, are paid at double time until normal start on Monday. Day workers also get time-and-a-half for hours worked before 7am or after 7pm. Permanent nights are paid at time and one-third.
If you're called out after hours you get a £20 allowance on top of the hourly pay. On jobs 15 miles or more from the shop you get a mileage rate or allowance. Lodging jobs pay a nightly allowance. An Approved Electrician who supervises other operatives also gets responsibility money of 50p to £2 an hour. Regular overtime and away work are the usual reasons why site electricians earn well above the base rate.
Employed or self-employed?
Employed electricians get the hourly rate plus holiday pay, a pension and, on JIB terms, sick pay on top of Statutory Sick Pay. From January 2028 that rises to £200 a week for an Electrician in weeks 3 to 24. Self-employed electricians have no set rate. You price the job yourself, and out of that you pay for your van, tools, insurance, scheme fees, holidays and the days you can't work.
Being self-employed can pay more than employment, but your income goes up and down with how much work comes in and how well you price it. Before you go it alone, add up a year's costs and unpaid days and compare the result with the employed figures above. The National Careers Service lists self-employment as one of the normal ways to progress once you're qualified.
Pay
GBP a year, before tax. Refer to the Electricians salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- Your JIB gradeOn JIB terms your hourly rate is set by your grade, from Electrical Improver up through Electrician and Approved Electrician to Technician. Moving up a grade is the most direct way to raise your base pay.
- Transport arrangementJIB pays a higher hourly rate if you use your own transport to get to site rather than travelling in the employer's vehicle. For an Electrician that's £19.54 against £18.38.
- Where the job isWork inside the M25, or working out of a London-based shop, attracts the JIB London Rate. Outside JIB, regional pay also varies, and London and the South East pay most.
- Hours outside the standard weekOvertime, weekend work, shifts and call-outs all pay premiums under JIB rules. How much of that work you take on makes a big difference to what you earn in a year.
Across the UK
| London Zone (inside the M25) | JIB London Rates apply to jobs within the M25. An Electrician gets £20.58 an hour with transport provided and £21.89 with own transport from 5 January 2026. |
|---|---|
| Rest of England, Wales and Northern Ireland | The JIB National Standard Rates apply. An Electrician gets £18.38 an hour with transport provided and £19.54 with own transport from 5 January 2026. |
How to get there
- Years 1 to 4ApprenticeThe JIB At Work rate runs from £8.16 an hour at Stage 1 up to £14.03 at Stage 4. Apprentice rates go up by 2% in January 2027.
- While completingTrainee or Electrical ImproverA Stage 2 trainee or Electrical Improver gets £16.54 an hour, and a Stage 3 trainee or ECS Experienced Worker cardholder gets £17.51, with transport provided.
- Once gradedElectrician£18.38 an hour nationally, or £20.58 in the London Zone. That's about £35,841 for a standard 37.5-hour year before overtime.
- With experienceApproved Electrician£20.08 an hour, about £39,156 a year at standard hours, plus 50p to £2 an hour responsibility money when you supervise other operatives.
- Senior gradeTechnician£22.70 an hour, about £44,265 a year at standard hours. Electricians who move into supervision, testing, design or self-employment can earn more than this.
Open now on ElectricalRoles.co.uk
Questions people ask
What is the JIB hourly rate for an electrician in 2026?
From 5 January 2026 the JIB National Standard Rate for an Electrician is £18.38 an hour on Job Employed (Transport Provided) and £19.54 with own transport. In the London Zone it's £20.58 and £21.89.
How much does an electrician earn a year in the UK?
The middle half of UK electricians earn £33,100 to £51,300 a year, and the median is about £41,800. These figures are modelled from ONS earnings data and include overtime that people were paid.
Do electricians get paid overtime?
On JIB terms, hours above 37.5 from Monday to Friday are paid at time-and-a-half. Saturday hours after the first six, or after 3pm, are paid at double time through to Monday morning, and so is Sunday.
Will the JIB rate go up in 2027?
Yes. From 4 January 2027 the JIB Electrician rate goes up to £19.23 an hour and the Approved Electrician rate to £21.00, with transport provided. A further 4.85% rise for graded operatives is agreed for January 2028.
Where do electricians earn the most in the UK?
London has the highest median at about £45,600, ahead of the East, the South East and Scotland. Wales and the South West have the lowest medians, at roughly £39,200 to £39,700.
What does an electrician earn when they start out?
The National Careers Service gives about £26,000 for a starter and £45,000 for an experienced electrician. Under JIB a newly graded Electrician gets £18.38 an hour, which is about £35,841 for a standard year.
