Pricing guide
PAT testing price calculator: how much to charge
Build a PAT testing quote from your per-item rate and minimum visit fee, see how long the job takes, and what it really earns per hour once travel, setup and the register are counted.
Ex VAT. The minimum fee covers the first batch of items and the rest are charged per item, which is how most testers price small jobs. Guide only: your rates are your business.
How to price PAT testing so it pays
PAT testing is priced per item, but it is earned per visit. The van, the travel, setting up the tester and writing the register cost the same whether there are eight appliances or eighty, so a pure per-item price on a small job never covers the morning. The fix every established tester uses is a minimum visit fee that absorbs the first twenty or thirty items, with a per-item rate above that. This calculator prices the job that way and then shows you the number that matters, what the visit earns per hour of your day.
Setting the minimum fee
Start from your day rate. If a day is worth £300 to you, an hour is £40 and a small PAT job takes about an hour and a half door to door once the register is done, so the minimum wants to be £60 or more. Below that you are subsidising the customer's convenience. Most UK testers sit between £50 and £90 for the minimum, higher in London.
Setting the per-item rate
Market rates in 2026 run from about £1 to £3 per appliance, falling as the count rises. A mixed office runs at around three minutes an item including the label and the register entry, so £1.50 an item is £30 an hour of testing time before you count travel. IT kit with simple leads is quicker; a workshop with fixed equipment and awkward access is slower. Set the rate from the minutes, not from what the competitor down the road charges.
What to include in the quote
- Visual inspection and the electrical tests for each item's class, with a pass or fail label
- The register, with retest dates the customer can plan around
- Minor repairs at the tester's discretion: a fuse or a plug, charged at cost or included up to a limit
- A clear price for items beyond the estimate, so a cupboard full of chargers is not an argument
Where the margin is
Volume and routing. Two 40-item jobs on the same street beat one 80-item job across town. The register you hand over on the day is also the sales tool for next year, because it carries the retest dates, and a customer who is reminded in good time rebooks without shopping around. That repeat loop is what SparkCerts is built for: the certificate or register goes out signed the same day, the retest lands on your list when it falls due, and the invoice follows the job. For what customers expect to pay, see PAT testing prices in 2026; for your rates on other work, the electrician rates guide.
FAQs
How much should I charge for PAT testing?
Most UK testers charge a minimum visit fee of 50 to 90 pounds that covers the first 20 to 30 appliances, then 1 to 3 pounds per item above that, with the per-item rate falling on large sites. Set the minimum from your day rate so a small job still covers the visit.
What is a fair minimum fee for a PAT test?
Enough to cover the visit: travel, setting up the calibrated tester and writing the register, which is about an hour to an hour and a half. At a 300 pound day rate that is 60 pounds or more.
How long does PAT testing take per item?
About two minutes for IT equipment with simple leads, three for a mixed office, and four or more in a workshop with fixed equipment and awkward access. Add 30 to 60 minutes per visit for travel, setup and the register.
Do you need to be an electrician to do PAT testing?
No. The law requires a competent person: someone trained to use the tester and interpret the results, with the equipment calibrated. Many electricians offer it alongside inspection work because the same customers need both.