Free tool

Security guard charge rate calculator

From the guard's pay to a charge rate you can quote: every employment cost, your overheads and margin, per hour and per week.

Charge rate per hour£23.76
True cost per hour£16.63
Gross profit per hour£4.75
Weekly contract value£3,991.68
Employer NI per hour£1.65
Pension per hour£0.32
Holiday per hour£1.57
Licence and kit per hour£0.10

Covering 168 hours a week needs about 3.5 guards at 48 hours each, before sickness and holiday cover. Yearly contract value: £207,567.12.

What it includes

Employer National Insurance at 15% above £96 a week, workplace pension at your chosen rate on earnings above £120 a week, holiday at 12.07% for irregular hours, the SIA licence (£204 over three years) and uniform spread over a year's hours, then your overheads and margin as a share of the charge rate. The minimum wage for 21 and over is £12.71.

Using it for a tender

Enter the hours the contract needs each week and how many hours each guard works. The calculator shows the weekly and yearly contract value and the gross profit. Read how to price security contracts for what else to allow for.

This tool gives an estimate based on UK rules as of October 2026. It isn't legal or tax advice.

Related

Security Guard Scheduling Software UKRead more How to Price Security Guard Contracts in the UKRead more Security Invoice Generator UKRead more

Run your guarding from one screen.

Rota, check-ins, timesheets and invoices for UK security companies. Your guards use the free Shiftaan app.

Try the demo companySee how it works
No card. The demo has sample guards, clients and sites.