Charging Peanuts? The Real Rates UK Side Hustlers Should Be Asking For in 2025

Here's a hard truth to start your week: the average UK dog walker charges less per hour than a delivery driver on a decent Friday night. We pulled together rates from across the country — classified ads, local Facebook groups, marketplace listings, and a good old-fashioned ring-round — and the pattern is impossible to ignore.

Brits are undercharging. Badly.

Not because the work isn't worth it. Because nobody told them what the going rate actually is.

The Numbers Nobody Shows You

Let's start with what people are charging versus what the market will bear. We looked at five common hustles across four regions:

Dog walking. In Leeds, the typical rate hovers around £10–12 per walk. In London postcodes, £15–18 is standard, and experienced walkers with insurance and reviews charge £20+. The gap between the bottom and top of the market? Nearly double. Same dog. Same park. Same hour.

Furniture flipping. Glasgow's Gumtree flippers are buying solid pine dresser units for £30–50 and shifting them for £150–250 after a weekend of sanding and paint. But plenty are listing at £90 out of fear the item will sit. It won't. Well-staged furniture on Marketplace sells in days at proper prices.

Cleaning. Domestic cleaning in Bristol runs £15–18/hour through agencies. Solo cleaners charging £10 are doing agency work at half the rate and keeping all the risk.

Tutoring. Manchester tutors with a DBS certificate and a specialism charge £30–40/hour. The ones charging £15 are usually qualified to charge more and simply haven't checked what the market pays.

Handyman jobs. Flat-pack assembly in Birmingham goes for £25–40 per item. People are doing it for a tenner and a cuppa.

Why You're Charging 2019 Prices

Three reasons, and none of them are good ones.

One: you set your price based on what feels polite. Politeness is a terrible pricing strategy. Your costs went up. Your time didn't get cheaper. The customer across town is paying double for the same service.

Two: you never reprice. The rate you set in 2022 when you were grateful for any booking is the rate you're still charging. Meanwhile, everything else moved on.

Three: you're comparing yourself to the wrong people. The cheapest listing on the local Facebook group is not your benchmark. It's the floor, and floors are for standing on, not building on.

The Region-by-Region Reality Check

Broad brush, but useful:

• London and the South East: Add 25–40% to any national average you see. If you're charging the 'UK average' in Zone 2, you're subsidising your clients.
• Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Glasgow, Edinburgh: Solid mid-to-upper market. £15–25/hour is entirely normal for skilled personal services.
• Smaller towns and rural areas: Rates are lower, but so is competition — and travel time is real. Charge for it. A £12 job that's a 40-minute round trip is not a £12 job.

The Script: Raising Prices Without Losing the Lot

Right. You're undercharging. Here's how to fix it without a stampede of lost customers.

For new customers — just change the number. New enquiries get the new rate. No explanation needed. 'It's £18 an hour' said confidently is worth more than £14 said apologetically.

For existing customers — give notice and a reason. Try this:

'Hi [Name], a quick heads-up — from [date], my rate for [service] will be going from £X to £Y. It's the first increase in [time] and reflects [rising costs / the standard rate locally]. Really appreciate your loyalty — the new rate's still below what most [service providers] round here charge. Let me know if you've any questions.'

That's it. Honest, brief, and it gives them a reason without grovelling.

Expect some churn. You'll lose the 10–15% who were only with you because you were cheap. Good. Those customers cost you money. The rest will stay — research on service pricing consistently shows most clients tolerate a modest, well-communicated increase rather than go through the hassle of finding someone new.

Then put a review date in your calendar. Every six months, look at your rate. Not because you're greedy — because standing still is a pay cut.

The Graft Takeaway

Nobody hands you a raise in the side hustle world. There's no annual review, no pay scale, no union rep. The only person who'll ever notice you're undercharging is you — and the only person who can fix it is you too.

Check your rate this week. Look at three competitors in your area. If you're the cheapest, you're not winning — you're losing.

Graft hard. Charge properly.