How to become a self-employed electrician in the UK

1. Get qualified

Electrical work is dangerous, and customers and insurers expect proper training. The usual routes are an electrical apprenticeship or a Level 3 electrotechnical qualification backed by assessed experience on site, plus a current qualification in the national wiring regulations (BS 7671).

The National Careers Service electrician profile lists the current routes. If you are changing career, check carefully what any course actually leads to — short courses alone rarely make someone ready to work unsupervised.

2. Understand Part P and notifiable work

In England, electrical work in homes falls under Part P of the Building Regulations. Some work is notifiable — broadly, installing a new circuit, replacing a consumer unit, or certain work in bathrooms and other special locations. Notifiable work must either be done by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme, or be notified to local building control before it starts.

Smaller jobs — such as replacing a socket or light fitting like for like — are generally not notifiable, but they must still be done safely and to the wiring regulations. The official guidance is in Approved Document P. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules, so check where you work.

3. Join a competent person scheme

Joining a government-authorised scheme lets you self-certify notifiable work: you issue the certificate, the scheme notifies building control, and the customer receives a Building Regulations compliance certificate. Without it, every notifiable job means going through building control yourself, which is slower and costs the customer more.

Schemes assess your competence and inspect samples of your work, and charge an annual fee. Compare the authorised schemes listed on gov.uk — check the current fees and requirements directly with each one.

4. Register as self-employed with HMRC

Most electricians start as a sole trader and register for Self Assessment by 5 October after the end of the tax year they started. Test equipment, van costs, scheme fees and insurance are usually allowable expenses. See self-employed tax in the UK.

5. Get insurance

• Public liability — not legally required for a sole trader, but customers and most competent person schemes expect it
• Professional indemnity — worth considering if you design installations or carry out inspections and testing
• Tools and equipment cover — test kit is expensive to replace
• Employers’ liability — a legal requirement once you employ anyone

6. Set your prices

Many electricians charge a day rate for installation work and fixed prices for common jobs such as fitting a light or adding a socket. Fixed prices are easier for customers to say yes to. Remember to cover certification time, materials runs and your scheme fees.

The earnings calculator shows what you keep from a job after fees.

7. Find work

• Landlords and letting agents — in England, private landlords must have electrical installations inspected and tested at least every five years under the electrical safety standards, which creates regular work
• Referrals and reviews — trust matters more in electrics than almost any trade
• Builders and kitchen or bathroom fitters — they need an electrician they can rely on
• List on Holler — listing is free with no lead or subscription fees. Holler is opening area by area and customer bookings start with cleaning, so you can set up your profile ahead of time.

Questions people ask

Keep reading