Enter your target income, hours available and overheads — see the honest hourly rate you need to charge to actually make a living. Most bakers charge less than half of this. Don't be one of them.
Real per-hour rates from around the UK cake circuit. Note these are charged rates — take-home after overheads and non-billable time is usually 40–60% of these numbers.
| Baker type | Typical charge / hr | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Absolute beginner, hobby-priced | £8–£12 | Below National Living Wage — actively losing money. |
| Starter home baker, first year | £15–£18 | Sustainable if overheads are low. |
| Established home baker, some regulars | £18–£25 | The typical sweet spot after 1–2 years. |
| Semi-pro, full order book, wedding cakes | £25–£35 | Reflects skill, reputation and time value. |
| Boutique / celebrity cake maker | £40–£75 | Long lead times, waitlist, gallery-worthy work. |
UK 2026 ranges: £15–£18/hr for starter home bakers, £18–£25/hr for established ones with a following, £25–£35/hr for semi-pros with wedding cakes and full order books. Anything under £12.21/hr is below the National Living Wage — you are losing money by working.
Because self-employed bakers only bill for a fraction of the hours they work — the rest is shopping, admin, client replies, cleaning, travel, marketing. Overheads (insurance, packaging, utilities) also come out of that rate. To take home £15/hr you typically need to charge £22–£30/hr on billable time.
Once you know your charge-out rate, plug it into a quote: track how many hours each cake truly takes (including client chats and shopping), multiply by your rate, and that's your labour figure. Add ingredients, overheads and margin — that's your quote. Our pricing calculator does this for you.
Some won't. That's fine — they were never going to be profitable customers. Raise your prices to your correct rate and you lose the wrong customers and keep (or attract) the right ones. Every hour of underpaid work is an hour of your life you subsidise a stranger's party with.
Yes — if you're self-employed in the UK and earn over £1,000/year, you must register for Self Assessment. Class 4 National Insurance is 6% on profits over the threshold (2026 rules), and income tax is 20% on profits above the personal allowance. Factor that in when setting your take-home income target above.
QuoteBake stores your hourly rate and applies it to every cake automatically. Free for 5 quotes.
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