What to charge / Locksmiths · Checked 29 September 2026
Locksmith call-out charges and prices: what to charge in 2026
A locksmith’s call-out charge in the UK is usually £50 to £150 out of hours, with an average of £100, according to Checkatrade, and it comes on top of the hourly rate. Many locksmiths charge no call-out fee and bill by the hour instead, says the Master Locksmiths Association (MLA), from around £85 an hour in the day. Checkatrade’s daytime figure is about £65 an hour. Getting a customer back into their home is typically £90 to £130, and prices climb after 6pm and again after midnight. Below are lockout and lock change prices, London rates, what the business costs to run, and a calculator for your own rate.
Rates
Typical locksmith rates in the UK
| Rate | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| An hour, 8am to 6pm, Checkatrade | £65 [1] | Typical daytime rate. Checkatrade does not say whether VAT is included. |
| An hour, MLA guide | from £85 [2][3] | A starting point. The MLA’s example ladder for a locksmith with no call-out fee is £85 before 6pm, £95 after 6pm, £103 from 8pm to midnight and £153 after midnight. |
| To get someone back in | £90 to £130 [1][2] | Checkatrade, average £110. The MLA says from £90. |
| Out-of-hours call-out fee, Checkatrade | £50 to £150 [1] | Average £100, charged on top of an out-of-hours rate of £80 to £200 an hour (average £140). Parts extra. |
| An hour, daytime, Fantastic Services | £65 to £95 [4] | Including VAT. Out of hours rises to about £110 to £130 an hour. |
| An hour, midnight to 6am, Checkatrade | £120 [1] | Against £75 from 6am to 8am and 6pm to 8pm, and £85 from 8pm to midnight. |
Where you work changes the rate
- London, MLA: typically around 20 to 25% above its national estimates. Labour from £95 an hour, and from £122 an hour out of hours, rising to £153 after midnight. [2]
- London and the South East, Fantastic Services: roughly 20 to 30% more: a lockout goes from £60 to £150 up to £90 to £220, and an emergency call-out from £80 to £200 up to £120 to £250, including VAT. [5][4]
- City averages, Checkatrade: London £163.47, Leeds £149.32, Glasgow £142.14, Sheffield £135.22, Exeter £102.54 and Edinburgh £100 as average locksmith prices. [1]
Job prices
What common locksmith jobs cost
What customers are typically quoted, from published UK price guides. Use them as a check on your own quotes, not a fixed price list.
| Job | Typical price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Regain entry to a property | £90 to £130 [1] | Checkatrade, average £110 |
| Locked out, non-destructive entry | £60 to £120 [4] | Fantastic Services, labour only, standard hours outside London. £100 to £180 out of hours |
| Remove a broken key | £80 to £100 [1] | Checkatrade, labour only, cylinder not replaced |
| Change a Yale lock | £90 to £120 [1] | Checkatrade, labour and parts, standard hours |
| Rim cylinder replacement | £70 to £80 [1] | Checkatrade, labour and parts |
| Change a standard uPVC lock | £100 to £150 [1][2] | Checkatrade, labour and parts. The MLA gives from £105 including VAT for a standard euro cylinder |
| Change an anti-snap uPVC lock | £125 to £175 [1][2] | Checkatrade, labour and parts. The MLA gives from £137 including VAT |
| Replace a mortice lock | £115 to £165 [1][2] | Checkatrade, labour and parts. The MLA gives from £148 including VAT |
| Repair a uPVC door gearbox | from £85 [2] | MLA, including VAT. It notes replacing may be cheaper than repairing |
| Change all locks, 2 outside doors and windows | £400 to £600 [1] | Checkatrade, labour and parts, average £500 |
| Emergency lock change | £130 to £280 [4] | Fantastic Services, including parts and VAT. £180 to £360 in London and the South East |
| Break-in or burglary repair | £150 to £350 or more [4] | Fantastic Services, including VAT. £200 to £450 or more in London and the South East |
| Emergency boarding up | around £200 [1] | Checkatrade |
Checkatrade’s prices are for standard hours and do not say whether VAT is included. The MLA’s "from" prices are starting points that include VAT, not full ranges. Fantastic Services’ emergency prices include VAT.
Your numbers
Work out your own hourly rate
Start from what you want to earn, add what the business costs to run, and divide by the hours you can actually charge for. Travel, quoting, paperwork and chasing payments are not chargeable hours, so be honest about them.
The starting numbers are examples, not a recommendation. Change them to match your year. The result is before income tax and National Insurance, and before VAT if you are registered.
Before you set a price
Costs your rate has to cover
- Locks and cylinders: a basic uPVC cylinder starts from £27 without labour, according to the MLA. On an emergency job Fantastic Services puts the cylinder at typically £20 to £80. [2][4]
- Public liability insurance: the cheapest 10% of Simply Business locksmith customers paid £77.06 or less a year between October 2025 and March 2026. Admiral quotes the equivalent of £72.80 a year (£6.07 a month) for a single locksmith with £1 million cover. [6][7]
- Why cover matters: the average locksmith claim through Simply Business was £3,035 in the last year, based on 5 successful claims. [6]
- Training: MLA course prices including VAT: 5-day beginners course £1,653.15 for members or £1,812.80 for non-members, 2-day foundation course £638.60 or £705.55, and 1-day uPVC course £375.95 or £406.85. [8]
- MLA membership: in its April 2024 membership pack, the MLA listed £117 a year for a new registered member, plus a £56.40 registration fee and £31 for a DBS check. A Qualified Master Locksmith paid £100.80 a year. These may have changed since. [9]
- VAT: compulsory once taxable turnover in the last 12 months goes over £90,000. [10]
What the job pays elsewhere
- Employed locksmith pay: £23,000 as a starter to £30,000 with experience, on 42 to 44 hours a week including evenings, weekends and bank holidays, according to the National Careers Service. [11]
Pricing well
How to price your work as a locksmith
Give the whole price on the phone
Someone locked out at night is stressed and wary of a price that grows once you arrive. Tell them your call-out or first-hour charge, your hourly rate after that, and what a new cylinder costs if one is needed. Being upfront wins the job and keeps you clear of disputes on the doorstep.
Use a fixed price for lockouts
Most non-destructive entries are quick. A single fixed price for getting someone back in, in line with the £90 to £130 Checkatrade reports, is easier to accept than an open hourly rate and stops the customer watching the clock.
Set out your out-of-hours rates in bands
Checkatrade and the MLA both show prices rising in steps after 6pm, after 8pm and after midnight. Publish your own bands so a caller knows before you set off. Fantastic Services says out-of-hours attendance adds roughly £40 to £90 to the same job, so price your nights to cover the lost sleep.
Show parts and labour separately
List the cylinder or lock as its own line with its brand and security rating. When you suggest an anti-snap upgrade, explain what it protects against and show the price difference, so it reads as advice rather than an upsell.
Make your MLA membership visible
Customers searching at night have no way to judge a stranger. Membership of the Master Locksmiths Association is something they can look up and check. Mention it on your van, your website and when you answer the phone.
Answer the night calls
Lockouts happen at any hour and the caller will ring down the list until someone answers. An out-of-hours answering service takes the address and the problem so you can call back and quote.
The work you never get to quote for
A good rate only helps if the customer reaches you. Most callers who hit voicemail ring the next name on the list. If you miss three calls a week and two in five would have become a £110 job, that is about £572 of work a month going to someone else. See what a missed call costs, or how While You Work answers calls for locksmiths while you are on a job.
Our AI receptionist for locksmiths answers the lockout calls you cannot take on a job.
Questions
What locksmiths ask about pricing
How much do locksmiths charge to get you in?
Checkatrade puts regaining entry to a property at £90 to £130, with an average of £110. The MLA says unlocking a door can start from £90. Fantastic Services gives £60 to £120 for non-destructive entry in standard hours and £100 to £180 out of hours, labour only.
How much is a locksmith call-out charge?
Checkatrade gives an out-of-hours call-out fee of £50 to £150, averaging £100, on top of an hourly rate. The MLA says many emergency locksmiths charge no call-out fee and bill by the hour instead, or charge a fixed fee such as £85 that includes the first hour. Fantastic Services puts a typical emergency call-out at £80 to £200 including VAT, or £120 to £250 in London.
How much does a locksmith charge in London?
The MLA says London prices are typically 20 to 25% above its national estimates, with labour from £95 an hour and from £122 an hour out of hours, rising to £153 after midnight. Fantastic Services puts a typical emergency call-out in London at £120 to £250 including VAT. Checkatrade gives £163.47 as the average locksmith price in London.
How much does a locksmith charge per hour in the UK?
Checkatrade says around £65 an hour between 8am and 6pm. The MLA says to expect from around £85 an hour, and Fantastic Services gives £65 to £95 including VAT for daytime work.
How much does it cost to change a lock?
Checkatrade gives £90 to £120 for a Yale lock, £100 to £150 for a standard uPVC lock, £125 to £175 for an anti-snap uPVC lock and £115 to £165 for a mortice lock, including parts. The MLA’s starting prices including VAT are £105, £137 and £148 for the standard euro cylinder, anti-snap cylinder and mortice lock.
Do locksmiths charge more at night?
Yes. Checkatrade shows £65 an hour in the day, £75 early morning and early evening, £85 from 8pm to midnight and £120 after midnight. Fantastic Services says out-of-hours attendance adds roughly £40 to £90 to the same job.
How much does it cost to train as a locksmith?
The MLA’s 5-day beginners course costs £1,812.80 including VAT for non-members, or £1,653.15 for members. In its April 2024 membership pack, the MLA listed £117 a year for a new registered member, plus a £56.40 registration fee and £31 for a DBS check.
Sources
Figures checked on 29 September 2026. Price guides change, so check the source before you rely on a figure. Where a source says whether a price includes VAT, the page says so; where it does not, treat the figure as unconfirmed on VAT.
- Checkatrade, Locksmith prices in the UK in 2026, Updated 05/26 (tables 'Last updated: May 2026').
- Master Locksmiths Association (MLA), Locksmith Price List & Costs (Guide for 2026 + Price Checklist), 2026-08-14.
- Master Locksmiths Association (MLA), How Much are Locksmith Call Out Charges & Fees?, 2026-06-17.
- Fantastic Services, Emergency Locksmith Cost in 2026, 2026-08-20.
- Fantastic Services, Locksmith Prices 2026, 2026-08-31.
- Simply Business, Locksmith Insurance, Snapshot 13 May 2026; price data 1 Oct 2025 to 31 Mar 2026.
- Admiral Business, Locksmith Insurance.
- Master Locksmiths Association (MLA), Locksmith Course Dates & Prices, 2025-11-26 (lists courses running October 2026).
- Master Locksmiths Association (MLA), Personal Membership Application Pack (PDF), Prices correct at time of print April 2024.
- GOV.UK (HMRC), How VAT works / When to register.
- National Careers Service (GOV.UK), Locksmith job profile.
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