Contractor day rate benchmarks for tech roles in London. Median rates, typical ranges, and links to take-home calculators.
Leadership
Chief Information Security Officer
£1000/day
£950–£1050/day
Leadership
Chief Technology Officer
£1000/day
£950–£1050/day
Leadership
IT Director
£900/day
£857–£950/day
Data & Analytics
Data Architect
£757/day
£688–£919/day
Leadership
Chief Data Officer
£844/day
£788–£1013/day
Software Engineering
Solutions Architect
£825/day
£766–£875/day
Cybersecurity
Security Architect
£763/day
£726–£819/day
Infrastructure & Cloud
Cloud Architect
£750/day
£725–£794/day
Enterprise Applications
SAP Specialist
£663/day
£541–£747/day
Infrastructure & Cloud
DevOps Engineer
£675/day
£638–£732/day
Software Engineering
Engineering Director
£700/day
£638–£807/day
Software Engineering
Python Developer
£600/day
£525–£694/day
Software Engineering
Java Developer
£600/day
£525–£694/day
Infrastructure & Cloud
Infrastructure Architect
£650/day
£625–£688/day
Software Engineering
C/C++ Developer
£682/day
£641–£722/day
Data & Analytics
Data Scientist
£625/day
£588–£675/day
Cybersecurity
Security Engineer
£625/day
£588–£663/day
Infrastructure & Cloud
Infrastructure Manager
£650/day
£625–£675/day
Software Engineering
QA Engineer
£588/day
£556–£638/day
Data & Analytics
Data Engineer
£625/day
£569–£710/day
Product & Design
UX/UI Designer
£625/day
£600–£650/day
Software Engineering
Full Stack Developer
£563/day
£532–£619/day
Infrastructure & Cloud
Cloud Engineer
£550/day
£525–£588/day
Software Engineering
Android Developer
£550/day
£513–£588/day
Software Engineering
iOS Developer
£550/day
£513–£588/day
Software Engineering
Front End Developer
£582/day
£547–£691/day
Enterprise Applications
Salesforce Specialist
£550/day
£525–£575/day
Enterprise Applications
Oracle Specialist
£550/day
£525–£575/day
Data & Analytics
BI Developer
£575/day
£525–£625/day
Data & Analytics
SQL Developer
£563/day
£531–£594/day
Enterprise Applications
RPA Developer
£475/day
£413–£550/day
Infrastructure & Cloud
Application Support Engineer
£550/day
£525–£575/day
Software Engineering
PHP Developer
£538/day
£506–£569/day
Infrastructure & Cloud
Network Engineer
£513/day
£463–£544/day
Cybersecurity
Identity Access Management Engineer
£500/day
£475–£538/day
Data & Analytics
Data Analyst
£525/day
£500–£550/day
Software Engineering
.NET Developer
£463/day
£406–£519/day
Infrastructure & Cloud
Systems Administrator
£488/day
£431–£525/day
Enterprise Applications
ERP/CRM Specialist
£450/day
£425–£488/day
Leadership
IT Manager
£450/day
£425–£500/day
Data & Analytics
Database Administrator
£400/day
£375–£438/day
Infrastructure & Cloud
Network Administrator
£400/day
£375–£425/day
Infrastructure & Cloud
IT Support Specialist
£225/day
£197–£263/day
Local contractor market
Market overview
London is part of the United Kingdom contractor market, with 43 tracked tech roles in 2026. Rates reflect published market data for freelance and fixed-term contract engagements across software, data, cloud, and infrastructure disciplines.
Take-home and structure
Rates shown are gross. Your net take-home depends on IR35 status. Outside IR35 through a limited company significantly increases your retention vs an umbrella inside IR35. Use the IR35 calculator below to compare.
IR35 inside vs outside comparison
See exactly how much more you keep outside IR35 vs an umbrella
London contractor day rates cover a range of tech roles in 2026, spanning software engineering, data, cloud, and infrastructure disciplines. Rates vary by specialism, seniority, and IR35 status (for UK roles). See the role-by-role breakdown above for specific median rates and typical ranges.
London sits within the United Kingdom contract market. Day rates can vary meaningfully by city, particularly between financial centres and regional hubs. Browse other city pages under the United Kingdom contract rates section to compare.
Chief Information Security Officer commands the highest contractor day rate in London in 2026, with a median of £1000/day. See the full role breakdown above for the complete list of contract rates by discipline.
Your take-home from any day rate in London depends on your IR35 status. Outside IR35 through a limited company retains significantly more than inside IR35 via an umbrella. Use the IR35 calculator linked from each role card above for a precise inside vs outside comparison under 2026/27 HMRC rates.
Yes. In the UK, whether an engagement falls inside or outside IR35 materially changes your effective take-home from any day rate. Outside IR35 contractors in London typically retain significantly more per pound of contract revenue. Use the IR35 calculator to compare your specific situation.
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