Tools · For drivers

True earnings calculator

A headline day rate is not an income. This works out what you actually keep per day and per hour once the van, fuel, insurance, penalties and tax are accounted for.

The work
£/day

Linked to the parcel rate: edit whichever you know

£/parcel

Day rate ÷ parcels per day

parcels
days
hours

Time on route, depot to final drop

hours

Loading, waiting, debrief

Your costs
£/week
£/day
£/week

Hire-and-reward cover

£/week
£/month

Average across the year, honestly

£/month
Assumptions
%

Set aside for income tax and NI

weeks

Allow for holidays and quiet weeks

Your true position

Net income per day (after costs and tax reserve)

£64.80

Net income per hour (including unpaid time)

£6.48

Your cost per parcel delivered

£0.66

Break-even parcels per day

60 parcels

Gross per week

£800.00

Costs per week

£395.00

Net per week (after tax reserve)

£324.00

Estimated net per year

£14,904.00

How this is calculated

Weekly gross = day rate × days worked. Weekly costs = van rental + (fuel × days) + insurance + parking + (penalty charges × 12 ÷ 52) + (phone and equipment × 12 ÷ 52).

Net per week = gross − costs − tax reserve, where the tax reserve is the chosen percentage of the pre-tax surplus. Net per hour divides the net day by route hours plus unpaid hours, because unpaid time is still time you work.

Day rate, parcel rate and parcels per day are linked: day rate = parcel rate × parcels per day. Edit whichever figures you know and the remaining one updates, anchored to the pay figure you entered most recently.

Break-even parcels = daily costs ÷ parcel rate, rounded up. Annual estimate = net per week × working weeks.

This calculator provides general information based on the figures you enter. It is not financial, tax or professional advice, and results depend entirely on your inputs. No account is required: when you use this tool without signing in, the information you enter remains in your browser and is not saved by Wentworth Ridge. If you sign in and choose to save, the selected information is securely transmitted to and stored in your account.

No account is required, and nothing is saved by Wentworth Ridge unless you sign in and choose to save. To keep scenarios and compare them later, sign in (free, email link, no password).