React day rates in the UK

A React day rate is the headline price of a fixed-term contract, not a salary and not your take-home. For product interfaces and the design-system work that sits behind them, clients in the UK currently advertise mostly between £450 and £650 a day.

Updated 1 November 20264 min read

What a React day rate includes

The number in the advert is what the client or the agency is offering per day. It is not your pay. Outside IR35, you still have corporation tax, salary, dividends and expenses to decide. Inside IR35, umbrella or PAYE deductions come off before anything reaches you. The same £550 day reads very differently on the two sides.

React sits in frontend development. Product companies, agencies and the digital arms of banks and retailers set the market, and they do not all pay the top of the band. A rate at the top usually means a scarce combination, a cleared site, or a client who has already lost a month looking.

A working band, not a promise

Advertised React day rates commonly sit between £450 and £650. That is the headline number, before tax, umbrella margin or the costs of a limited company. Geography still moves it. London, Manchester, Brighton, Bristol and remote are where these contracts cluster, and London sits at the top of most bands. The rate on a specific advert is on the board when the recruiter published one. Where they wrote "competitive" instead, the role is harder to compare and usually not in a hurry to tell you.

If a React advert has no rate, treat that as information. Roles with a published day rate are easier to compare and, on this board, sort to the top of the day. Live React contracts show the current numbers beside the IR35 status.

Inside IR35 against outside

An inside React contract needs a higher headline to match the take-home of an outside one. As a rule of thumb the gap is about 20 to 25 percent, and it moves with the exact rate, your salary mix and the tax year. Do not do it in your head. Use the IR35 calculator on the rate you have actually been offered.

Outside IR35 is common on React delivery contracts, particularly where you use your own equipment, control your own method and can send a substitute. Staff-augmentation inside a bank or a government department is still frequently marked inside, sometimes as a blanket decision. Read the status on the advert and then read the working practices, because the two do not always agree.

How to read an offer

Compare the offer with the band, then with the live rows, then with take-home. A £450 outside rate can beat a number that looks larger on an inside contract. Expenses, the length of the booking and whether you can overlap a notice period all belong in the same conversation.

React contract jobs covers who is hiring. React outside IR35 jobs covers the status. Wider benchmarks are on day rates by skill.

Live roles on the board

These React contracts are on the board now. The day rate and IR35 status are public. The link to the original advert is for members.

See live React rates · Membership unlocks apply links and the first 48 hours

Questions

What is the React day rate in the UK?
A common advertised band is £450 to £650 a day. Live adverts on the board are the current market, and they move inside that range with seniority, city and IR35 status.
Is a React day rate inside or outside IR35?
The rate and the status are separate. Outside IR35 is common on React delivery contracts, particularly where you use your own equipment, control your own method and can send a substitute. Staff-augmentation inside a bank or a government department is still frequently marked inside, sometimes as a blanket decision. Read the status on the advert and then read the working practices, because the two do not always agree.
How much is £550 a day as a React contractor?
£550 a day is a headline rate. Take-home depends on whether the contract is inside or outside IR35. The calculator runs both.
Why do some adverts hide the rate?
Some agencies would rather negotiate once they have your CV. On a day-rate board that is a weaker advert. Prefer the React roles that publish a number.