Per user, per month
What will IT support cost your business?
UK managed IT support is normally priced per user per month, with servers and network devices charged per device and onboarding billed once at the start. On the worked example below, 25 users at £45 per user per month plus 2 managed servers at £75 each comes to £1,275 a month and £15,300 a year, and with a £2,000 onboarding fee, year one is £17,300 excluding VAT. Enter your own rates to see your figure.
The assumptions
- The rates are yours, not ours. Every rate in this calculator is an input with a clearly labelled placeholder default. We do not publish a UK market average for managed IT support, because the figure varies so widely by tier, region and what is bundled that quoting one would mislead you. Replace the defaults with the numbers on your quote.
- The monthly fee is modelled as users multiplied by a per-user rate, plus devices multiplied by a per-device rate, which is the structure most UK managed support agreements use. Per-device-only and blended models exist; see pricing models.
- Onboarding is treated as a one-off in year one and excluded from years two onward. Some providers waive it on longer terms and others amortise it into the monthly fee, which is why the effective per-user figure matters when comparing.
- Software licensing is not included. Microsoft 365, security and backup licences are bought on their own subscriptions, are usually billed per user per month in their own right, and change independently of your support contract. Check current plans and prices with Microsoft or your provider rather than from a figure quoted anywhere on this site.
- Hardware, connectivity and cloud consumption are excluded. Laptops, servers, broadband, leased lines and Azure or AWS consumption are separate spend, whoever supports them.
- VAT is added at the standard rate of 20% (gov.uk). VAT-registered businesses normally recover it, so compare quotes excluding VAT.
- Project work is priced as hours multiplied by an out-of-scope hourly rate. Many providers quote projects as fixed prices instead; in that case set project hours to 0 and treat the fixed price as a separate line.
IT Support Cost Calculator is an independent information site operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd. It is not affiliated with Microsoft, the National Cyber Security Centre or any provider named here, and nothing on this site is financial, legal or procurement advice. All rates in the calculator are inputs with labelled placeholder defaults, not market averages; confirm figures against your own quotes and contract before budgeting.
Modelled UK IT support cost by company size, 2026
Last updated
The same contract shape at five company sizes, computed with this calculator's own formulas. The rates used are the calculator's placeholder defaults, not a claimed market average, so read this table as a shape rather than a price list: the monthly fee scales with users, and the effective cost per user falls as fixed device cost is spread wider.
Every row is computed with the exact expressions this page's calculator uses: monthly fee = users x (rate per user + add-ons per user) + devices x rate per device; annual = monthly x 12; VAT at the standard 20% rate (gov.uk, 2026). Inputs held constant across rows: rate per user £45/month, add-ons £0, rate per device £75/month, onboarding £0, project hours 0. Those rates are the calculator's labelled placeholder defaults, chosen so the model computes, not a surveyed market average; substitute the rates on your own quote using the tool above.
| Users | Managed devices | Monthly fee (ex VAT) | Annual fee (ex VAT) | Effective cost per user per month | Annual inc VAT at 20% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | £300 | £3,600 | £60 | £4,320 |
| 10 | 1 | £525 | £6,300 | £53 | £7,560 |
| 25 | 2 | £1,275 | £15,300 | £51 | £18,360 |
| 50 | 3 | £2,475 | £29,700 | £50 | £35,640 |
| 100 | 5 | £4,875 | £58,500 | £49 | £70,200 |
- On this calculator's placeholder rates, 25 users and 2 managed servers models to £1,275 a month and £15,300 a year excluding VAT, rising to £17,300 in year one once a £2,000 onboarding fee is added.
- Because device charges are largely fixed, the effective cost per user per month falls as headcount rises: £60 at 5 users against £49 at 100 users on identical rates.
- UK business IT support is a standard-rated supply, so VAT at 20% is added to the fee (gov.uk, 2026); VAT-registered businesses normally recover it, which is why quotes should be compared excluding VAT.
Cite this page
“Modelled UK IT support cost by company size, 2026”, IT Support Cost Calculator, https://itsupportcostcalculator.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-14). Every row is computed with the exact expressions this page's calculator uses: monthly fee = users x (rate per user + add-ons per user) + devices x rate per device; annual = monthly x 12; VAT at the standard 20% rate (gov.uk, 2026). Inputs held constant across rows: rate per user £45/month, add-ons £0, rate per device £75/month, onboarding £0, project hours 0. Those rates are the calculator's labelled placeholder defaults, chosen so the model computes, not a surveyed market average; substitute the rates on your own quote using the tool above.
Want quotes to put into this calculator?
Tell us the size and shape of your business and we will introduce you to IT support providers who work with organisations like yours.
Common questions
How much does IT support cost per user per month in the UK?
It depends on the tier, from helpdesk-only through managed to fully managed with security, and on what is bundled. We deliberately do not publish an average, because the spread is wide enough that an average would be a misleading anchor. Put the rate from your own quote into the calculator: on its placeholder rates, 25 users and 2 servers model to £1,275 a month excluding VAT.
What does the year-one figure include?
Twelve months of the monthly support fee, plus any one-off onboarding or transition fee, plus expected out-of-scope project work priced at the hourly rate you enter. It excludes software licences, hardware, connectivity and cloud consumption, and it is stated excluding VAT with an inclusive figure alongside it.
Why does the calculator not have a market rate built in?
Because we cannot verify one. UK managed support rates vary by tier, region, what is bundled and how users are counted, so publishing a single figure would give you a false anchor in a negotiation. Every rate here is an input with a clearly labelled placeholder default that you are meant to replace.
Are Microsoft 365 licences included in IT support costs?
Normally no. Microsoft 365, security and backup licences are separate subscriptions, usually billed per user per month in their own right, and their prices change independently of your support contract. Some providers resell them and show them on the same invoice, which is not the same as them being included.
Is VAT added to IT support fees?
Yes. Business IT support is a standard-rated supply, so VAT is charged at the standard rate of 20% (gov.uk, 2026). VAT-registered businesses normally recover it, which is why quotes should be compared excluding VAT, though the inclusive figure still affects cash flow.
What is a fair onboarding fee?
There is no standard figure, because onboarding scales with the size and state of the estate: documentation, agent deployment, tool setup and handover from the previous provider. What matters is that it is quoted as a defined piece of work with a stated deliverable, and that you model its effect on the year-one total rather than looking only at the monthly rate.
Model your own quote, not an average.
Enter the rates you were actually quoted and see the year-one total and the effective cost per user.
Put this on your site
<script src="https://itsupportcostcalculator.co.uk/embed.js" async></script>