June 9, 2026
Admin overload could cost painting and decorating professionals almost £10,000 a year, survey finds
A new survey from leading job management software, Powered Now, has revealed the true amount of lost time amongst the UK’s tradespeople to the often hidden burden of paperwork – averaging at a total of 7 hours per week, or up to 48 days annually.
For painting and decorating professionals in particular, this lost time represents a significant financial impact. Based on an average day rate of £205 in the UK, this time equates to a potential loss of around £9,800 annually – impacting profitability and viability in the longer term.
The survey results highlight how traditional admin, such as paperwork, finding receipts and managing physical diaries, continues to place pressures on painting and decorating businesses, with professionals spending the equivalent of almost a full working day each week on non-billable tasks.
Alongside administrative pressures, painters and decorators are also operating in an increasingly demanding environment with rising supply costs and tightening margins.
The survey’s findings point to a clear win – swapping out manual processes for digital tools can remove a large chunk of admin off of people’s to-do lists.
Founder and CEO of Powered Now, Benjamin Dyer, commented: “Painting and decorating professionals are working harder than ever in an increasingly competitive, cost-sensitive environment, and our research shows that traditional, manual admin is eating into both productivity and profitability.
“Today, adopting digital tools has become key for painting and decorating businesses looking to protect margins and remain competitive. From AI-backed tools and platforms to automate routine admin, like invoicing and scheduling, to using a centralised system to manage all jobs.
“There’s a huge opportunity here for these businesses to claw back this lost time with job management software. Our features, which include built-in health and safety forms and our digital portfolio, Here Is My Work, allowing professionals to showcase their standout work, helps painters and decorators take the headache of job management so teams can spend more time working on jobs which actually pay the bills.
Following the survey results, Powered Now has launched a competition to help painting and decorating professionals embrace digital tools that reduce admin and improve efficiency, with 3 iPads and a year’s free subscription up for grabs – to enter, visit: https://powerednow.com/win/
Painting and decorating professionals can find out more about Powered Now, and begin a 14-day free trial by visiting: https://powerednow.com/
