It's one of the first questions every business asks us, and it's a fair one. The honest answer is "it depends" – but that's not much use when you're trying to set a budget. So here are real 2026 figures for the UK, what drives the price up or down, and how to tell whether a quote is good value.
Two ways to pay for IT support
Almost every provider charges in one of two ways.
- Pay as you go (break-fix). You call someone when something goes wrong and pay by the hour. Typical UK rates run from about £80 to £150 an hour, often with a minimum charge for call-outs.
- Managed IT support. You pay a fixed monthly fee, usually per user, and the provider looks after your IT continuously – monitoring, updates, security and a helpdesk your team can call.
Pay as you go looks cheaper on paper, and for a two-person business with very simple needs it can be. But you're only paying someone to fix problems after they've already cost you time. With a managed service, your provider is paid to prevent problems, so your interests are aligned.
Typical managed IT support prices
UK managed IT support in 2026 usually falls somewhere between £40 and £150 per user per month. Most small businesses with a solid, fully managed package pay around £60 to £90.
| Level | Typical price per user / month | What you'd normally get |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | £40–£55 | Remote helpdesk in office hours, monitoring, updates, antivirus |
| Fully managed | £60–£90 | The above plus Microsoft 365 management, stronger security, email filtering, regular reviews and on-site visits |
| Premium | £100–£150 | Advanced security monitoring, compliance support, full backup and disaster recovery, strategic planning |
As a rough guide, a business with 10 staff on a fully managed plan might pay around £600 to £800 a month. Servers, specialist software and extra security are often priced separately.
What affects the price
- Number of users and devices. The biggest factor. Larger teams usually get a lower per-user rate.
- Servers and specialist systems. An on-site server or line-of-business application takes more looking after than cloud-only setups.
- Security requirements. If you handle sensitive client data – as solicitors, financial advisers and estate agents do – you'll need stronger protection, and it's worth paying for.
- On-site support. Plans that include visits cost more than remote-only support.
- Hours of cover. Office hours is standard; evenings and weekends cost extra.
The hidden cost of "cheap" IT
The real cost of IT isn't the invoice – it's downtime. If a ten-person team loses half a day to a failed laptop, a ransomware scare or an email outage, that's 40 hours of wages gone, plus the work that didn't get done. A single serious incident can easily cost thousands to put right.
That's why we'd always look at what a plan prevents, not just what it costs.
Questions to ask before you sign
- What exactly is included? Helpdesk, monitoring, updates, security, backups, Microsoft 365, on-site visits – get it in writing.
- What isn't included? Projects, new equipment and out-of-hours work are common extras.
- How long is the contract? Be wary of long tie-ins with hefty exit fees.
- Who will I actually talk to? A named team that knows your business, or a call centre?
- How do you keep us secure? Ask about multi-factor sign-in, patching, antivirus and backup testing.
How we price IT support
We keep it simple. After a short, relaxed chat about your business, your team and your systems, we give you a clear, fixed monthly price – with no long, complicated contracts and no surprise call-out bills. Every plan includes the security basics as standard, because cutting corners there is a false economy.
Sources: UK price ranges from UK IT Services and Connection Technologies (2026). Prices are typical market ranges, not a quote.
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