What to charge to deliver a cake
Add up the miles, your time, and the setup at the venue, and get a delivery fee that covers the trip.
Free. No signup needed.The trip
Your time
Delivery fee
£20.70
Miles, time, and extras
The per-mile rate defaults to the HMRC approved mileage rate, 45p a mile. It covers fuel, wear, and the car, not just the petrol, so it is the fair figure to charge from. A cake in the footwell is a slow, careful drive, so count real door-to-door time, not the map estimate.
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A fair delivery fee is the miles there and back at the HMRC 45p rate, plus your hourly rate for the drive and the setup, plus any parking, with a minimum so a short local run still pays.
The miles
Charge the real cost of the car, not the petrol
The HMRC approved mileage rate is 45p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles in a car. It is the fair figure to charge from because it covers fuel, servicing, tyres, insurance, and the slice of the car's value the trip uses up, not just the petrol in the tank. Charge for the return leg too. You drive home empty, but you still drive it.
The time
The drive and the setup are both work
A cake in the footwell is a slow, careful drive, and setting a tiered cake up on the day takes real time and nerve. Put your hourly rate against both. A local wedding an hour each way with half an hour of setup is two and a half hours of your day, before the cake itself is paid for.
The floor
A minimum stops a short run costing you money
Boxing, dowelling, and loading a cake safely takes the same care whether the venue is two miles away or twenty. A minimum delivery fee means a short local drop still covers the handling, so you are never out of pocket for saying yes to a nearby customer.
Weddings
Venue delivery is worth more than a doorstep drop
A birthday cake handed over at a front door is quick. A wedding cake carried into a venue, stacked, and finished on site carries risk and takes time, often at a fixed hour you cannot move. Price venue setup higher than a standard drop, and say so in the quote so it is never a surprise.
FAQ
Common questions
How much should I charge to deliver a cake?
Add the mileage there and back at 45p a mile, your hourly rate for the drive and any setup, and any parking or tolls, then apply a minimum so a short run still covers the handling. A 12 mile round trip with 20 minutes of setup usually lands around £20 to £30.
Why 45p a mile?
It is the HMRC approved mileage rate for a car. It is not a fuel price. It covers fuel, wear, servicing, and depreciation, which is why it is the fair figure to charge a customer rather than the pump price of the petrol alone.
Should I charge for delivery if the customer is local?
Yes, through the minimum fee. The drive is short, but boxing and loading a cake safely takes the same care every time. A minimum means a two mile drop still covers your handling.
Do I charge more for a wedding?
Usually. A wedding means carrying the cake into a venue, stacking it, and finishing it on site at a set time. That is more time and more risk than a doorstep handover, so price the setup higher and put it in the quote.
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