Source: https://www.quantsurv.com/resources/glossary/daywork Content format: Markdown version of the public page. Content reviewed: 2026-09-30 # Daywork: definition and example A method of valuing work using recorded labour, plant and materials under agreed rates and rules. By [Jack Butler-Kettle]() · Updated 30 September 2026 Guidance for England and Wales. Check the contract, amendments and facts that apply to your job. ## What it means in practice Read this alongside [NRM 2: Detailed measurement for building works](). Daywork values work by specified resource inputs and agreed rates or rules. A signed sheet may acknowledge the resources used without accepting liability, the instruction or the final price. The subcontract determines when daywork is appropriate and how additions or mark-ups are calculated. Record the instruction as well as labour, materials and plant. [Variation recovery]() connects those records to the applicable payment basis. ## Worked example ### The facts Two operatives each spend four hours on instructed extra work at an assumed agreed rate of £30 per hour. ### What happens 1. The sheet records eight labour hours, the work location and the instruction reference. 2. The subcontractor checks any separate material charges and agreed additions. ### What this shows The labour calculation is £240; the signed sheet alone does not establish acceptance of every element of the claim. ## Sources 1. [NRM 2: Detailed measurement for building works, UK 2nd edition, October 2021 (reissued October 2022 as RICS practice information)](). RICS.