If you’ve started looking into hiring a genealogist, you’ll have noticed that many of us aren’t very forthcoming about prices. That isn’t usually secrecy for its own sake. It’s because most professional research in the UK is billed by the hour, and nobody can tell you in advance exactly how many hours your family will take. But “it depends” is a frustrating answer when you are trying to decide whether to commit, so here is an honest guide.
The typical UK pricing model
Most professional genealogists in the UK charge an hourly rate, commonly somewhere between about £20 and £50 per hour depending on experience and specialism. Researchers listed with professional bodies tend to sit in the middle to upper part of that range. On top of the hourly rate you may also pay expenses: record office fees, certificate orders from the General Register Office, travel, and printing.
A reputable researcher working hourly will agree a budget ceiling with you before starting, for example “research up to £500, then report back”. That protects you from a runaway bill, but it does not tell you what you will actually receive for the money. Ten hours of research into a family with sparse records can produce far less than ten hours into a well-documented one, and you carry that risk.
What affects the cost of your research
A few honest factors that make family history research cheaper or more expensive:
How far back you want to go. Civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began in England and Wales in 1837. Before that date, research leans on parish registers and other older sources, which takes more skill and more time.
Where your family lived. Families who stayed in one county for generations are usually easier to trace than families who moved often. Irish research is a special case: the 1922 fire at the Public Record Office in Dublin destroyed many key records, so Irish lines often need more time to make less progress.
How common the surname is. Confirming the right John Smith among dozens in the same parish takes longer than confirming an unusual surname, because a careful researcher verifies identity before adding anyone to your tree.
What you want at the end. A verified tree is one thing; a written account of each ancestor’s life, occupations and military service is more work, and a presentation-quality tree is more again.
Why I work on fixed prices instead
After seventeen years of doing this work, I take a different approach: research packages with fixed prices; Bronze, Silver and Gold. I do offer bespoke research or a ‘tailored’ package for specific projects, the cost of which is identified and agreed before any work begins. You know exactly what you’ll pay and exactly what you will receive, before you commit a penny.
I prefer to offer fixed prices because it best suits most people’s situation: you want your family line traced properly, you have a budget, and you don’t want to discover halfway through that the meter is still running.
Questions to ask any genealogist before you pay
Whoever you choose, me included, ask these before handing over money: What exactly will I receive at the end? How do you verify that a record really belongs to my ancestor? What happens if the records run out early? How and when do I pay? A professional will have clear answers to all four.
If you have a specific ancestral question that you’d like answering or a brick wall that you’d like help with, get in touch for a free consultation, or see the full details on my Services and Prices page.