What managed IT support
costs per user in the UK
UK market rates, not a Wanzo quote, typically run from £30 to £120 per user per month, with hours, security and on-site work moving the figure.
The short answer
Managed IT support in the UK typically costs £30 to £120 per user per month, excluding VAT. They're market ranges, not a Wanzo quote. Entry remote cover with business-hours helpdesk sits at the lower end. A fuller service with 24/7 monitoring, Microsoft 365 administration and endpoint protection lands in the middle. Fully managed IT with on-site visits, a named engineer and wider security cover sits at the top. Wanzo's published AI + Managed IT plan starts at £1,250 a month, excluding VAT.
What the market charges
Entry cover
£30–£50 per user per month
Small offices that need a helpdesk and basic monitoring, without on-site cover or a named engineer.
- •Business-hours remote helpdesk
- •Basic monitoring and patching
- •Remote fixes for everyday tickets
Standard cover
£50–£80 per user per month
Growing UK firms that want 24/7 monitoring, Microsoft 365 administration and a written response time in the monthly fee.
- •Extended or 24/7 helpdesk
- •Microsoft 365 and endpoint management
- •Backups and endpoint protection
Fully managed
£80–£120 per user per month
Multi-site or regulated businesses that need on-site engineers, a named lead and deeper security cover.
- •On-site engineers and a named lead
- •Managed firewall and wider security
- •Technology reviews and supplier handling
These are typical UK market ranges, not a Wanzo quote. Our own plans are here.
What moves the price
Headcount and devices
More people raise the monthly total. Extra devices per person, such as a laptop plus a phone, often count as extra endpoints. Some providers bill per user and others per device, so check the unit before you compare quotes.
Hours of cover
A helpdesk that only runs from nine to five costs less. Overnight and weekend cover costs more because someone has to staff it. If people work evenings, a daytime window leaves you paying extra the moment something fails outside it.
Security in the fee
Basic antivirus is cheap to include. Managed firewalls, email filtering, multi-factor authentication and endpoint detection push the rate up. If security is sold as an add-on, the advertised per-user figure understates what you'll actually pay.
On-site and sites
Remote-only support sits in the lower band. Planned engineer visits, extra offices and staff who work across sites add travel and time. Multi-site cover is one of the fastest ways a quote leaves the entry range.
What people get caught by
- Microsoft 365 licences are often billed separately. The support fee manages the tenancy; the licence cost still sits with Microsoft.
- Onboarding and takeover fees can sit outside the monthly rate. You'll often pay to document the estate and migrate existing tools.
- After-hours callouts billed per incident can dwarf a cheap daytime retainer. A Saturday failure then becomes an extra invoice.
- Replacement laptops and line rental rarely sit inside the per-user fee. Printers and firewalls are often billed separately too.
Questions people ask
How much does managed IT support cost in the UK?
Typical UK market rates run from £30 to £120 per user per month, excluding VAT. Those are market ranges, not a Wanzo quote. Remote business-hours cover sits near £30 to £50. A fuller service with 24/7 monitoring, Microsoft 365 administration and endpoint protection is usually £50 to £80. Fully managed cover with on-site visits and deeper security is typically £80 to £120. Wanzo's AI + Managed IT plan starts at £1,250 a month, excluding VAT, and combines managed IT with live automations.
What should be included in managed IT support?
A proper managed service should include a staff helpdesk, remote monitoring, scheduled patching, Microsoft 365 administration and a written response time. Backups, endpoint protection and a current record of your devices belong in the same fee. On-site visits, a named engineer and fuller security sit in higher bands. Read the quote against that list. If monitoring, patching or backups are extras, the advertised per-user rate isn't the cost you run at. Ask what happens when you add a user or a site.
Is managed IT cheaper than hiring IT staff?
Hiring internally means salary, pension, training, tools and cover when that person is off. A managed retainer spreads those jobs across a provider's team and is charged monthly. For a small or mid-sized firm, that often comes in below a full-time role, provided monitoring, patching and the helpdesk sit inside the fee. A cheap per-user rate that bills every visit separately can overtake that. Wanzo doesn't publish a per-user IT-only price. AI + Managed IT starts at £1,250 a month, excluding VAT.
Does the managed IT fee include Microsoft 365 licences?
Usually not. Microsoft 365 licences are a Microsoft charge. The managed IT fee covers administration of the tenancy: adding users, resetting access, applying security settings and supporting the apps. Some quotes bundle licences for convenience, which makes the per-user rate look higher. Others show support only, which looks cheaper until you add Business Standard or Business Premium. Ask for both figures, because they aren't the same cost. Wanzo's published plans start at £495 a month for AI Starter and £1,250 for AI + Managed IT, excluding VAT.
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