CEO: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Chief executives and senior officials (SOC 1111)
About £65,957 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, -5.1% on last year
£7,960 a month About £5,496 a month after tax 145 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £84,003 in 2021 to £95,516 in 2026 (+14%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £40,000 | £54,107 | £84,003 | £125,410 | x |
| 2022 | £37,245 | £51,965 | £79,760 | £120,000 | x |
| 2023 | £39,491 | £55,597 | £84,240 | £117,002 | x |
| 2024 | £44,400 | £60,000 | £88,350 | £124,333 | x |
| 2025 | £42,577 | £64,640 | £100,598 | £154,554 | x |
| 2026 | £31,947 | £54,046 | £95,516 | £163,111 | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £95,516 a year and half earn more. That is 133% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £54,046 and £163,111; one in ten earns less than £31,947.
Ranked by median, it is number 5 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
The mean (£174,391) is well above the median: a minority in this job earn much more than most.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £5,496 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £5,240 in Scotland.
The median for men is £98,647 and for women £87,588, a gap of 11% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £31,947 | £2,662 |
| 20th | £49,304 | £4,109 |
| 25th (P25) | £54,046 | £4,504 |
| 30th | £61,648 | £5,137 |
| 40th | £80,008 | £6,667 |
| Median (50th) | £95,516 | £7,960 |
| 60th | £114,189 | £9,516 |
| 70th | £140,738 | £11,728 |
| 75th (P75) | £163,111 | £13,593 |
| 80th | £181,026 | £15,085 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £98,647 | £192,351 | 103 |
| Women | £87,588 | x | 42 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £65,957 | £5,496 |
| Scotland | £62,881 | £5,240 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £96,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 40 job titles to SOC 1111 Chief executives and senior officials. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Ambassador
- Assistant secretary
- Band 0
- Band 1b
- Band 1c
- CEO
- Chairman
- Chairman and managing director
- Chief executive
- Chief executive officer
- Chief of staff
- Civil servant
- Clerk to the commissioners
- Command secretary
- Commissioner
- Company chairman
- Company president
- Deputy director
- Deputy secretary
- Diplomat
- Director
- Executive chairman
- First secretary
- General manager
- Grade 1
- Grade 2
- Grade 3
- Grade 4
- Grade 5
- Group director
- Inspector of constabulary
- Keeper of the signet
- Parliamentary private secretary
- Parliamentary secretary
- Permanent secretary
- President
- Second secretary
- Under secretary
- Vice chairman
- Vice president
Similar occupations
All jobs in Managers, directors and senior officials
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.