Social services managers and directors: salary in the UK
About £39,131 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +1% on last year
£4,122 a month About £3,261 a month after tax 10 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 £35,122 in 2021 to £49,460 in 2026 (+41%); 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 | x | £29,959 | £35,122 | x | x |
| 2022 | x | £30,327 | £38,665 | x | x |
| 2023 | x | £33,204 | £40,860 | x | x |
| 2024 | x | £33,053 | £42,972 | x | x |
| 2025 | x | £39,600 | £48,950 | x | x |
| 2026 | x | £38,377 | £49,460 | x | 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 £49,460 a year and half earn more. That is 21% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
Ranked by median, it is number 72 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,261 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,146 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | x | x |
| 20th | £36,269 | £3,022 |
| 25th (P25) | £38,377 | £3,198 |
| 30th | £41,038 | £3,420 |
| 40th | £46,361 | £3,863 |
| Median (50th) | £49,460 | £4,122 |
| 60th | £53,338 | £4,445 |
| 70th | £56,851 | £4,738 |
| 75th (P75) | x | x |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | x | £58,538 | x |
| Women | £47,241 | £51,944 | 8 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £39,131 | £3,261 |
| Scotland | £37,753 | £3,146 |
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 £49,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 20 job titles to SOC 1172 Social services managers and directors. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Children's centre manager
- Children's services manager
- Commissioner
- Commissioning manager
- Community engagement manager
- Community involvement manager
- Community services manager
- Director of safeguarding
- Director of social services
- Foyer manager
- Locality manager
- Manager
- Registered manager
- Safeguarding director
- Service manager
- Social services manager
- Social work manager
- Support manager
- Supporting people manager
- Unit manager
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.