JobSalary.co.uk

Software developer: salary in the UK

ONS occupation: Programmers and software development professionals (SOC 2134)

£59,863

About £45,278 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)

median salary a year, full-time, +5.4% on last year

£4,989 a month About £3,773 a month after tax 362 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 £42,592 in 2021 to £59,863 in 2026 (+41%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.

Figures by year
P10P25MedianP75P90
2021£27,071£33,366£42,592£55,000x
2022£26,759£35,072£45,277£57,428x
2023£28,361£36,805£50,087£66,996x
2024£31,494£40,011£54,615£70,474£93,819
2025£32,906£42,235£56,770£75,647£103,508
2026£33,352£43,509£59,863£82,149£114,051

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 £59,863 a year and half earn more. That is 46% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).

The middle half earn between £43,509 and £82,149; the middle 80% between £33,352 and £114,051.

Ranked by median, it is number 25 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.

The mean (£69,121) 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 £3,773 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,628 in Scotland.

The median for men is £61,410 and for women £48,775, a gap of 21% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.

Percentiles

PercentileAnnualMonthly
10th (P10)£33,352£2,779
20th£40,335£3,361
25th (P25)£43,509£3,626
30th£46,769£3,897
40th£53,009£4,417
Median (50th)£59,863£4,989
60th£67,275£5,606
70th£75,825£6,319
75th (P75)£82,149£6,846
80th£88,504£7,375
90th (P90)£114,051£9,504

Men and women

MedianMeanJobs (thousands)
Men£61,410£71,235307
Women£48,775£57,19455

Take-home pay at the median

Where you livePer yearPer month
England, Wales, NI£45,278£3,773
Scotland£43,530£3,628

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 £60,000

Job titles in this occupation

ONS codes these 164 job titles to SOC 2134 Programmers and software development professionals. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.

Show all 164 titles

Similar occupations

All jobs in Professional occupations

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.