Pharmacist: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Pharmacists (SOC 2251)
About £42,695 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +3.8% on last year
£4,617 a month About £3,558 a month after tax 46 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 £44,586 in 2021 to £55,410 in 2026 (+24%); 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 | £24,062 | £36,137 | £44,586 | £50,420 | x |
| 2022 | £25,660 | £36,327 | £44,455 | £53,214 | x |
| 2023 | £28,042 | £37,840 | £45,286 | £54,068 | x |
| 2024 | £28,607 | £41,999 | £50,916 | £59,158 | x |
| 2025 | £33,290 | £44,793 | £53,399 | £61,891 | x |
| 2026 | £33,940 | £44,992 | £55,410 | £64,793 | 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 £55,410 a year and half earn more. That is 35% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £44,992 and £64,793; one in ten earns less than £33,940.
Ranked by median, it is number 43 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,558 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,420 in Scotland.
The median for men is £56,761 and for women £53,370, a gap of 6% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £33,940 | £2,828 |
| 20th | £41,697 | £3,475 |
| 25th (P25) | £44,992 | £3,749 |
| 30th | £47,887 | £3,991 |
| 40th | £51,689 | £4,307 |
| Median (50th) | £55,410 | £4,617 |
| 60th | £57,856 | £4,821 |
| 70th | £62,432 | £5,203 |
| 75th (P75) | £64,793 | £5,399 |
| 80th | £67,314 | £5,610 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £56,761 | £58,679 | 19 |
| Women | £53,370 | £52,662 | 27 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £42,695 | £3,558 |
| Scotland | £41,037 | £3,420 |
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 £55,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 23 job titles to SOC 2251 Pharmacists. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Chemist
- Chemist and druggist
- Clinical pharmacist
- Consultant pharmacist
- Dispensary manager
- Drug safety associate
- Druggist
- Homeopathic chemist
- Homoeopathic chemist
- Manager
- Owner
- PCN pharmacist
- Pharmaceutical chemist
- Pharmaceutical officer
- Pharmaceutist
- Pharmacist
- Pharmacist manager
- Pharmacist store manager
- Pharmacist's manager
- Pharmacoepidemiologist
- Pharmacovigilance associate
- Pharmacy manager
- Prescribing adviser
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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.