Accountant: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Chartered and certified accountants (SOC 2421)
About £39,989 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +1.4% on last year
£4,229 a month About £3,332 a month after tax 57 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 £41,513 in 2021 to £50,745 in 2026 (+22%); 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 | £24,376 | x | £41,513 | £51,885 | x |
| 2022 | £26,032 | £34,506 | £43,484 | £54,815 | x |
| 2023 | £27,434 | £33,829 | £46,678 | £57,232 | x |
| 2024 | £28,853 | £37,039 | £49,777 | £65,137 | x |
| 2025 | £29,557 | £38,513 | £50,044 | £67,384 | x |
| 2026 | £28,314 | £36,210 | £50,745 | £68,619 | 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 £50,745 a year and half earn more. That is 24% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £36,210 and £68,619; one in ten earns less than £28,314.
Ranked by median, it is number 62 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,332 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,202 in Scotland.
The median for men is £51,949 and for women £49,170, a gap of 5% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £28,314 | £2,360 |
| 20th | £34,661 | £2,888 |
| 25th (P25) | £36,210 | £3,017 |
| 30th | £40,000 | £3,333 |
| 40th | £45,508 | £3,792 |
| Median (50th) | £50,745 | £4,229 |
| 60th | £57,916 | £4,826 |
| 70th | £65,108 | £5,426 |
| 75th (P75) | £68,619 | £5,718 |
| 80th | £71,953 | £5,996 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £51,949 | £57,028 | 33 |
| Women | £49,170 | £51,703 | 24 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £39,989 | £3,332 |
| Scotland | £38,424 | £3,202 |
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 £51,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 65 job titles to SOC 2421 Chartered and certified accountants. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Accountancy consultant
- Accountant
- Accountant and auditor
- Accountant-secretary
- Accounting consultant
- Articled clerk
- Audit associate
- Audit clerk
- Audit consultant
- Audit examiner
- Audit executive
- Auditor
- Auditor and accountant
- Bank accountant
- Bankruptcy examiner
- Borough accountant
- Branch accountant
- Business finance partner
- Business unit controller
- Certified accountant
- Chartered accountant
- Chartered management accountant
- Chief accountant
- Chief auditor
- Company accountant
- Company liquidator
- Compliance auditor
- Corporate finance executive
- Cost accountant
- Cost and management accountant
- Cost and works accountant
- Cost consultant
- Cost development officer
- District accountant
- Examiner
- Expenditure officer
- FCA
- Finance business partner
- Finance partner
- Financial accountant
- Financial controller
- Forensic accountant
- FSAA
- Fund accountant
- Group accountant
- Group chief accountant
- Group financial accountant
- Group financial controller
- Incorporated accountant
- Insolvency administrator
- Insolvency examiner
- Insolvency manager
- Insolvency practitioner
- Inspector of audits
- Internal audit manager
- Internal auditor
- Management accountant
- Official receiver
- Principal accountant
- Product controller
Show all 65 titles
- Project accountant
- Receiver
- Technical adviser
- Treasury accountant
- Works accountant
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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.