Social worker: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Social workers (SOC 2461)
About £36,576 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +2.8% on last year
£3,826 a month About £3,048 a month after tax 86 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 £37,890 in 2021 to £45,912 in 2026 (+21%); 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 | £26,894 | £33,024 | £37,890 | £43,106 | x |
| 2022 | £27,669 | £34,258 | £39,055 | £43,497 | x |
| 2023 | £27,460 | £34,769 | £40,639 | £45,477 | x |
| 2024 | £31,187 | £37,441 | £42,668 | £47,188 | x |
| 2025 | £33,762 | £39,442 | £44,667 | £49,961 | x |
| 2026 | £31,944 | £39,677 | £45,912 | £51,479 | 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 £45,912 a year and half earn more. That is 12% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £39,677 and £51,479; one in ten earns less than £31,944.
Ranked by median, it is number 99 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,048 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,998 in Scotland.
The median for men is £47,408 and for women £45,485, a gap of 4% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £31,944 | £2,662 |
| 20th | £38,228 | £3,186 |
| 25th (P25) | £39,677 | £3,306 |
| 30th | £40,883 | £3,407 |
| 40th | £43,727 | £3,644 |
| Median (50th) | £45,912 | £3,826 |
| 60th | £47,733 | £3,978 |
| 70th | £50,484 | £4,207 |
| 75th (P75) | £51,479 | £4,290 |
| 80th | £52,856 | £4,405 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £47,408 | £47,277 | 19 |
| Women | £45,485 | £45,082 | 67 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £36,576 | £3,048 |
| Scotland | £35,979 | £2,998 |
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 £46,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 28 job titles to SOC 2461 Social workers. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Adoption social worker
- Adult protection coordinator
- Adult social worker
- Advanced practitioner
- Almoner
- Criminal justice social worker
- Education social worker
- Family case worker
- Field worker
- Forensic social worker
- Fostering officer
- Fostering social worker
- Independent review officer
- Independent reviewing officer
- IRO
- Leader
- Medical social worker
- Mental health social worker
- Practice manager
- Psychiatric social worker
- Reviewing officer
- Senior practitioner
- Social work practitioner
- Social work team manager
- Social worker
- Supervising social worker
- Team leader
- Team manager
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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.