Dispensing optician: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Dispensing opticians (SOC 3211)
About £25,633 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +7.6% on last year
£2,559 a month About £2,136 a month after tax
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 £25,667 in 2021 to £30,713 in 2026 (+20%); 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 | x | £25,667 | x | x |
| 2022 | x | x | x | x | x |
| 2023 | x | x | £26,984 | x | x |
| 2024 | x | x | £27,541 | x | x |
| 2025 | x | x | £28,556 | x | x |
| 2026 | x | x | £30,713 | 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 £30,713 a year and half earn more. That is 25% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
Ranked by median, it is number 278 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,136 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,138 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | x | x |
| 20th | x | x |
| 25th (P25) | x | x |
| 30th | £29,078 | £2,423 |
| 40th | £30,218 | £2,518 |
| Median (50th) | £30,713 | £2,559 |
| 60th | £30,961 | £2,580 |
| 70th | x | x |
| 75th (P75) | x | x |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | x | £31,199 | x |
| Women | £30,206 | £32,666 | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £25,633 | £2,136 |
| Scotland | £25,661 | £2,138 |
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 £31,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 6 job titles to SOC 3211 Dispensing opticians. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Contact lens fitter
- Contact lens optician
- Dispenser
- Dispensing optician
- Ophthalmic technician
- Optical dispenser
Similar occupations
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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.