Insurance underwriters: salary in the UK
About £40,269 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +22% on last year
£4,269 a month About £3,356 a month after tax 23 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 £33,978 in 2021 to £51,226 in 2026 (+51%); 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 | £28,553 | £33,978 | x | x |
| 2022 | x | £27,641 | £32,664 | x | x |
| 2023 | £24,814 | £29,649 | £37,971 | x | x |
| 2024 | £26,555 | £29,752 | £36,469 | x | x |
| 2025 | £27,011 | £32,727 | £41,999 | x | x |
| 2026 | £31,206 | £36,187 | £51,226 | 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 £51,226 a year and half earn more. That is 25% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
One in ten earns less than £31,206.
Ranked by median, it is number 59 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
The mean (£77,989) 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 £3,356 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,225 in Scotland.
The median for men is £58,012 and for women £44,814, a gap of 23% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £31,206 | £2,600 |
| 20th | £33,578 | £2,798 |
| 25th (P25) | £36,187 | £3,016 |
| 30th | £38,175 | £3,181 |
| 40th | £44,077 | £3,673 |
| Median (50th) | £51,226 | £4,269 |
| 60th | £57,539 | £4,795 |
| 70th | £67,470 | £5,622 |
| 75th (P75) | x | x |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £58,012 | £96,525 | 13 |
| Women | £44,814 | £55,344 | 11 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £40,269 | £3,356 |
| Scotland | £38,694 | £3,225 |
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 20 job titles to SOC 3532 Insurance underwriters. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Account handler
- Accounts handler
- Chief inspector
- Commercial underwriter
- District inspector
- Inspector
- Insurance account handler
- Insurance handler
- Insurance inspector
- Insurance underwriter
- Insurance underwriting controller
- Life inspector
- Medical underwriter
- Member of lloyds
- Mortgage underwriter
- New business inspector
- Team leader
- Underwriter
- Underwriter's agent
- Underwriting executive
Similar occupations
All jobs in Associate 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.