Sales executive: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Business sales executives (SOC 3552)
About £33,539 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +9.6% on last year
£3,474 a month About £2,795 a month after tax 146 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 £33,622 in 2021 to £41,694 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 | £21,214 | £26,125 | £33,622 | £44,668 | x |
| 2022 | x | £27,423 | £34,569 | £46,132 | x |
| 2023 | £24,000 | £28,102 | £35,596 | £46,879 | x |
| 2024 | £24,700 | £29,371 | £36,734 | £49,340 | x |
| 2025 | £25,376 | £30,439 | £38,052 | £53,434 | x |
| 2026 | £27,370 | £32,359 | £41,694 | £55,620 | 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 £41,694 a year and half earn more. That is 2% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £32,359 and £55,620; one in ten earns less than £27,370.
Ranked by median, it is number 137 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
The mean (£50,662) 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 £2,795 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,788 in Scotland.
The median for men is £44,584 and for women £36,368, a gap of 18% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £27,370 | £2,281 |
| 20th | £30,692 | £2,558 |
| 25th (P25) | £32,359 | £2,697 |
| 30th | £33,986 | £2,832 |
| 40th | £37,413 | £3,118 |
| Median (50th) | £41,694 | £3,474 |
| 60th | £46,472 | £3,873 |
| 70th | £51,761 | £4,313 |
| 75th (P75) | £55,620 | £4,635 |
| 80th | £61,659 | £5,138 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £44,584 | £54,478 | 96 |
| Women | £36,368 | £43,342 | 50 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £33,539 | £2,795 |
| Scotland | £33,457 | £2,788 |
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 £42,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 100 job titles to SOC 3552 Business sales executives. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Account executive
- Advertising sales executive
- Agent
- Agricultural agent
- Agricultural representative
- Architectural representative
- Area controller
- Area supervisor
- Art gallery assistant
- Business agent
- Business developer
- Business development consultant
- Business development engineer
- Business development executive
- Business development officer
- Business development representative
- Cattle salesman
- Commercial engineer
- Commercial salesman
- Commercial traveller
- Commission agent
- Commission salesman
- Company representative
- Computer salesman
- Computer specialist
- Consulting engineer
- Consumers engineer
- Corporate account executive
- Delivery salesman
- Divisional controller
- Double glazing salesman
- E-commerce administrator
- E-commerce executive
- Educational representative
- Engineer's agent
- Enterprise account executive
- Export salesman
- Fashion agent
- Fish salesman
- Grain trader
- Heating representative
- Home service adviser
- Internal sales executive
- Leasing consultant
- Liaison representative
- Manufacturer's agent
- Meat salesman
- Medical liaison officer
- Medical representative
- Merchant
- Mineral water salesman
- National accounts executive
- Outside salesman
- Product marketing engineer
- Product specialist
- Products specialist
- Publisher's agent
- Publisher's representative
- Representative
- Retail controller
Show all 100 titles
- Sales account handler
- Sales agent
- Sales and marketing assistant
- Sales and marketing consultant
- Sales and marketing executive
- Sales consultant
- Sales controller
- Sales development executive
- Sales engineer
- Sales executive
- Sales officer
- Sales organiser
- Sales planner
- Sales representative
- Sales service engineer
- Sales specialist
- Sales superintendent
- Sales supervisor
- Sales support engineer
- Sales support officer
- Salesman
- Salesman-mechanic
- Shipping consultant
- Specialist
- Superintendent
- Tea salesman
- Technical adviser
- Technical consultant
- Technical representative
- Technical sales adviser
- Technical sales engineer
- Technical sales representative
- Technical salesman
- Territory manager
- Textile agent
- Traveller
- Travelling salesman
- Tyre salesman
- Van salesman
- Wool salesman
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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.