Bookkeeper: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks (SOC 4122)
About £26,990 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +3.5% on last year
£2,716 a month About £2,249 a month after tax 160 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 £26,106 in 2021 to £32,598 in 2026 (+25%); 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 | £17,810 | £21,049 | £26,106 | £34,405 | £46,462 |
| 2022 | £19,140 | £22,375 | £26,892 | £34,364 | x |
| 2023 | x | £23,681 | £28,000 | £35,885 | x |
| 2024 | £22,184 | £25,400 | £30,000 | £38,311 | £48,122 |
| 2025 | £22,990 | £26,802 | £31,500 | £40,000 | £50,567 |
| 2026 | £25,157 | £28,277 | £32,598 | £42,056 | £52,962 |
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 £32,598 a year and half earn more. That is 20% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £28,277 and £42,056; the middle 80% between £25,157 and £52,962.
Ranked by median, it is number 243 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,249 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,250 in Scotland.
The median for men is £33,599 and for women £32,372, 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) | £25,157 | £2,096 |
| 20th | £27,475 | £2,290 |
| 25th (P25) | £28,277 | £2,356 |
| 30th | £29,199 | £2,433 |
| 40th | £30,872 | £2,573 |
| Median (50th) | £32,598 | £2,716 |
| 60th | £35,243 | £2,937 |
| 70th | £39,004 | £3,250 |
| 75th (P75) | £42,056 | £3,505 |
| 80th | £45,798 | £3,817 |
| 90th (P90) | £52,962 | £4,414 |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £33,599 | £38,039 | 58 |
| Women | £32,372 | £35,596 | 102 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £26,990 | £2,249 |
| Scotland | £26,999 | £2,250 |
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 £33,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 114 job titles to SOC 4122 Book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Account assistant
- Account clerk
- Account controller
- Accountancy assistant
- Accountancy clerk
- Accountant
- Accountant and auditor
- Accountant's assistant
- Accountant's clerk
- Accounting assistant
- Accounting supervisor
- Accounts administrator
- Accounts assistant
- Accounts associate
- Accounts clerical assistant
- Accounts clerk
- Accounts control clerk
- Accounts controller
- Accounts inspector
- Accounts investigator
- Accounts officer
- Accounts payable administrator
- Accounts payable assistant
- Accounts payable clerk
- Accounts payable controller
- Accounts payable officer
- Accounts payable supervisor
- Accounts supervisor
- Accounts support officer
- Audit associate
- Audit clerk
- Audit supervisor
- Audit team leader
- Auditor
- Barrack accountant
- Barracks accountant
- Billing administrator
- Book keeper
- Book keeping clerk
- Book-keeping clerk
- Bookkeeper
- Bookkeeper-accountant
- Bookkeeper-cashier
- Bookkeeper-secretary
- Bookkeeper-typist
- Bought ledger controller
- Chief book keeper
- Chief bookkeeper
- Clerical assistant
- Clerk
- Clerk-bookkeeper
- Compliance auditor
- Cost accountant
- Cost and works accountant
- Financial accountant
- Fund holding administrator
- Group accountant
- Internal auditor
- Invoice checker
- Invoice clerk
Show all 114 titles
- Invoice controller
- Invoice manager
- Invoicer
- Invoicing clerk
- Ledger administrator
- Ledger assistant
- Ledger clerk
- Ledger controller
- Ledger keeper
- Ledger manager
- Ledger supervisor
- Management accountant
- Night auditor
- Pay administrator
- Pay clerk
- Pay master
- Paymaster
- Payroll administrator
- Payroll adviser
- Payroll and pensions manager
- Payroll assistant
- Payroll clerk
- Payroll control officer
- Payroll controller
- Payroll executive
- Payroll manager
- Payroll officer
- Payroll services assistant
- Payroll specialist
- Payroll supervisor
- Payroll team leader
- Project accountant
- Purchase ledger administrator
- Purchase ledger assistant
- Purchase ledger controller
- Purchase ledger manager
- Salaries assistant
- Salaries clerk
- Salaries officer
- Sales ledger clerk
- Sales ledger controller
- Sales ledger manager
- Supervisor
- Wage clerk
- Wages administrator
- Wages and accounts clerk
- Wages and control officer
- Wages assistant
- Wages clerk
- Wages controller
- Wages manager
- Wages officer
- Wages supervisor
- Works accountant
Similar occupations
All jobs in Administrative and secretarial 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.