Painter and decorator: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Painters and decorators (SOC 5323)
About £26,863 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, -2.6% on last year
£2,702 a month About £2,239 a month after tax 18 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 £24,382 in 2021 to £32,421 in 2026 (+33%); 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 | £20,590 | £24,382 | £29,056 | x |
| 2022 | x | £23,131 | £26,955 | x | x |
| 2023 | £21,643 | £24,543 | £28,598 | £32,502 | x |
| 2024 | £24,055 | £27,827 | £32,044 | £37,522 | x |
| 2025 | £23,768 | £28,810 | £33,274 | £39,739 | x |
| 2026 | £21,154 | £27,186 | £32,421 | £36,821 | 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 £32,421 a year and half earn more. That is 21% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £27,186 and £36,821; one in ten earns less than £21,154.
Ranked by median, it is number 249 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,239 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,239 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £21,154 | £1,763 |
| 20th | £25,781 | £2,148 |
| 25th (P25) | £27,186 | £2,265 |
| 30th | £27,901 | £2,325 |
| 40th | £30,753 | £2,563 |
| Median (50th) | £32,421 | £2,702 |
| 60th | £34,259 | £2,855 |
| 70th | £36,165 | £3,014 |
| 75th (P75) | £36,821 | £3,068 |
| 80th | £38,960 | £3,247 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £32,694 | £33,756 | 17 |
| Women | x | x | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £26,863 | £2,239 |
| Scotland | £26,873 | £2,239 |
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 £32,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 42 job titles to SOC 5323 Painters and decorators. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Artex worker
- Artexer
- Bridge painter
- Bridge sprayer
- Brush hand
- Buildings painter
- Buildings sprayer
- Ceiling specialist
- Ceiling texturer
- Chipper and painter
- Contractor
- Decorating contractor
- Decorator
- Finisher
- French polisher
- Furniture polisher
- Gilder
- Grainer
- Grainer and marbler
- House decorator
- House painter
- Industrial painter
- Interior decorator
- Marine painter
- Painter
- Painter and decorator
- Painter and glazier
- Painter-decorator
- Painting contractor
- Paper hanger
- Paperhanger
- Piano polisher
- Polisher
- Prime coater
- Red leader
- Scenic painter
- Ship painter
- Ship sprayer
- Spray painter
- Stainer
- Wood polisher
- Wood stainer
Similar occupations
All jobs in Skilled trades 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.