Cooks: salary in the UK
About £22,340 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +6.8% on last year
£2,178 a month About £1,862 a month after tax 19 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 £18,087 in 2021 to £26,140 in 2026 (+45%); 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 | £13,898 | £15,611 | £18,087 | £20,853 | x |
| 2022 | x | £15,979 | £19,416 | £23,153 | x |
| 2023 | x | £18,072 | £21,467 | £24,205 | x |
| 2024 | x | £19,381 | £22,282 | £24,913 | x |
| 2025 | £18,176 | £20,714 | £24,471 | £28,016 | x |
| 2026 | £20,160 | £22,770 | £26,140 | £31,156 | 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 £26,140 a year and half earn more. That is 36% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £22,770 and £31,156; one in ten earns less than £20,160.
Ranked by median, it is number 343 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £1,862 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £1,865 in Scotland.
The median for men is £28,196 and for women £25,703, a gap of 9% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £20,160 | £1,680 |
| 20th | £22,247 | £1,854 |
| 25th (P25) | £22,770 | £1,898 |
| 30th | £23,488 | £1,957 |
| 40th | £25,252 | £2,104 |
| Median (50th) | £26,140 | £2,178 |
| 60th | £27,750 | £2,312 |
| 70th | £30,058 | £2,505 |
| 75th (P75) | £31,156 | £2,596 |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £28,196 | £30,424 | x |
| Women | £25,703 | £26,764 | 14 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £22,340 | £1,862 |
| Scotland | £22,380 | £1,865 |
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 £26,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 19 job titles to SOC 5435 Cooks. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Chief cook
- Cook
- Cook in charge
- Cook manager
- Cook supervisor
- Cook-cleaner
- Cook-companion
- Cook-general
- Cook-manager
- Cook-steward
- Cook-supervisor
- Fish fryer
- Fryer
- Griddler
- Grill hand
- Head cook
- Pastry cook
- Pastrycook
- School meals controller
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.