Playworkers: salary in the UK
About £20,165 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time
£1,927 a month About £1,680 a month after tax
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay by year
The median went from £23,592 in 2023 to £23,118 in 2026 (-2%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +17% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | x | x | x | x | x |
| 2022 | x | x | x | x | x |
| 2023 | x | x | £23,592 | x | x |
| 2024 | x | x | £24,757 | x | x |
| 2025 | x | x | x | x | x |
| 2026 | x | x | £23,118 | 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 £23,118 a year and half earn more. That is 43% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
Ranked by median, it is number 359 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £1,680 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £1,684 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | x | x |
| 20th | x | x |
| 25th (P25) | x | x |
| 30th | x | x |
| 40th | x | x |
| Median (50th) | £23,118 | £1,927 |
| 60th | x | x |
| 70th | x | x |
| 75th (P75) | x | x |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £20,165 | £1,680 |
| Scotland | £20,204 | £1,684 |
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 £23,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 18 job titles to SOC 6117 Playworkers. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- After school assistant
- After school club activities coordinator
- After school club assistant
- Afterschool club supervisor
- Breakfast club assistant
- Infant helper
- Out of school club assistant
- Out of school club coordinator
- Play assistant
- Play centre assistant
- Play leader
- Play leader's assistant
- Play ranger
- Play worker
- Playleader
- Playscheme worker
- Playworker
- School club leader
Similar occupations
All jobs in Caring, leisure and other service 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.