Pest controller: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Pest control officers (SOC 6121)
About £25,854 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +9.5% on last year
£2,585 a month About £2,154 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 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 £24,943 in 2021 to £31,020 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 | x | x | £24,943 | x | x |
| 2022 | x | x | £27,133 | x | x |
| 2023 | x | x | £28,196 | x | x |
| 2024 | x | x | £30,726 | x | x |
| 2025 | x | x | £28,317 | x | x |
| 2026 | x | x | £31,020 | 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 £31,020 a year and half earn more. That is 24% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
Ranked by median, it is number 271 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,154 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,157 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | x | x |
| 20th | x | x |
| 25th (P25) | x | x |
| 30th | x | x |
| 40th | £29,352 | £2,446 |
| Median (50th) | £31,020 | £2,585 |
| 60th | £33,576 | £2,798 |
| 70th | x | x |
| 75th (P75) | x | x |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £31,726 | £33,493 | x |
| Women | x | x | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £25,854 | £2,154 |
| Scotland | £25,879 | £2,157 |
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 £31,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 26 job titles to SOC 6121 Pest control officers. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Colorado beetle operator
- Destroyer
- Disinfecting officer
- Disinfector
- Exterminator
- Fumigator
- Infestation inspector
- Mole catcher
- Pest control inspector
- Pest control officer
- Pest control operator
- Pest control surveyor
- Pest control technician
- Pest controller
- Pest officer
- Pest prevention service technician
- Rat catcher
- Rodent control officer
- Rodent inspector
- Rodent officer
- Rodent operative
- Rodent operator
- Sprayer
- Surveyor
- Timber infestation surveyor
- Woodworm specialist
Similar occupations
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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.