Sales assistant: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Sales and retail assistants (SOC 7111)
About £22,329 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +4.3% on last year
£2,177 a month About £1,861 a month after tax 214 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 £19,433 in 2021 to £26,124 in 2026 (+34%); 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 | £13,871 | £16,618 | £19,433 | £23,951 | £32,005 |
| 2022 | £14,178 | £17,194 | £20,312 | £25,193 | £32,844 |
| 2023 | £14,884 | £18,061 | £21,274 | £26,087 | £33,253 |
| 2024 | £17,598 | £20,721 | £23,750 | £28,309 | £35,201 |
| 2025 | £17,996 | £21,970 | £25,046 | £29,751 | £35,838 |
| 2026 | £19,792 | £23,066 | £26,124 | £30,842 | £38,036 |
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 £26,124 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 £23,066 and £30,842; the middle 80% between £19,792 and £38,036.
Ranked by median, it is number 344 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £1,861 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £1,864 in Scotland.
The median for men is £27,165 and for women £24,945, a gap of 8% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £19,792 | £1,649 |
| 20th | £22,245 | £1,854 |
| 25th (P25) | £23,066 | £1,922 |
| 30th | £23,845 | £1,987 |
| 40th | £24,934 | £2,078 |
| Median (50th) | £26,124 | £2,177 |
| 60th | £27,804 | £2,317 |
| 70th | £29,756 | £2,480 |
| 75th (P75) | £30,842 | £2,570 |
| 80th | £32,425 | £2,702 |
| 90th (P90) | £38,036 | £3,170 |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £27,165 | £29,159 | 118 |
| Women | £24,945 | £26,232 | 97 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £22,329 | £1,861 |
| Scotland | £22,368 | £1,864 |
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 137 job titles to SOC 7111 Sales and retail assistants. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Asda colleague
- Assistant
- Associate
- Athlete
- Bacon hand
- Bakery assistant
- Beauty consultant
- Beauty counsellor
- Book seller
- Book stall assistant
- Bookseller
- Bookseller's assistant
- Bookstall assistant
- Bra fitter
- Brand representative
- Bread salesman
- Bridal consultant
- Butcher's salesman
- Carpet consultant
- Cashier's assistant
- Cast member
- Charity shop worker
- Cheese cutter
- Confectioner and tobacconist assistant
- Confectioner's assistant
- Cosmetics consultant
- Counter assistant
- Counter salesman
- Counterhand
- Counterman
- CSA
- CTM
- Customer adviser
- Customer assistant
- Customer associate
- Customer experience assistant
- Customer service adviser
- Customer service assistant
- Customer service colleague
- Customer services adviser
- Customer services assistant
- Customer team member
- Dairy assistant
- Dairyman
- Dairyman's assistant
- Dealer's assistant
- Delicatessen assistant
- Draper's assistant
- Dry cleaner's agent
- Dyer's agent
- Fashion adviser
- Fashion consultant
- First hand
- Fish and chips seller
- Fish and fruit salesman
- Fish and poultry salesman
- Fish salesman
- Fishmonger's salesman
- Florist's assistant
- Food consultant
Show all 137 titles
- Fruiterer's assistant
- Furniture consultant
- Furrier's assistant
- Garden centre assistant
- Grocer's assistant
- Haberdashery assistant
- Indoor salesman
- Jeweller's assistant
- Kiosk assistant
- Kiosk attendant
- Kiosk operative
- Kiosk operator
- Kiosk worker
- Laundry agent
- Laundry receiving agent
- Market salesman
- Meat salesman
- Mercer's assistant
- Merchant's assistant
- Milk salesman
- Naafi assistant
- Naafi inspector
- Newsagent's assistant
- Newsboy
- Off-licence assistant
- Operations assistant
- Part-time help
- Part-time helper
- Pawnbroker's assistant
- Perfumer's assistant
- Perfumery consultant
- Personal shopper
- Personal stylist
- Post office assistant
- Poulterer's assistant
- Programme boy
- Programme seller
- Provision hand
- Receiver
- Retail assistant
- Retail associate
- Retail sales executive
- Retail salesman
- Retail staff
- Retail worker
- Sale room assistant
- Sales adviser
- Sales assistant
- Sales associate
- Sales consultant
- Sales executive
- Salesman
- Seedsman's assistant
- Selling partner
- Server
- Shoe fitter
- Shop assistant
- Shop floor assistant
- Shop salesman
- Shop worker
- Show room assistant
- Show room attendant
- Showroom salesman
- Staff assistant
- Stationer's assistant
- Store assistant
- Stores assistant
- Stores attendant
- Sub-post office assistant
- Take away assistant
- Takeaway assistant
- Team member
- Team player
- Television salesman
- Trading assistant
- Tv salesman
- Warehouse salesman
Similar occupations
All jobs in Sales and customer 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.