Pharmacy and optical dispensing assistants: salary in the UK
About £21,793 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +6.8% on last year
£2,115 a month About £1,816 a month after tax 25 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 £18,353 in 2021 to £25,380 in 2026 (+38%); 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 | £15,258 | £16,995 | £18,353 | £19,874 | x |
| 2022 | x | x | £19,070 | x | x |
| 2023 | £16,328 | £19,073 | £20,909 | £22,430 | x |
| 2024 | £18,391 | £20,381 | £22,411 | £24,103 | x |
| 2025 | £18,969 | £21,330 | £23,774 | x | x |
| 2026 | £20,047 | £23,418 | £25,380 | £27,331 | 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 £25,380 a year and half earn more. That is 38% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £23,418 and £27,331; one in ten earns less than £20,047.
Ranked by median, it is number 353 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £1,816 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £1,819 in Scotland.
The median for men is £26,290 and for women £25,183, a gap of 4% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £20,047 | £1,671 |
| 20th | £22,505 | £1,875 |
| 25th (P25) | £23,418 | £1,952 |
| 30th | £23,828 | £1,986 |
| 40th | £24,860 | £2,072 |
| Median (50th) | £25,380 | £2,115 |
| 60th | £26,217 | £2,185 |
| 70th | £26,921 | £2,243 |
| 75th (P75) | £27,331 | £2,278 |
| 80th | £28,221 | £2,352 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £26,290 | £27,231 | 6 |
| Women | £25,183 | £26,349 | 19 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £21,793 | £1,816 |
| Scotland | £21,833 | £1,819 |
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 £25,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 43 job titles to SOC 7114 Pharmacy and optical dispensing assistants. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Assistant technical officer
- Chemist dispenser
- Chemist's assistant
- Chemist’s shop assistant
- Contact lens assistant
- Counter assistant
- Customer assistant
- Customer service assistant
- Dispensary assistant
- Dispenser
- Dispenser's assistant
- Dispensing assistant
- Eye care assistant
- HCA
- Health care assistant
- Health care partner
- Healthcare adviser
- Healthcare assistant
- Healthcare partner
- Medical counter assistant
- Medicine counter assistant
- Medicines counter assistant
- Ocular hygienist
- Ophthalmic assistant
- Optical adviser
- Optical assistant
- Optical consultant
- Optical dispensing assistant
- Optical sales adviser
- Optician's assistant
- Optometrist’s assistant
- Pharmaceutical assistant
- Pharmaceutical dispenser
- Pharmacist's assistant
- Pharmacy adviser
- Pharmacy assistant
- Pharmacy assistant technical officer
- Pharmacy ATO
- Pharmacy counter assistant
- Pharmacy dispenser
- Pharmacy dispensing assistant
- Sales assistant
- Shop assistant
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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.