Telephonists: salary in the UK
About £27,784 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +9.8% on last year
£2,808 a month About £2,315 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 £26,655 in 2021 to £33,701 in 2026 (+26%); 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 | £22,788 | £26,655 | £32,066 | x |
| 2022 | x | x | £27,426 | x | x |
| 2023 | x | x | £28,830 | x | x |
| 2024 | x | x | £28,431 | x | x |
| 2025 | x | x | £30,702 | x | x |
| 2026 | x | x | £33,701 | 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 £33,701 a year and half earn more. That is 18% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
Ranked by median, it is number 226 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,315 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,315 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) | £33,701 | £2,808 |
| 60th | £35,580 | £2,965 |
| 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 | £27,784 | £2,315 |
| Scotland | £27,782 | £2,315 |
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 £34,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 16 job titles to SOC 7212 Telephonists. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Call handler
- Directory enquiry operator
- Night operator
- Operator
- Phone operator
- Shorthand telephonist
- Switch board attendant
- Switchboard operator
- Telephone attendant
- Telephone operative
- Telephone operator
- Telephonist
- Telephonist-clerk
- Telephonist-receptionist
- Telephonist-secretary
- Telephonist-typist
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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.