Call handler: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Communication operators (SOC 7213)
About £31,380 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +4.6% on last year
£3,225 a month About £2,615 a month after tax 11 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 £26,953 in 2021 to £38,696 in 2026 (+44%); 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 | £21,235 | £26,953 | x | x |
| 2022 | x | £22,304 | £27,485 | x | x |
| 2023 | x | £23,278 | £29,381 | x | x |
| 2024 | x | £29,074 | £33,595 | £39,989 | x |
| 2025 | £23,647 | £30,605 | £36,985 | £41,097 | x |
| 2026 | £24,816 | £31,659 | £38,696 | £43,402 | 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 £38,696 a year and half earn more. That is 5% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £31,659 and £43,402; one in ten earns less than £24,816.
Ranked by median, it is number 168 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,615 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,611 in Scotland.
The median for men is £38,829 and for women £38,297, a gap of 1% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £24,816 | £2,068 |
| 20th | £27,912 | £2,326 |
| 25th (P25) | £31,659 | £2,638 |
| 30th | £33,258 | £2,772 |
| 40th | £37,138 | £3,095 |
| Median (50th) | £38,696 | £3,225 |
| 60th | £40,131 | £3,344 |
| 70th | £41,991 | £3,499 |
| 75th (P75) | £43,402 | £3,617 |
| 80th | £44,416 | £3,701 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £38,829 | £38,380 | 4 |
| Women | £38,297 | £36,611 | 7 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £31,380 | £2,615 |
| Scotland | £31,328 | £2,611 |
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 £39,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 66 job titles to SOC 7213 Communication operators. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Air traffic assistant
- Air traffic control assistant
- Air traffic control clerk
- Ambulance control assistant
- Ambulance controller
- Announcer
- Bureau operator
- Cab controller
- Cable operator
- Call assessor
- Call handler
- Civilian signalman
- Communications assistant
- Communications controller
- Communications officer
- Communications operator
- Computer aided despatch operator
- Contact centre officer
- Control assistant
- Control centre operator
- Control officer
- Control room assistant
- Control room despatcher
- Control room officer
- Control room operator
- Controller
- Deployment officer
- Despatcher
- Dispatcher
- Divisional controller
- Emergency call handler
- Emergency duty officer
- Emergency medical adviser
- Emergency medical dispatcher
- Fire control officer
- Fire control operator
- Homecall operator
- Lifeline operator
- Marine signalman
- Operator
- Patient transport service controller
- Police radio officer
- Port signalman
- Radar observer
- Radar operator
- Radio controller
- Radio despatcher
- Radio dispatcher
- Radio officer
- Radio operator
- Radio overseer
- Radio telephone operator
- Taxi controller
- Taxi dispatcher
- Taxi office controller
- Taxi operator
- Telecommunications officer
- Telecommunications operator
- Telecommunications traffic officer
- Telegraphist
Show all 66 titles
- Teleprinter operator
- Teletype operator
- Telex operator
- Traffic assistant
- Traffic officer
- TTO
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.