Postman: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Postal workers, mail sorters and messengers (SOC 9211)
About £27,204 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +3.8% on last year
£2,741 a month About £2,267 a month after tax 82 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 £27,342 in 2021 to £32,895 in 2026 (+20%); 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 | £21,627 | £24,784 | £27,342 | £31,270 | £37,220 |
| 2022 | £23,926 | £26,220 | £29,058 | £33,511 | £39,148 |
| 2023 | £23,688 | £25,597 | £28,459 | £32,387 | £37,456 |
| 2024 | £27,497 | £30,212 | £33,582 | £38,109 | £44,026 |
| 2025 | £24,705 | £28,292 | £31,682 | £36,506 | £42,051 |
| 2026 | £25,445 | £29,735 | £32,895 | £37,735 | £43,771 |
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 £32,895 a year and half earn more. That is 20% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £29,735 and £37,735; the middle 80% between £25,445 and £43,771.
Ranked by median, it is number 240 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,267 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,267 in Scotland.
The median for men is £32,983 and for women £32,525, 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) | £25,445 | £2,120 |
| 20th | £28,585 | £2,382 |
| 25th (P25) | £29,735 | £2,478 |
| 30th | £30,199 | £2,517 |
| 40th | £31,401 | £2,617 |
| Median (50th) | £32,895 | £2,741 |
| 60th | £34,815 | £2,901 |
| 70th | £36,629 | £3,052 |
| 75th (P75) | £37,735 | £3,145 |
| 80th | £39,203 | £3,267 |
| 90th (P90) | £43,771 | £3,648 |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £32,983 | £34,127 | 65 |
| Women | £32,525 | £33,339 | 18 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £27,204 | £2,267 |
| Scotland | £27,210 | £2,267 |
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 £33,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 87 job titles to SOC 9211 Postal workers, mail sorters and messengers. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Allowance deliverer
- Assistant inspector
- Chief messenger
- Circular distributor
- Collection driver
- Controlling officer
- Copy taker
- Deliverer
- Delivery boy
- Dispatch rider
- Driver-postman
- Facilities assistant
- Forewoman
- Head messenger
- Head postman
- Head postwoman
- Head sorter
- Higher grade postman
- Higher grade postwoman
- Hub sorter
- Inspector
- Inspector of postmen
- King's messenger
- Leaflet distributor
- Letter sorter
- Line manager
- Loader
- Mail room assistant
- Mail room attendant
- Mail room clerk
- Mail room supervisor
- Mail sorter
- Mail supervisor
- Mailroom clerk
- Messenger
- Newspaper boy
- Newspaper deliverer
- Newspaper distributor
- Operational postal grade
- OPG
- Order lad
- Orderly
- Outdoor officer
- Overseer
- Paper boy
- Paper girl
- Parcel handler
- Parcel sorter
- PHG
- Post clerk
- Post office worker
- Post room assistant
- Post room attendant
- Post room clerk
- Post room operative
- Post room porter
- Post room supervisor
- Post sorter
- Postal cadet
- Postal clerk
Show all 87 titles
- Postal delivery worker
- Postal executive
- Postal inspector
- Postal sorter
- Postal supervisor
- Postal worker
- Postie
- Postman
- Postman-driver
- Postroom clerk
- Postwoman
- Queen's messenger
- Roundsman
- Sorter
- Sorter-loader
- Sorting assistant
- Sorting clerk
- Sorting clerk and telegraphist
- Stamper
- Supervising officer
- Supervisor
- Supervisor of sorting assistants
- Tailor's shop girl
- Waiter
- Works postman
- Works postwoman
- X-ray operative
Similar occupations
All jobs in Elementary 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.