Waiter: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Waiters and waitresses (SOC 9264)
About £21,265 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +8.4% on last year
£2,054 a month About £1,772 a month after tax 39 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 £16,097 in 2021 to £24,647 in 2026 (+53%); 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 | £11,414 | £13,294 | £16,097 | £18,392 | x |
| 2022 | x | £12,705 | £17,112 | £19,980 | x |
| 2023 | x | £14,178 | £18,576 | £22,563 | x |
| 2024 | x | £16,209 | £21,596 | £25,837 | x |
| 2025 | £14,122 | £18,332 | £22,728 | £27,423 | x |
| 2026 | £14,837 | £19,955 | £24,647 | £29,241 | 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 £24,647 a year and half earn more. That is 40% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £19,955 and £29,241; one in ten earns less than £14,837.
Ranked by median, it is number 357 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £1,772 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £1,775 in Scotland.
The median for men is £25,900 and for women £24,039, a gap of 7% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £14,837 | £1,236 |
| 20th | £18,325 | £1,527 |
| 25th (P25) | £19,955 | £1,663 |
| 30th | £20,860 | £1,738 |
| 40th | £22,814 | £1,901 |
| Median (50th) | £24,647 | £2,054 |
| 60th | £26,081 | £2,173 |
| 70th | £28,173 | £2,348 |
| 75th (P75) | £29,241 | £2,437 |
| 80th | £30,501 | £2,542 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £25,900 | £25,428 | 14 |
| Women | £24,039 | £23,852 | 25 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £21,265 | £1,772 |
| Scotland | £21,305 | £1,775 |
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 9264 Waiters and waitresses. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Busser
- Canteen steward
- Catering steward
- Conference and banqueting assistant
- Dining car attendant
- Dining car steward
- Food and beverage assistant
- Food and beverage associate
- Food runner
- Front of house assistant
- Front of house staff
- Front of house team member
- Fun factory worker
- Hospitality assistant
- Hostess
- Mess steward
- Messroom steward
- Party hostess
- Party organiser
- Restaurant car attendant
- Restaurant waiter
- Room service assistant
- Room service attendant
- Runner
- Saloon boy
- Seater
- Shift runner
- Ship steward
- Silver service waiter
- Silver service waitress
- Sommelier
- Steward
- Tea maid
- Waiter
- Waiting staff
- Waitress
- Waitress-barista
- Ward room attendant
- Ward waiter
- Ward waitress
- Wine butler
- Wine steward
- Wine waiter
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.