Bar staff: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Bar staff (SOC 9265)
About £20,566 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, -0.7% on last year
£1,973 a month About £1,714 a month after tax 18 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 £14,981 in 2021 to £23,676 in 2026 (+58%); 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 | £12,699 | £14,981 | £17,698 | x |
| 2022 | x | x | x | x | x |
| 2023 | x | £14,277 | £17,694 | £22,269 | x |
| 2024 | x | x | £20,741 | x | x |
| 2025 | x | £18,554 | £23,842 | x | x |
| 2026 | £14,398 | £19,220 | £23,676 | £29,247 | 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 £23,676 a year and half earn more. That is 42% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £19,220 and £29,247; one in ten earns less than £14,398.
Ranked by median, it is number 358 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £1,714 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £1,717 in Scotland.
The median for men is £25,963 and for women £21,798, a gap of 16% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £14,398 | £1,200 |
| 20th | £18,661 | £1,555 |
| 25th (P25) | £19,220 | £1,602 |
| 30th | £20,072 | £1,673 |
| 40th | £21,709 | £1,809 |
| Median (50th) | £23,676 | £1,973 |
| 60th | £26,130 | £2,178 |
| 70th | £27,963 | £2,330 |
| 75th (P75) | £29,247 | £2,437 |
| 80th | £30,320 | £2,527 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £25,963 | £25,670 | 10 |
| Women | £21,798 | £22,804 | 8 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £20,566 | £1,714 |
| Scotland | £20,606 | £1,717 |
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 £24,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 35 job titles to SOC 9265 Bar staff. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Bar assistant
- Bar associate
- Bar attendant
- Bar cellarman
- Bar handyman
- Bar help
- Bar helper
- Bar maid
- Bar operative
- Bar person
- Bar staff
- Bar steward
- Bar tender
- Bar worker
- Bar-cellarman
- Barmaid
- Barmaid-waitress
- Barman
- Barperson
- Barstaff
- Bartender
- Barworker
- Cellarman
- Cocktail waiter
- Cocktail waitress
- Dispenser
- Drink dispenser
- Front of house assistant
- Front of house staff
- Front of house team member
- Glass collector
- Licensee's assistant
- Mixologist
- Saloon attendant
- Team member
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.