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Search 60 common roles to see the middle 50% and median annual pay, mapped to the latest published ONS occupation data.
ONS ASHE 202525th, 50th and 75th percentilesTitles and aliases
Official 2025 earnings distribution
Software engineer
Programmers and software development professionals · SOC 2020 code 2134
Middle 50% of annual gross pay
£42,289–£75,794
£42,289Median £56,914£75,794
Lower quartile
£42,289
25% earned at or below this figure.
Median salary
£56,914
Half earned less and half earned more.
Upper quartile
£75,794
25% earned above this figure.
Median converted
£4,743
gross per month
£1,095
gross per week
Simple annual ÷ 12 and annual ÷ 52 conversions. These are before tax, pension, student loan and other deductions.
Read this result correctly
April 2025 provisional annual gross pay for UK full-time employee jobs where the employee had been in the job for at least one year.
National figures. Region, seniority, specialism, hours, sector and employer can move an individual salary outside this middle range.
The friendly title is mapped to the published ONS occupation shown above; compare the duties, not only the title.
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Source transparency: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), 2025 provisional, Table 14.7a: Annual pay - Gross, Full-Time, released 23 October 2025.
Use the benchmark
Compare the job, not just the title.
A title can cover very different duties and levels. Start with the mapped occupation, then compare the vacancy's responsibilities, required experience, location and pay package.
Position the level
Lower-quartile pay can be a useful early-career reference; upper-quartile pay may reflect stronger experience or responsibility, but neither is a guaranteed level.
Adjust for context
Compare local adverts and public-sector pay scales where relevant. London, scarce skills, shifts, commission and specialist credentials can materially change pay.
Evidence checked
Actual employee pay, with the limits visible.
ONS ASHE uses employer payroll responses from a 1% sample selected through PAYE records. The achieved 2025 sample was 174,000. ONS identifies the median as its preferred typical-pay measure because it is less affected by a small number of very high earners.
These provisional annual figures refer to April 2025, full-time employee jobs and employees in the job for at least one year. They are not live vacancies, contractor rates or take-home pay.
Dataset reviewed 28 June 2026.
FAQ
UK salary benchmark questions.
Where does the salary data come from?+
For 59 occupations, WorkCV uses the Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 provisional Table 14.7a. Values are annual gross pay for UK full-time employee jobs. The graduate result uses separately labelled HESA, Institute of Student Employers and High Fliers benchmarks because graduate is not an occupation.
What do lower quartile, median and upper quartile mean?+
The lower quartile is the 25th percentile: 25% of jobs earned at or below it. The median is the middle value. The upper quartile is the 75th percentile: 25% earned above it. Together, the lower and upper quartiles describe the middle 50% rather than an absolute minimum and maximum.
Are these current advertised salaries?+
No. The ONS values describe actual annual gross pay in April 2025 and were published provisionally in October 2025. Advertised salaries can move faster and may target a particular experience level, location or specialism.
Why might my salary be outside the displayed range?+
Region, experience, qualifications, responsibilities, hours, sector, employer size, commission and specialism can all affect pay. A quarter of jobs in the ONS distribution earned below the lower quartile and a quarter earned above the upper quartile.
Why does the ONS occupation differ from my job title?+
Employers use many titles for similar work. ONS groups jobs by duties under SOC 2020. WorkCV shows the mapped ONS occupation and code so you can decide whether it is genuinely close to the role you mean.