Accountant Salary in South West
Official ONS earnings for South West.
Median salary — South West
£43,412
gross, per year, all employees
Mean
£43,105
What a typical accountant takes home
On the median of £43,412, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,898
Take-home a year
£34,776
Income Tax
£6,168
National Insurance
£2,467
What most accountants actually earn
Half of accountants in South West earn between £31,914 and £54,116. Earning above £54,116 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
ONS suppresses the detailed spread for this occupation at regional level, so this range describes the wider “Finance Professionals” group in South West.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of accountants earn less than this.
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Chartered and certified accountants
- SOC 2020 code
- 2421
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS publishes a sampling error of 10.7% for this figure and asks that anything above 10% is treated as imprecise — too few people in this region answered the survey for this occupation. The figure is shown because it is the one ONS published, but it is not firm enough to rank South West against anywhere else, so this page doesn't.
ONS doesn't measure “accountant” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Chartered and certified accountants”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS group covers chartered and certified accountants only.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Accountant salary FAQs
What is the average Accountant salary in South West?
The median is £43,412 a year and the mean is £43,105, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; ASHE publishes no full-time split at regional level.
How much does a accountant earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £25.80 excluding overtime, or £26.02 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only, so there is no separate rate for South West.
What is a good Accountant salary?
Half of accountants earn between £31,914 and £54,116. Anything above £54,116 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a accountant?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of accountants earn under £24,000 and the lowest quarter under £31,914 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Do accountants in South West earn more than the UK average?
The median in South West is £43,412 against £45,538 across the UK, 4.7% lower. ONS marks the South West figure as imprecise, so treat the gap as indicative.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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