Occupational Therapist Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 43,000 jobs.
Median salary
£37,201
gross, per year, all employees
Part-time work is common in this occupation, so the figure above sits 18.4% below the £44,040 median for people working full-time.
▲ 4.1% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£44,040
Part-time only
£26,936
Mean
£37,503
Jobs measured
43,000
What a typical occupational therapist takes home
On the full-time median of £44,040, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,936
Take-home a year
£35,228
Income Tax
£6,294
National Insurance
£2,518
What most occupational therapists actually earn
Half of occupational therapists earn between £29,424 and £46,309. Earning above £46,309 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of occupational therapists earn less than this.
Occupational Therapist salary by region
10 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| London | £50,032 | £48,577 |
| Wales | £41,377 | £40,073 |
| North West | £38,479 | £36,145 |
| Scotland | £37,220 | £37,415 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £37,014 | £37,931 |
| West Midlands | £36,591 | £38,805 |
| South East | £36,279 | £35,658 |
| East | £35,101 | £36,217 |
| North East | £34,831 | £35,140 |
| East Midlands | £29,782 | £33,238 |
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Occupational therapists
- SOC 2020 code
- 2222
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
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.
Occupational Therapist salary FAQs
What is the average Occupational Therapist salary in the UK?
The median is £37,201 a year and the mean is £37,503, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £44,040 and part-time employees £26,936.
How much does a occupational therapist earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £23.05 excluding overtime, or £22.99 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only.
What is a good Occupational Therapist salary?
Half of occupational therapists earn between £29,424 and £46,309. Anything above £46,309 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a occupational therapist?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of occupational therapists earn under £22,400 and the lowest quarter under £29,424 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Has occupational therapist pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +4.1% for this occupation in the UK. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many occupational therapists are there in the UK?
ASHE counts around 43,000 employee jobs in “Occupational therapists” (SOC 2222) in the UK. Self-employed work is not included.
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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