Paralegal Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 41,000 jobs.
Median salary
£32,438
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 5.8% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£34,662
Part-time only
£17,541
Mean
£38,423
Jobs measured
41,000
What a typical paralegal takes home
On the median of £32,438, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,240
Take-home a year
£26,875
Income Tax
£3,974
National Insurance
£1,589
What most paralegals actually earn
Half of paralegals earn between £24,655 and £43,061. Earning above £43,061 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 paralegals earn less than this.
Paralegal salary by region
6 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| London | £39,053 | £50,342 |
| East Midlands | £34,766 | £35,113 |
| North West | £29,909 | £32,229 |
| North East | £28,834 | £29,961 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £27,467 | £30,443 |
| East | £26,581 | £29,444 |
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Legal associate professionals
- SOC 2020 code
- 3520
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “paralegal” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Legal associate professionals”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS measures legal associate professionals.
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.
Paralegal salary FAQs
What is the average Paralegal salary in the UK?
The median is £32,438 a year and the mean is £38,423, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £34,662 and part-time employees £17,541.
How much does a paralegal earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £17.80 excluding overtime, or £18.40 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only.
What is a good Paralegal salary?
Half of paralegals earn between £24,655 and £43,061. Anything above £43,061 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a paralegal?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of paralegals earn under £17,581 and the lowest quarter under £24,655 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Has paralegal pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +5.8% for this occupation in the UK. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many paralegals are there in the UK?
ASHE counts around 41,000 employee jobs in “Legal associate professionals” (SOC 3520) 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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