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UK salary report · 2026

Payroll Manager Salary in West Midlands

Official ONS earnings for West Midlands, covering 24,000 jobs.

ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings Grouped occupation Where this comes from →

Median salary — West Midlands

£27,848

gross, per year, all employees

▲ 7.9% change on the previous year

Mean

£28,323

Jobs measured

24,000

What a typical payroll manager takes home

On the median of £27,848, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.

Take-home a month

£1,964

Take-home a year

£23,570

Income Tax

£3,056

National Insurance

£1,222

Work out yours — with pension, student loan and bonus → £28,000 after tax, step by step →

What most payroll managers actually earn

Half of payroll managers in West Midlands earn between £21,844 and £33,254. Earning above £33,254 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 “Administrative Occupations: Finance” group in West Midlands.

The full pay range

Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of payroll managers earn less than this.

10th
£12,425
20th
£19,776
25th
£21,844
30th
£23,522
40th
£25,978
50th
£27,541
60th
£29,676
70th
£31,342
75th
£33,254
80th
£35,137
Check where your salary sits

How West Midlands ranks for payroll manager pay

3rd

of 10 GB regions with a published figure

London tops the table on £33,217 and East Midlands sits at the bottom on £25,187. West Midlands is £5,369 short of the top.

Ranking compares published regional medians for the same occupation. It says nothing about cost of living — a higher median doesn't survive contact with rent. The cost of living calculator is the honest next step.

Where this figure comes from

ONS occupation group
Book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks
SOC 2020 code
4122
Measure
Gross annual pay, all employees
Edition
ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional

ONS doesn't measure “payroll manager” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS group combines book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks.

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.

Payroll Manager salary FAQs

What is the average Payroll Manager salary in West Midlands?

The median is £27,848 a year and the mean is £28,323, 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 payroll manager earn per hour?

Across the UK the median hourly rate is £16.33 excluding overtime, or £16.65 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only, so there is no separate rate for West Midlands.

What is a good Payroll Manager salary?

Half of payroll managers earn between £21,844 and £33,254. Anything above £33,254 is in the top quarter for the role.

What is the starting salary for a payroll manager?

ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of payroll managers earn under £12,425 and the lowest quarter under £21,844 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.

Do payroll managers in West Midlands earn more than the UK average?

The median in West Midlands is £27,848 against £27,743 across the UK, 0.4% higher, which places it 3rd highest of the 10 GB regions with a precise estimate.

Has payroll manager pay gone up in the last year?

ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +7.9% for this occupation in West Midlands. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.

How many payroll managers are there in West Midlands?

ASHE counts around 24,000 employee jobs in “Book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks” (SOC 4122) in West Midlands. 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.

Official figures show the market. Your salary shows what employers actually pay.

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