QA Engineer Salary in South East
Official ONS earnings for South East.
Median salary — South East
£55,001
gross, per year, all employees
Mean
£51,360
What a typical qa engineer takes home
On the median of £55,001, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£3,538
Take-home a year
£42,458
Income Tax
£9,432
National Insurance
£3,111
What most qa engineers actually earn
Half of qa engineers in South East earn between £42,281 and £77,466. Earning above £77,466 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 “Information Technology Professionals” group in South East.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of qa engineers earn less than this.
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- IT quality and testing professionals
- SOC 2020 code
- 2136
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “qa engineer” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “IT quality and testing professionals”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS measures IT quality and testing 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.
QA Engineer salary FAQs
What is the average QA Engineer salary in South East?
The median is £55,001 a year and the mean is £51,360, 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 qa engineer earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £23.83 excluding overtime, or £23.96 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only, so there is no separate rate for South East.
What is a good QA Engineer salary?
Half of qa engineers earn between £42,281 and £77,466. Anything above £77,466 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a qa engineer?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of qa engineers earn under £33,189 and the lowest quarter under £42,281 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Do qa engineers in South East earn more than the UK average?
The median in South East is £55,001 against £44,973 across the UK, 22.3% higher.
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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