Receptionist Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 185,000 jobs.
Median salary
£18,152
gross, per year, all employees
Part-time work is common in this occupation, so the figure above sits 36% below the £24,678 median for people working full-time.
▲ 7.3% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£24,678
Part-time only
£13,783
Mean
£18,748
Jobs measured
185,000
What a typical receptionist takes home
On the full-time median of £24,678, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£1,774
Take-home a year
£21,288
Income Tax
£2,422
National Insurance
£969
What most receptionists actually earn
Half of receptionists earn between £12,706 and £24,212. Earning above £24,212 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 receptionists earn less than this.
Receptionist salary by region
11 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| London | £20,943 | £21,402 |
| Wales | £19,337 | £19,439 |
| Scotland | £19,095 | £19,535 |
| North West | £18,092 | £18,302 |
| West Midlands | £17,703 | £18,225 |
| East | £17,488 | £18,610 |
| South West | £17,482 | £17,833 |
| East Midlands | £17,377 | £18,277 |
| South East | £17,222 | £18,218 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £16,958 | £17,146 |
| North East | £16,803 | £17,343 |
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Receptionists
- SOC 2020 code
- 4216
- 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.
Receptionist salary FAQs
What is the average Receptionist salary in the UK?
The median is £18,152 a year and the mean is £18,748, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £24,678 and part-time employees £13,783.
How much does a receptionist earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £12.94 excluding overtime, or £13.18 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only.
What is a good Receptionist salary?
Half of receptionists earn between £12,706 and £24,212. Anything above £24,212 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a receptionist?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of receptionists earn under £8,890 and the lowest quarter under £12,706 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
How much do the highest-paid receptionists earn?
The top 10% of receptionists earn more than £29,496 a year, and the top quarter more than £24,212. ASHE does not publish figures above the 90th percentile.
Which part of the UK pays receptionists the most?
Scotland, at a median of £19,095, is the highest of the 4 GB regions with a precise ONS estimate; East is the lowest at £17,488. Regions where ONS marks the figure as imprecise are not ranked.
Has receptionist pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +7.3% for this occupation in the UK. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many receptionists are there in the UK?
ASHE counts around 185,000 employee jobs in “Receptionists” (SOC 4216) 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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