Pharmaceutical technicians: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time pharmaceutical technicians in the UK earned a median £31,044 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 20% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
It is in the lowest-paid third of the 382 occupations (124th from the bottom).
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £26,656 and £36,760.
Median full-time pay: women £31,083 a year, men £30,870 a year.
About 69% of the roughly 29,000 employee jobs are full-time.
From £25,304 in 2021, the median is up 22.7%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 23,700 people in this line of work across the UK.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £23,050 | £492.00 | £12.97 | £18,474* | £333.50 | £13.04 |
| 20th percentile | £25,846 | £509.80 | £13.61 | £21,755 | £430.60 | £13.70 |
| 25th percentile | £26,656 | £523.40 | £13.95 | £22,910 | £454.10 | £13.99 |
| 30th percentile | £27,795 | £554.60 | £14.51 | £23,281 | £488.50 | £14.40 |
| 40th percentile | £29,891 | £578.50 | £15.36 | £26,279 | £510.90 | £15.33 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £31,044 | £606.60 | £16.11 | £28,381 | £559.30 | £16.09 |
| 60th percentile | £33,202 | £647.50 | £16.79 | £30,315 | £601.00 | £16.87 |
| 70th percentile | £35,199 | £674.90 | £18.02 | £33,135 | £648.60 | £18.64 |
| 75th percentile | £36,760* | £699.20 | £18.66 | £34,199 | £669.20 | £18.81 |
| 80th percentile | – | £724.60 | £19.35 | £36,483* | £699.20 | £19.52 |
| Mean | £32,101 | £631.20 | £16.72 | £28,653 | £560.30 | £16.86 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £25,304 | £485.80 | £12.79 | £21,701 | £438.40 | 25* |
| 2022 revised | £25,542 | £495.10 | £13.09 | £23,458 | £467.10 | 19* |
| 2023 revised | £27,752 | £549.90 | £14.64 | £24,537 | £496.90 | 23* |
| 2024 revised | £30,310 | £573.50 | £14.98 | £25,496 | £520.40 | 26 |
| 2025 provisional | £31,044 | £606.60 | £16.11 | £28,381 | £559.30 | 29 |
Pharmaceutical technicians by region
UK: 23,700 (± 6,000), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What pharmaceutical technicians do
Pharmaceutical technicians work in hospitals or in the community and assist pharmacists in the preparation and dispensing of drugs and medicines. (ONS SOC 2020, 3212)
Also covers: dispensing technician, pharmaceutical technician, pharmacy technician, checking technician, accredited checking technician, accuracy checking technician, medicines management technician and accuracy checking pharmacy technician.
- Checks received prescriptions for legality and accuracy
- Prepares drugs and medicines under the supervision of pharmacist
- Prepares specialised, tailor-made drugs for intravenous administration by hospital medical staff
- Labels and checks items prior to dispensing
- Maintains records of prescriptions received and drugs issued
- Advises patients or customers on the use of drugs prescribed or medication purchased over the counter
Entrants to training usually possess GCSEs/S grades or the equivalent. Training is typically a combination of practical experience and study at a college or by open learning towards vocational qualifications. An approved competency and an approved knowledge based qualification and two years’ experience is required to register as a pharmacy technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
Related
Health associate professionals (median £30,052) · Dispensing opticians · Medical and dental technicians · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026