Receptionists: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time receptionists in the UK earned a median £24,678 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 37% 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 (19th from the bottom).
Pay is tightly bunched, from £19,397 at the 10th percentile to £32,790 at the 90th.
Median full-time pay: women £24,464 a year, men £25,640 a year.
Most jobs here are part-time: 88,000 of about 208,000 are full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 30.9% (from £18,853), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 149,000 people in this line of work, 16% of them in South East.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £19,397 | £422.70 | £12.21 | £8,890 | £168.50 | £12.21 |
| 20th percentile | £21,488 | £455.00 | £12.39 | £11,588 | £225.90 | £12.25 |
| 25th percentile | £22,124 | £462.80 | £12.50 | £12,706 | £251.50 | £12.35 |
| 30th percentile | £22,874 | £470.90 | £12.60 | £13,969 | £276.80 | £12.44 |
| 40th percentile | £23,747 | £488.70 | £12.93 | £15,670 | £323.20 | £12.63 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £24,678 | £506.40 | £13.22 | £18,152 | £370.80 | £12.95 |
| 60th percentile | £25,954 | £527.00 | £13.79 | £20,821 | £426.10 | £13.28 |
| 70th percentile | £27,749 | £558.60 | £14.37 | £23,376 | £473.70 | £13.79 |
| 75th percentile | £28,730 | £573.90 | £14.81 | £24,212 | £492.60 | £14.13 |
| 80th percentile | £29,993 | £592.30 | £15.29 | £25,500 | £514.60 | £14.72 |
| 90th percentile | £32,790* | £654.60 | £16.46 | £29,496 | £582.80 | £16.00 |
| Mean | £25,593 | £526.60 | £13.94 | £18,748 | £376.30 | £13.73 |
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 | £18,853 | £378.00 | £9.94 | £14,191 | £281.30 | 221 |
| 2022 revised | £20,082 | £409.10 | £10.65 | £14,942 | £304.20 | 227 |
| 2023 revised | £21,720 | £442.40 | £11.74 | £15,925 | £319.50 | 238 |
| 2024 revised | £23,633 | £470.20 | £12.45 | £16,920 | £343.20 | 204 |
| 2025 provisional | £24,678 | £506.40 | £13.22 | £18,152 | £370.80 | 208 |
Receptionists by region
UK: 149,000 (± 15,000), April 2025 to March 2026. 4 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 23,400* | ± 6,100 |
| London | 20,300* | ± 7,300 |
| North West | 17,300* | ± 5,000 |
| South West | 14,900* | ± 4,400 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 10,500* | ± 3,800 |
| Scotland | 10,500* | ± 3,700 |
| North East | 9,000* | ± 3,000 |
| Wales | 6,000* | ± 2,200 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What receptionists do
Receptionists receive and direct telephone calls and visitors to commercial, government and other establishments. (ONS SOC 2020, 4216)
Also covers: dental receptionist, doctor’s receptionist, medical receptionist, reception manager, receptionist, receptionist-administrator, A&E receptionist, doctor's receptionist, hospital receptionist, hotel receptionist, legal receptionist, optical receptionist, reception officer, reception supervisor, school receptionist, service adviser, surgery assistant and veterinary receptionist (25 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Receives callers and clients and directs them to the appropriate person or department
- Records the details of enquiries and makes appointments and reservations
- Answers, screens and forwards or otherwise deals with telephone enquiries
- Supplies brochures, pamphlets and other information for clients
- Records details of visitors, issues security passes and informs visitors of any actions to be taken in case of an emergency
- Maintains reception area in good order
There are no formal academic entry requirements, although many employers expect entrants to possess GCSEs/S grades. There are a variety of relevant vocational qualifications available. NVQs/SVQs in Administration are available at level 2 that encompass various aspects of reception work. Professional qualifications are also available.
Related
Secretarial and related occupations (median £28,388) · Personal assistants and other secretaries · Typists and related keyboard occupations · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026