Where does your salary rank?
Enter your gross salary and see where it sits among UK earners on the two official measures: full-time employee salaries (ONS pay data) and all income-tax payers (HMRC income data, which includes the self-employed, landlords and pensioners). The two answers differ — and that difference is half the story.
Your pay
The full-time salary ladder
Ranks between the published percentile points are interpolated (log-linear) and shown as approximate. Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional, April 2025 pay period) — gross annual pay of UK full-time employees. Employees only: the self-employed aren't covered by ASHE.
Among all income-tax payers
Different base, different answer: HMRC's Survey of Personal Incomes covers everyone who pays income tax — employees, self-employed, landlords, pensioners — measured by total income before tax, latest year 2023–24. This is why "top 1%" claims vary: £186,840 of full-time salary and £207,000 of taxpayer total income are both correct on their own basis.
Data & methodology
Full-time salaries: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (published 23 October 2025, provisional): gross annual pay, UK full-time employees — 10th percentile £23,990, median £39,039, 90th £76,903; 95th £99,387 and 99th £186,840 from the ONS ad hoc percentile release of 4 November 2025. Median for all employees including part-time: £32,890. All taxpayers: HMRC, Survey of Personal Incomes 2023–24 (published 29 April 2026): total income before tax — 10th percentile £15,700, median £29,700, top 10% £67,400, top 5% £93,700, top 1% £207,000. Between these published points your rank is interpolated and marked as approximate; we never invent unpublished percentiles. ASHE counts employees in the same job for 12+ months at an April snapshot and excludes the self-employed; SPI covers income-tax payers only. Journalists and researchers: these figures and this tool are free to cite with a link to this page.
Two league tables, and why they disagree
Ask where a salary ranks and you'll get two different answers from two official sources, and the gap between them is half the fun. The first table is the ONS pay survey of full-time employees, the one behind most "average salary" headlines. The second is HMRC's income data, which counts everyone who pays income tax: the self-employed, landlords, retirees drawing pensions, part-timers, the lot.
The median full-time salary in the 2025 data is £39,039. The median UK taxpayer, though, has a total income of £29,700. So a £45,000 salary sits around the 58th percentile of full-time employees, decent but hardly remarkable, while ranking inside the top 30% of all taxpayers. Both are true. Pick your comparison group carefully before deciding how smug to feel.
The pay thresholds worth knowing
| Position | Full-time employees | All taxpayers |
|---|---|---|
| Median | £39,039 | £29,700 |
| Top 10% | £76,903 | £67,400 |
| Top 5% | £99,387 | £93,700 |
| Top 1% | £186,840 | £207,000 |
Sources: ONS ASHE 2025 (provisional) and HMRC's Survey of Personal Incomes 2023-24, the latest published. Ranks between the published points are interpolated, so read your result as a well-grounded estimate rather than a certificate.
Two things stand out. Cracking the top 10% of full-time earners takes £76,903, a good deal lower than most people guess when surveyed. And at the very top the tables swap places: the top 1% starts at £186,840 for employees but £207,000 for taxpayers, because up there the money increasingly comes from businesses and investments rather than a payslip.
Rank on paper, money in hand
Gross rank flatters the upper end. Between £100,000 and £125,140 the personal allowance taper means each extra pound loses 62p, so the climb from the 95th percentile is dearer than it looks. Run your figure through the take-home pay calculator to see what your rank pays in practice, and check the marginal rate calculator before celebrating a rise that mostly belongs to HMRC.
Common questions
What is the median UK salary in 2026?
The median full-time salary is £39,039 a year (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025, provisional). Including part-time workers, the median for all employees is £32,890. Half of workers earn less than these figures, half earn more.
What salary puts you in the top 10% in the UK?
A full-time salary of £76,903 or more puts you in the top 10% of UK full-time employees (ONS ASHE 2025). Measured across all income-tax payers by total income — a wider group including the self-employed and pensioners — the top 10% starts at £67,400 (HMRC, 2023-24).
What salary is the top 1% in the UK?
Two official answers: the top 1% of full-time salaries starts at about £186,840 (ONS ASHE 2025), while the top 1% of income-tax payers by total income starts at £207,000 (HMRC Survey of Personal Incomes, 2023-24). Both are right — they measure different groups and different income.
Why do published "top earner" thresholds differ so much?
Because the two official datasets measure different things: ONS pay data covers employees' salaries only, while HMRC income data covers everyone who pays income tax and counts all income — self-employment profits, rent, pensions, dividends. Always check which basis a headline uses before comparing.
These results are estimates for general information only and are not financial advice. Check every figure yourself and seek appropriate advice from a qualified professional before making any decision. Read the full disclaimer.