Waiters and waitresses salary in the UK
The median full-time salary for waiters and waitresses in the UK is £22,936 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £1,669 a month.
Pay range for waiters and waitresses
This is the ONS occupation group "Waiters and waitresses" (SOC 2020 code 9264). ONS figures for 2025 show that one in ten earn less than £14,151, a quarter earn less than £18,363, half earn less than £22,936 and a quarter earn more than £27,395.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £14,151 | £1,179 | £13,708 | £1,142 |
| 25th percentile | £18,363 | £1,530 | £16,741 | £1,395 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £22,936 | £1,911 | £20,034 | £1,669 |
| 75th percentile | £27,395 | £2,283 | £23,244 | £1,937 |
| 90th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Take-home at England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates. Not published means ONS did not publish that figure because the estimate is not reliable enough. ONS rates the median for waiters and waitresses as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 4.3%. ONS estimates about 34,000 full-time employee jobs in this occupation. ONS says job counts like this are indicative only.
Where waiters and waitresses rank
The median for waiters and waitresses ranks 357th of 362 occupations on this site, in the bottom quarter, and 26th of 29 in elementary occupations. It is £16,103 (41.2%) lower than the UK median of £39,039 for all full-time employee jobs. ONS change on the previous year: the median for waiters and waitresses rose 6.2%, more than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs.
Jobs with the nearest medians: Early education and childcare practitioners (£23,717), Launderers, dry cleaners and pressers (£23,331), Bar staff (£23,182), Kitchen and catering assistants (£22,886), Leisure and theme park attendants (£22,294) and Coffee shop workers (£21,598).
How spread out pay is
The middle half of full-time waiters and waitresses earn between £18,363 and £27,395, a gap of £9,032, or 39.4% of the median. That is £15,715 narrower than the £24,747 gap for all UK jobs, and the 172nd widest of the 223 jobs where ONS published both figures, one of the narrower middle ranges.
The mean for waiters and waitresses (total pay divided by the number of employees) is £22,787, which is £149 (0.6%) lower than the median. The two are close, so very high or very low salaries are not pulling the average far from the middle. For all UK full-time jobs the mean is 24.3% above the median, so the gap for waiters and waitresses is smaller.
Waiters and waitresses and related jobs
Among these 7 jobs in the same ONS minor group, this one has the 4th highest median. The highest median among them is £29,409 (hospital porters) and the lowest £21,598 (coffee shop workers).
| Job | SOC code | Median salary | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital porters | 9262 | £29,409 | £2,058 |
| Bar and catering supervisors | 9261 | £26,019 | £1,854 |
| Bar staff | 9265 | £23,182 | £1,684 |
| Waiters and waitresses | 9264 | £22,936 | £1,669 |
| Kitchen and catering assistants | 9263 | £22,886 | £1,666 |
| Leisure and theme park attendants | 9267 | £22,294 | £1,631 |
| Coffee shop workers | 9266 | £21,598 | £1,589 |
Take-home pay against all jobs
At the median, waiters and waitresses take home about £1,669 a month, against £2,636 on the UK median for all jobs. Scotland has its own income tax bands, so take-home pay on the same salary is different there.
| Group | Median a year | Take-home a month | Take-home a month in Scotland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waiters and waitresses | £22,936 | £1,669 | £1,673 |
| All full-time employee jobs, UK | £39,039 | £2,636 | £2,631 |
Related pages
All jobs in the Elementary occupations table, average salary by area, the take home pay calculator, salary to hourly calculator and pay rise calculator.
How this is worked out
Pay: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), 2025 provisional, SOC 2020 unit group 9264. Take-home: 2026/27 rates, tax code 1257L, no pension or student loan. How to read these figures.
Sources
- ASHE Table 14: earnings by occupation (4-digit SOC), 2025 provisional (ONS)
- ASHE Table 7: earnings by place of work, local authority, 2025 provisional (ONS)
- SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions of unit groups (ONS)
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances (GOV.UK)
- Scottish Income Tax (GOV.UK)
- National Insurance: how much you pay (GOV.UK)
Figures checked on 12 October 2026. ONS plans to publish its next ASHE figures on 22 October 2026. Read how we calculate or tell us about a mistake.
Frequently asked questions
On the median full-time salary of £22,936, take-home pay is about £1,669 a month (£20,034 a year) after 2026/27 income tax and National Insurance, with tax code 1257L and no pension or student loan. In Scotland, where income tax is different, it is about £1,673 a month.
ONS figures for full-time jobs (2025) show that one in ten earn less than £14,151, a quarter earn less than £18,363, half earn less than £22,936 and a quarter earn more than £27,395. ONS did not publish every point in the range because some estimates are not reliable enough.
No. The median for waiters and waitresses is £22,936, which is £16,103 (41.2%) lower than the UK median of £39,039 for all full-time employee jobs (ONS, 2025). It ranks 357th of 362 occupations on this site.