Receptionist Salary 2026/27: What You Take Home
Receptionists earn a full-time median of £24,678 (ONS ASHE 2025), typically £19,000 to £33,000 depending on sector, location and seniority. Corporate, legal and medical front-of-house roles pay above hotel and general reception work. The role sits entirely inside the 20% basic-rate tax band.
Typical pay & take-home
- Median gross
- £24,678
- Typical range
- £19,000–£33,000
- Take-home at median
- £21,288
England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.
At the median for this profession, you earn 37% below the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you in the bottom 12% of UK earners.
What influences receptionist pay
The ONS ASHE 2025 full-time median for receptionists was £24,678 (provisional, Table 14.7a Annual pay Gross, SOC 2020 code 4216), with a 25th-to-75th percentile FTE range of £22,124 to £28,730. Sector is the main driver: corporate head-office, legal and finance front-of-house roles sit toward the top, while general, medical and hotel reception tends to sit nearer the median or below. London and other high-cost cities add a location premium.
From 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage of £12.71/hour gives a full-time floor of £24,784 - just above the receptionist FTE median, which means a large share of standard reception roles are effectively pinned to the minimum-wage floor once annualised. Additional duties (facilities coordination, PA/admin overlap, switchboard for large sites, bilingual reception) are the realistic route to the upper end.
A receptionist on the £24,678 median is a basic-rate taxpayer: after the £12,570 personal allowance, pay is taxed at 20% Income Tax plus 8% Class 1 NI up to £50,270. Most employers auto-enrol receptionists into a workplace pension with a minimum 3% employer plus 5% employee contribution on qualifying earnings.
Career progression
- Junior / trainee receptionist (NLW floor): £24,784 full-time equivalent.
- Receptionist (general / medical / hotel): £22,000-£26,000.
- Corporate / legal / finance front-of-house: £26,000-£31,000.
- Senior receptionist / front-of-house team lead: £28,000-£33,000.
- Progression into office administration, PA or facilities coordination.
Frequently asked questions
- What take-home for a £24,678 receptionist?
- On the £24,678 full-time median with a 5% workplace pension, take-home is approximately £20,050/year (about £1,670/month) after 20% Income Tax on pay above £12,570, 8% National Insurance and pension. Corporate and legal front-of-house roles at the top of the range take home noticeably more.
- Which receptionist jobs pay the most?
- Corporate head-office, legal, finance and high-end hospitality front-of-house roles pay above the £24,678 median, especially in London. General office, medical and hotel reception typically sits near or just below the median. Adding facilities, PA or admin duties is the usual way to reach the £28,000-£33,000 upper end.
- Is a receptionist a basic-rate taxpayer?
- Yes - at the £24,678 median and across the whole typical £19,000 to £33,000 range, a receptionist stays inside the 20% basic-rate band. You would only pay 40% Income Tax on any earnings above £50,270, which is well beyond normal reception pay.