national median · SOC 2421
£45,538
£21.89/hr · 2,080 hrs/yr
#36 · Business & finance
Chartered and certified accountants Salary
ONS ASHE ASHE 2025 (provisional) national median £45,538 (£21.89/hr on 2,080 hours). SOC 2421. Modeled 2026 take-home, training context, and career comparisons below.
By Sammy S. · Founder · AuthorUpdated for 2026
England, Wales & NI take-home
£36,307
20.3% effective
Scotland take-home at median
£35,793
21.4% effective
Key takeaways — Accountants
- Chartered and certified accountants ranks #36 of 63 on this hub with a £45,538 ONS ASHE 2025 (provisional) full-time employee median (£21.89/hr).
- Modeled England, Wales & NI take-home at that median: £36,307 (20.3% effective employee levy rate). Scotland: £35,793.
- One rank above: Architects at £45,625 (+£87).
- Bonuses, share schemes, overtime, and self-employment income are outside ASHE full-time employee cash-wage medians.
About Chartered and certified accountants wages
The Office for National Statistics ASHE 2025 (provisional) publishes full-time employee annual gross medians by Standard Occupational Classification code. For Chartered and certified accountants (SOC 2421), the national median annual pay is £45,538 — meaning half of full-time PAYE employees in this occupation earn more and half earn less across the UK.
We convert that median to an hourly equivalent using 2,080 full-time hours per year, then apply our 2026 UK paycheck model so you see modeled take-home, not just gross. That bridges labour-market statistics with the same tax rules as our UK calculator.
Use the compare tool to pit Accountants against another career, or open the paycheck calculator to model an offer above or below the published median.
Business & finance · rank context
Accountants sits at rank #36 between Architects (#35, £45,625) and Veterinarians (#37, £45,362).
Training & licensing context
Accountants and similar roles usually require a bachelor's plus ACA/ACCA/CIMA for the highest-paying public practice tracks.
ASHE wage percentiles (ASHE 2025 (provisional))
ASHE percentile wages show how pay spreads inside the Accountants occupation — the median is the midpoint.
| 10th percentile | Median |
|---|---|
| £23,274 | £45,538 |
Take-home at ASHE median by nation
Single taxpayer, personal allowance, income tax + employee National Insurance — gross equals the published ASHE median. Scotland uses Scottish income tax bands.
| Nation | Take-home | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales & NI | £36,307 | 20.3% |
| Scotland | £35,793 | 21.4% |
Myths vs facts
Myth: Every Accountants job pays the ASHE median.
Fact: The median is a national midpoint for full-time employees. Entry roles, part-time schedules, and lower-COL markets sit below; senior specialists in high-demand cities sit above.
Myth: Take-home at median is what you will net.
Fact: Our columns use a single-taxpayer vignette at the ASHE gross median. Tax code, pension, student loan, and Scotland vs England/Wales/NI bands change your actual paycheck.
Salary planning checklist
- Confirm the posting matches SOC 2421 (Chartered and certified accountants)
- Compare England, Wales & NI vs Scotland take-home if relocation is on the table
- Read ASHE percentile tables when published for this occupation
- Use metro paycheck examples (UK) when the employer names a city
- Model your exact gross in the UK paycheck calculator
Common mistakes
- ✕Treating £45,538 as a universal offer for all experience levels
- ✕Ignoring licensing and training years when comparing to lower-medians with shorter paths
- ✕Skipping Scottish income tax when comparing two offers at similar gross medians
Compare Accountants to other careers
Accountants salary FAQs
ONS ASHE 2025 (provisional) lists a £45,538 full-time employee national median (SOC 2421) — about £21.89/hr on a 2,080-hour year.
Modeled take-home for a single taxpayer at the ASHE median: England, Wales & NI £36,307, Scotland £35,793 (2026 rules).
#36 of 63 occupations on this hub by national median wage.
ONS ASHE 2025 (provisional): low £23,274, median £45,538.
This SOC unit group anchors searches such as accounting salary.
Architects ranks #35 at £45,625 — £87 above Accountants.
Veterinarians ranks #37 at £45,362 — £176 below.
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