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Average Compensation and Benefits Officer Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A compensation and benefits officer in United Kingdom earns about 38,700 GBP a year. That's 44% below the national average of 69,700 GBP.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 19,300 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 58,800 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, symbol £), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Kingdom, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.

How much does a compensation and benefits officer make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
38,700 GBP
3,225 GBP per month
Lowest reported
19,300 GBP
1,608 GBP per month
Highest reported
58,800 GBP
4,900 GBP per month

A typical compensation and benefits officer working in United Kingdom brings home around 3,225 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 19,300 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 58,800 GBP for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior compensation and benefits officer working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the compensation and benefits officer salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How compensation and benefits officer pay ranges in United Kingdom

A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all compensation and benefits officers in United Kingdom earn less than 36,900 GBP a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 27,300 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 45,800 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of compensation and benefits officers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 19,300 GBP. The highest stretch to 58,800 GBP, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

19,300
Low
36,900
Median
58,800
High
27,300
25th
45,800
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Compensation and benefits officer pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a compensation and benefits officer in United Kingdom, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical compensation and benefits officer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    23,500 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +37% from previous
    32,200 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +30% from previous
    41,900 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +21% from previous
    50,500 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +4% from previous
    52,300 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +11% from previous
    58,100 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 37%. That is the point at which a compensation and benefits officer typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Compensation and benefits officer pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving compensation and benefits officer pay in United Kingdom. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average compensation and benefits officer salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    32,900 GBP
  • Master's Degree
    +39% from previous
    45,600 GBP

Compensation and benefits officer gender pay gap in United Kingdom

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male compensation and benefits officers in United Kingdom earn an average of 39,500 GBP a year, while female compensation and benefits officers earn around 37,900 GBP. That works out to a 4% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Compensation and Benefits Officer gender pay gap

4%

Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.

Men 39,500 GBP
Women 37,900 GBP

Pay raises for a compensation and benefits officer in United Kingdom

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in United Kingdom sees a raise of about 11% every 15 months, which works out to roughly 9% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Compensation and benefits officer bonus rates in United Kingdom

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

29%

29% of compensation and benefits officers in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a compensation and benefits officer a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary. The remaining 71% of compensation and benefits officers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Compensation and benefits officer: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

Compensation and benefits officer salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Compensation and benefits officer pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • England
  • Scotland
  • Birmingham
  • London
  • Kingston upon Hull
  • Bristol
  • Leeds
  • Newcastle
  • Wolverhampton
  • Manchester
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion78,200 GBP73,800 GBP39,000-118,900 GBP
ScotlandRegion52,300 GBP47,400 GBP28,900-79,600 GBP
BirminghamCity46,400 GBP49,200 GBP23,000-74,100 GBP
LondonCity45,300 GBP49,000 GBP20,900-68,300 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity45,100 GBP39,300 GBP23,500-64,800 GBP
BristolCity44,700 GBP43,400 GBP22,200-68,100 GBP
LeedsCity44,300 GBP45,700 GBP18,600-67,500 GBP
NewcastleCity44,300 GBP44,300 GBP20,100-65,700 GBP
WolverhamptonCity44,300 GBP44,500 GBP19,100-66,200 GBP
ManchesterCity43,800 GBP44,500 GBP23,000-68,200 GBP
GlasgowCity43,800 GBP46,200 GBP20,200-70,900 GBP
CoventryCity43,800 GBP44,500 GBP23,800-67,800 GBP
NottinghamCity43,500 GBP39,800 GBP21,500-65,200 GBP
LeicesterCity43,500 GBP45,100 GBP20,200-67,800 GBP
SomersetCity43,400 GBP40,300 GBP21,300-64,800 GBP
LiverpoolCity43,200 GBP39,800 GBP23,400-62,300 GBP
BelfastCity42,700 GBP39,500 GBP23,200-63,700 GBP
SheffieldCity42,500 GBP41,300 GBP22,300-64,500 GBP
EdinburghCity42,500 GBP37,800 GBP24,400-63,500 GBP
BradfordCity42,000 GBP42,700 GBP19,400-62,300 GBP
OxfordCity41,900 GBP45,100 GBP18,900-64,600 GBP
BrightonCity41,900 GBP41,900 GBP21,100-64,100 GBP
AberdeenCity41,700 GBP41,700 GBP20,000-63,700 GBP
DerbyCity41,700 GBP36,700 GBP20,000-62,500 GBP
CardiffCity41,000 GBP39,800 GBP23,200-64,300 GBP
SwanseaCity40,500 GBP40,500 GBP19,400-60,100 GBP
NewportCity40,500 GBP40,600 GBP18,000-61,700 GBP
ExeterCity40,000 GBP40,200 GBP19,200-63,100 GBP
LincolnCity39,800 GBP38,000 GBP20,000-58,800 GBP
DerryCity39,800 GBP35,300 GBP23,000-58,500 GBP
PlymouthCity39,700 GBP41,100 GBP21,700-63,500 GBP
PooleCity39,300 GBP38,700 GBP23,000-60,100 GBP
DundeeCity39,000 GBP37,900 GBP21,700-63,200 GBP
YorkCity38,000 GBP41,700 GBP17,900-58,800 GBP
ArmaghCity38,000 GBP38,000 GBP17,800-59,100 GBP
PortsmouthCity38,000 GBP42,500 GBP19,300-63,200 GBP
SouthamptonCity38,000 GBP37,300 GBP20,000-62,100 GBP
SalisburyCity37,100 GBP37,100 GBP17,100-56,800 GBP
PeterboroughCity36,800 GBP40,900 GBP19,200-60,200 GBP
StirlingCity36,800 GBP33,000 GBP17,800-54,900 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion36,500 GBP36,200 GBP15,300-57,100 GBP
NewryCity36,400 GBP37,800 GBP17,100-58,400 GBP
WalesRegion36,400 GBP36,400 GBP20,300-58,200 GBP
TruroCity36,000 GBP36,700 GBP15,300-57,800 GBP
WinchesterCity35,600 GBP35,400 GBP18,900-54,100 GBP
NorwichCity35,600 GBP36,500 GBP17,800-57,900 GBP
WellsCity35,500 GBP32,200 GBP16,900-53,300 GBP
ChesterCity35,400 GBP36,700 GBP16,300-56,900 GBP
CambridgeCity35,300 GBP32,900 GBP17,800-55,600 GBP
HartlepoolCity35,200 GBP37,200 GBP18,900-57,100 GBP
GloucesterCity35,000 GBP35,000 GBP19,000-57,200 GBP
BangorCity35,000 GBP33,300 GBP19,000-54,100 GBP
InvernessCity34,800 GBP36,800 GBP19,300-58,100 GBP
DurhamCity34,800 GBP40,900 GBP18,300-56,900 GBP
LisburnCity34,300 GBP38,700 GBP15,700-54,500 GBP
AbingdonCity34,000 GBP33,300 GBP18,800-51,400 GBP
St DavidsCity33,800 GBP36,400 GBP15,300-55,700 GBP
StromnessCity33,600 GBP35,600 GBP16,300-54,100 GBP
KirkwallCity33,600 GBP30,300 GBP15,300-51,300 GBP
CanterburyCity33,000 GBP37,300 GBP16,800-56,100 GBP
WakefieldCity33,000 GBP37,200 GBP15,700-55,600 GBP
RiponCity33,000 GBP36,500 GBP16,100-55,400 GBP
StrontianCity31,400 GBP33,300 GBP15,400-51,500 GBP

Compensation and Benefits Officer in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a compensation and benefits officer make per month in United Kingdom?

    A compensation and benefits officer in United Kingdom earns about 3,225 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 38,700 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a compensation and benefits officer in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level compensation and benefits officers in United Kingdom start near 19,300 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 58,800 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 27,300 and 45,800 GBP.

  • Is the median compensation and benefits officer salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 36,900 GBP, lower than the average of 38,700 GBP. Half of compensation and benefits officers in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for compensation and benefits officers in United Kingdom?

    Men working as a compensation and benefits officer in United Kingdom earn around 4% more than women on average (39,500 vs 37,900 GBP a year).

  • Do compensation and benefits officers in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 29% of compensation and benefits officers in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary.

  • Do compensation and benefits officers earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays a compensation and benefits officer about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do compensation and benefits officers in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    A compensation and benefits officer in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 11% every 15 months, equivalent to roughly 9% a year.