Average Information Technology Quality Assurance Team Lead (QA) Salary in United Kingdom for 2026
An information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) in United Kingdom earns about 75,900 GBP a year. That's 9% above 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 34,300 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 123,000 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 an information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) make in United Kingdom?
A typical information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) working in United Kingdom brings home around 6,325 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 34,300 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 123,000 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 information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) 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 information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.
How information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) 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 information technology quality assurance team lead (qa)s in United Kingdom earn less than 83,400 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 53,300 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 111,700 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of information technology quality assurance team lead (qa)s sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 34,300 GBP. The highest stretch to 123,000 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.
Information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) pay by experience in United Kingdom
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) 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 information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years41,300 GBP
- 2-5 Years+26% from previous51,900 GBP
- 5-10 Years+53% from previous79,600 GBP
- 10-15 Years+19% from previous94,800 GBP
- 15-20 Years+12% from previous105,800 GBP
- 20+ Years+9% from previous114,900 GBP
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 53%. That is the point at which a information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) 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.
Information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) pay by education in United Kingdom
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) 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 information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- Certificate or Diploma45,400 GBP
- Bachelor's Degree+54% from previous69,800 GBP
- Master's Degree+71% from previous119,700 GBP
Information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) 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 information technology quality assurance team lead (qa)s in United Kingdom earn an average of 79,000 GBP a year, while female information technology quality assurance team lead (qa)s earn around 73,300 GBP. That works out to a 8% 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.
Information Technology Quality Assurance Team Lead (QA) gender pay gap
7%
Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.
Pay raises for an information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) 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 13% every 15 months, which works out to roughly 10% 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 Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) 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.
86% of information technology quality assurance team lead (qa)s in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) a high-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 5% to 9% of base salary. The remaining 14% of information technology quality assurance team lead (qa)s 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
Information technology quality assurance team lead (qa): 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.
Information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) salary by city and region in United Kingdom
Information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) 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
- Leeds
- Birmingham
- Manchester
- Somerset
- Cardiff
- Glasgow
- Liverpool
- Nottingham
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | Region | 141,000 GBP | 151,800 GBP | 64,800-222,300 GBP |
| Scotland | Region | 109,700 GBP | 111,700 GBP | 53,600-169,700 GBP |
| Leeds | City | 91,000 GBP | 87,700 GBP | 48,600-138,700 GBP |
| Birmingham | City | 89,800 GBP | 95,000 GBP | 42,000-141,000 GBP |
| Manchester | City | 88,600 GBP | 88,300 GBP | 43,400-138,700 GBP |
| Somerset | City | 87,900 GBP | 83,300 GBP | 46,700-137,100 GBP |
| Cardiff | City | 87,700 GBP | 83,300 GBP | 46,200-132,000 GBP |
| Glasgow | City | 87,400 GBP | 86,800 GBP | 46,100-137,100 GBP |
| Liverpool | City | 85,700 GBP | 83,000 GBP | 45,700-132,000 GBP |
| Nottingham | City | 84,600 GBP | 85,100 GBP | 39,500-130,500 GBP |
| Leicester | City | 83,800 GBP | 89,200 GBP | 36,500-130,400 GBP |
| Wolverhampton | City | 83,800 GBP | 87,400 GBP | 36,200-130,500 GBP |
| London | City | 83,700 GBP | 91,600 GBP | 39,600-134,700 GBP |
| Brighton | City | 83,400 GBP | 79,600 GBP | 45,000-128,200 GBP |
| Aberdeen | City | 83,300 GBP | 79,600 GBP | 43,500-127,700 GBP |
| Sheffield | City | 83,200 GBP | 90,900 GBP | 39,100-132,000 GBP |
| Belfast | City | 83,000 GBP | 92,200 GBP | 39,800-134,700 GBP |
| Bristol | City | 83,000 GBP | 92,200 GBP | 39,800-134,700 GBP |
| Coventry | City | 83,000 GBP | 87,000 GBP | 41,000-130,400 GBP |
| Southampton | City | 81,400 GBP | 83,000 GBP | 41,700-127,600 GBP |
| Lincoln | City | 81,200 GBP | 81,300 GBP | 40,500-125,400 GBP |
| Bradford | City | 80,900 GBP | 80,500 GBP | 40,900-123,800 GBP |
| Edinburgh | City | 80,500 GBP | 83,200 GBP | 41,100-127,600 GBP |
| Newcastle | City | 79,600 GBP | 76,900 GBP | 41,400-124,500 GBP |
| Peterborough | City | 79,600 GBP | 85,500 GBP | 36,800-127,700 GBP |
| Portsmouth | City | 79,000 GBP | 86,400 GBP | 34,900-123,800 GBP |
| Poole | City | 79,000 GBP | 77,000 GBP | 41,900-119,700 GBP |
| Norwich | City | 78,900 GBP | 85,100 GBP | 35,300-125,400 GBP |
| Swansea | City | 78,700 GBP | 78,200 GBP | 42,500-124,500 GBP |
| Kingston upon Hull | City | 78,700 GBP | 81,600 GBP | 40,900-123,800 GBP |
| Derby | City | 78,700 GBP | 74,700 GBP | 40,200-121,800 GBP |
| York | City | 78,200 GBP | 79,000 GBP | 39,500-119,700 GBP |
| Plymouth | City | 77,100 GBP | 78,700 GBP | 36,800-124,500 GBP |
| Armagh | City | 77,000 GBP | 72,700 GBP | 38,000-116,400 GBP |
| Cambridge | City | 75,800 GBP | 77,100 GBP | 36,700-119,700 GBP |
| Newport | City | 75,400 GBP | 81,600 GBP | 35,300-119,700 GBP |
| Dundee | City | 75,100 GBP | 82,200 GBP | 34,300-123,000 GBP |
| Newry | City | 75,000 GBP | 79,800 GBP | 35,300-117,100 GBP |
| Derry | City | 74,100 GBP | 74,100 GBP | 36,500-114,900 GBP |
| Exeter | City | 73,800 GBP | 74,700 GBP | 35,000-114,300 GBP |
| Hartlepool | City | 73,300 GBP | 81,200 GBP | 34,000-115,600 GBP |
| Durham | City | 72,700 GBP | 78,500 GBP | 34,000-115,600 GBP |
| Stirling | City | 72,700 GBP | 71,200 GBP | 36,700-111,700 GBP |
| Oxford | City | 72,300 GBP | 71,800 GBP | 38,000-114,600 GBP |
| St Davids | City | 71,200 GBP | 69,200 GBP | 35,300-109,700 GBP |
| Wales | Region | 71,200 GBP | 70,900 GBP | 36,200-111,700 GBP |
| Salisbury | City | 70,700 GBP | 70,000 GBP | 36,800-109,700 GBP |
| Truro | City | 70,100 GBP | 65,400 GBP | 36,600-105,200 GBP |
| Wakefield | City | 69,700 GBP | 73,100 GBP | 32,200-109,700 GBP |
| Inverness | City | 69,700 GBP | 73,100 GBP | 32,200-109,700 GBP |
| Gloucester | City | 69,700 GBP | 67,300 GBP | 37,100-109,000 GBP |
| Chester | City | 69,400 GBP | 75,000 GBP | 30,200-109,700 GBP |
| Wells | City | 69,400 GBP | 69,200 GBP | 32,600-107,300 GBP |
| Kirkwall | City | 68,300 GBP | 70,700 GBP | 34,000-109,700 GBP |
| Canterbury | City | 68,200 GBP | 65,900 GBP | 34,900-107,300 GBP |
| Northern Ireland | Region | 67,800 GBP | 64,200 GBP | 37,200-105,200 GBP |
| Winchester | City | 67,800 GBP | 64,200 GBP | 37,200-105,200 GBP |
| Lisburn | City | 67,300 GBP | 66,900 GBP | 34,300-105,200 GBP |
| Abingdon | City | 67,300 GBP | 70,800 GBP | 35,100-107,300 GBP |
| Strontian | City | 67,200 GBP | 70,100 GBP | 33,600-105,200 GBP |
| Bangor | City | 66,700 GBP | 66,200 GBP | 30,700-102,700 GBP |
| Stromness | City | 64,500 GBP | 69,800 GBP | 30,100-100,700 GBP |
| Ripon | City | 63,500 GBP | 66,900 GBP | 31,400-100,700 GBP |
Information Technology Quality Assurance Team Lead (QA) in United Kingdom: FAQs
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How much does an information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) make per month in United Kingdom?
An information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) in United Kingdom earns about 6,325 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 75,900 GBP.
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What's the salary range for an information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) in United Kingdom?
Entry-level information technology quality assurance team lead (qa)s in United Kingdom start near 34,300 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 123,000 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 53,300 and 111,700 GBP.
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Is the median information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?
The median is 83,400 GBP, higher than the average of 75,900 GBP. Half of information technology quality assurance team lead (qa)s in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for information technology quality assurance team lead (qa)s in United Kingdom?
Men working as an information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) in United Kingdom earn around 8% more than women on average (79,000 vs 73,300 GBP a year).
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Do information technology quality assurance team lead (qa)s in United Kingdom get bonuses?
About 86% of information technology quality assurance team lead (qa)s in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary.
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Do information technology quality assurance team lead (qa)s earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?
In United Kingdom, the public sector pays an information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do information technology quality assurance team lead (qa)s in United Kingdom get a pay raise?
An information technology quality assurance team lead (qa) in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 13% every 15 months, equivalent to roughly 10% a year.