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Average Planning Manager Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A planning manager in United Kingdom earns about 88,300 GBP a year. That's 27% 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 45,200 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 140,700 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 planning manager make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
88,300 GBP
7,358 GBP per month
Lowest reported
45,200 GBP
3,766 GBP per month
Highest reported
140,700 GBP
11,725 GBP per month

A typical planning manager working in United Kingdom brings home around 7,358 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 45,200 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 140,700 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 planning manager 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 planning manager salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How planning manager 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 planning managers in United Kingdom earn less than 90,600 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 61,300 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 117,100 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of planning managers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 45,200 GBP. The highest stretch to 140,700 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.

45,200
Low
90,600
Median
140,700
High
61,300
25th
117,100
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Planning manager pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a planning manager 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 planning manager salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    51,300 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +28% from previous
    65,900 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +41% from previous
    93,200 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +23% from previous
    114,900 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +7% from previous
    123,000 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +4% from previous
    128,400 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 41%. That is the point at which a planning manager 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.

Planning manager pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving planning manager 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 planning manager salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    63,400 GBP
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +16% from previous
    73,800 GBP
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +35% from previous
    99,700 GBP
  • Master's Degree
    +28% from previous
    127,700 GBP

Planning manager 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 planning managers in United Kingdom earn an average of 93,100 GBP a year, while female planning managers earn around 88,300 GBP. That works out to a 5% 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.

Planning Manager gender pay gap

5%

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

Men 93,100 GBP
Women 88,300 GBP

Pay raises for a planning manager 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 17 months, which works out to roughly 8% 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

Planning manager 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.

84%

84% of planning managers in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a planning manager 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 16% of planning managers 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

Planning manager: 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

Planning manager salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Planning manager 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
  • Manchester
  • London
  • Leeds
  • Birmingham
  • Cardiff
  • Leicester
  • Glasgow
  • Nottingham
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion176,300 GBP177,100 GBP86,600-274,000 GBP
ScotlandRegion132,000 GBP142,100 GBP63,000-209,700 GBP
ManchesterCity109,700 GBP103,600 GBP57,800-163,800 GBP
LondonCity109,000 GBP115,600 GBP49,700-172,300 GBP
LeedsCity107,300 GBP95,900 GBP57,200-160,700 GBP
BirminghamCity107,300 GBP116,400 GBP48,000-168,700 GBP
CardiffCity105,800 GBP109,700 GBP51,600-163,800 GBP
LeicesterCity105,800 GBP100,700 GBP54,700-160,600 GBP
GlasgowCity105,200 GBP95,500 GBP55,200-156,200 GBP
NottinghamCity102,700 GBP108,200 GBP49,700-164,100 GBP
LiverpoolCity102,700 GBP109,000 GBP50,300-161,300 GBP
BradfordCity102,700 GBP95,900 GBP55,700-156,200 GBP
BristolCity102,700 GBP105,800 GBP49,200-160,700 GBP
CoventryCity100,700 GBP100,700 GBP49,200-157,600 GBP
DerbyCity100,700 GBP105,800 GBP47,200-158,900 GBP
WolverhamptonCity100,700 GBP109,700 GBP47,500-160,600 GBP
SomersetCity100,500 GBP102,700 GBP46,700-157,600 GBP
SheffieldCity99,700 GBP103,600 GBP47,400-157,600 GBP
SwanseaCity99,600 GBP94,800 GBP49,800-151,800 GBP
PlymouthCity98,900 GBP98,900 GBP49,200-152,700 GBP
EdinburghCity98,700 GBP105,200 GBP45,000-153,700 GBP
BelfastCity97,400 GBP98,300 GBP47,400-152,900 GBP
SouthamptonCity97,200 GBP103,600 GBP46,400-151,800 GBP
NewcastleCity96,000 GBP93,600 GBP50,800-150,100 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity95,900 GBP102,700 GBP45,400-152,700 GBP
AberdeenCity95,100 GBP95,100 GBP50,000-148,300 GBP
BrightonCity94,800 GBP92,900 GBP49,400-142,300 GBP
PooleCity94,800 GBP99,700 GBP45,000-151,800 GBP
DundeeCity94,200 GBP95,400 GBP45,900-146,900 GBP
PortsmouthCity93,300 GBP100,700 GBP43,400-146,900 GBP
GloucesterCity92,400 GBP88,300 GBP47,500-141,000 GBP
NorwichCity92,400 GBP92,500 GBP45,600-140,200 GBP
HartlepoolCity92,300 GBP92,200 GBP46,400-142,300 GBP
YorkCity92,200 GBP87,500 GBP50,000-140,700 GBP
PeterboroughCity92,200 GBP91,700 GBP46,900-142,300 GBP
CambridgeCity91,700 GBP97,600 GBP41,500-142,300 GBP
ArmaghCity91,000 GBP88,400 GBP45,400-139,100 GBP
DerryCity90,900 GBP97,200 GBP42,800-142,300 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion90,600 GBP82,200 GBP47,100-134,100 GBP
OxfordCity90,300 GBP82,200 GBP49,700-137,100 GBP
LisburnCity90,300 GBP82,200 GBP46,900-137,100 GBP
LincolnCity89,300 GBP89,300 GBP45,300-137,100 GBP
CanterburyCity88,600 GBP81,000 GBP45,600-130,400 GBP
ExeterCity88,300 GBP84,800 GBP45,600-137,100 GBP
WinchesterCity87,700 GBP91,000 GBP40,700-134,700 GBP
NewryCity87,700 GBP83,300 GBP46,200-132,000 GBP
NewportCity87,400 GBP94,300 GBP39,800-140,200 GBP
TruroCity87,200 GBP79,000 GBP46,700-130,500 GBP
SalisburyCity86,800 GBP84,800 GBP46,200-137,100 GBP
AbingdonCity86,600 GBP86,600 GBP45,100-134,100 GBP
KirkwallCity85,400 GBP85,400 GBP42,800-130,400 GBP
ChesterCity85,100 GBP79,500 GBP45,000-130,500 GBP
BangorCity84,600 GBP84,600 GBP42,400-127,600 GBP
StirlingCity84,600 GBP87,800 GBP39,800-134,100 GBP
InvernessCity84,600 GBP83,700 GBP45,600-130,500 GBP
RiponCity83,800 GBP78,900 GBP45,300-127,700 GBP
StrontianCity83,700 GBP75,800 GBP44,900-123,800 GBP
WalesRegion83,700 GBP83,300 GBP45,100-130,500 GBP
WakefieldCity82,200 GBP80,800 GBP45,000-128,200 GBP
DurhamCity81,700 GBP87,900 GBP36,200-130,500 GBP
WellsCity80,700 GBP80,700 GBP41,300-125,400 GBP
StromnessCity80,400 GBP86,100 GBP36,800-127,600 GBP
St DavidsCity79,000 GBP75,500 GBP41,500-121,800 GBP

Planning Manager in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a planning manager make per month in United Kingdom?

    A planning manager in United Kingdom earns about 7,358 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 88,300 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a planning manager in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level planning managers in United Kingdom start near 45,200 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 140,700 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 61,300 and 117,100 GBP.

  • Is the median planning manager salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 90,600 GBP, higher than the average of 88,300 GBP. Half of planning managers in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for planning managers in United Kingdom?

    Men working as a planning manager in United Kingdom earn around 5% more than women on average (93,100 vs 88,300 GBP a year).

  • Do planning managers in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 84% of planning managers in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary.

  • Do planning managers earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

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

  • How often do planning managers in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    A planning manager in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 11% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.