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Average Software Engineer Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A software engineer in United Kingdom earns about 66,900 GBP a year. That's 4% roughly in line with 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 34,100 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 105,200 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 software engineer make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
66,900 GBP
5,575 GBP per month
Lowest reported
34,100 GBP
2,841 GBP per month
Highest reported
105,200 GBP
8,766 GBP per month

A typical software engineer working in United Kingdom brings home around 5,575 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 34,100 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 105,200 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 software engineer 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 software engineer salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How software engineer 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 software engineers in United Kingdom earn less than 66,200 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 46,200 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 86,600 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of software engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 34,100 GBP. The highest stretch to 105,200 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.

34,100
Low
66,200
Median
105,200
High
46,200
25th
86,600
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Software engineer pay by experience in United Kingdom

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

  • 0-2 Years
    38,000 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +29% from previous
    49,200 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +40% from previous
    68,900 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +20% from previous
    83,000 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +11% from previous
    91,900 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +6% from previous
    97,400 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 40%. That is the point at which a software engineer 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.

Software engineer pay by education in United Kingdom

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

  • Certificate or Diploma
    49,200 GBP
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +34% from previous
    66,100 GBP
  • Master's Degree
    +57% from previous
    103,600 GBP

Software engineer 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 software engineers in United Kingdom earn an average of 67,300 GBP a year, while female software engineers earn around 63,500 GBP. That works out to a 6% 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.

Software Engineer gender pay gap

6%

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

Men 67,300 GBP
Women 63,500 GBP

Pay raises for a software engineer 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 Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Software engineer 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.

58%

58% of software engineers in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a software engineer a moderate-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 3% to 6% of base salary. The remaining 42% of software engineers 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

Software engineer: 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

Software engineer salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Software engineer 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
  • Glasgow
  • Sheffield
  • Manchester
  • London
  • Somerset
  • Bradford
  • Leicester
  • Coventry
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion130,500 GBP134,100 GBP63,800-205,700 GBP
ScotlandRegion100,900 GBP100,900 GBP51,500-153,700 GBP
GlasgowCity83,700 GBP80,800 GBP41,400-127,700 GBP
SheffieldCity81,300 GBP83,800 GBP38,700-127,700 GBP
ManchesterCity79,800 GBP87,700 GBP36,500-127,600 GBP
LondonCity79,600 GBP86,300 GBP35,400-127,600 GBP
SomersetCity77,000 GBP72,700 GBP44,300-118,900 GBP
BradfordCity77,000 GBP78,700 GBP37,200-118,900 GBP
LeicesterCity76,800 GBP74,500 GBP40,300-115,600 GBP
CoventryCity75,900 GBP70,600 GBP42,000-114,300 GBP
BirminghamCity75,900 GBP83,400 GBP34,300-123,000 GBP
EdinburghCity75,800 GBP75,800 GBP36,800-118,900 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity75,800 GBP75,800 GBP36,800-118,900 GBP
LiverpoolCity74,900 GBP71,700 GBP42,600-116,400 GBP
LeedsCity74,900 GBP73,300 GBP40,500-117,100 GBP
BristolCity74,700 GBP78,200 GBP36,700-118,900 GBP
BrightonCity74,700 GBP79,600 GBP35,000-118,900 GBP
CardiffCity73,500 GBP66,100 GBP38,000-112,700 GBP
AberdeenCity73,300 GBP76,000 GBP34,300-116,400 GBP
PortsmouthCity73,100 GBP79,000 GBP35,400-115,600 GBP
PeterboroughCity72,400 GBP67,800 GBP39,500-111,700 GBP
LincolnCity71,800 GBP67,200 GBP39,500-109,000 GBP
BelfastCity71,700 GBP76,000 GBP35,000-116,400 GBP
NewcastleCity71,200 GBP75,400 GBP34,400-114,900 GBP
NewportCity71,200 GBP77,000 GBP31,700-111,700 GBP
WolverhamptonCity71,200 GBP77,000 GBP31,700-111,700 GBP
NottinghamCity70,700 GBP70,700 GBP36,000-111,700 GBP
PooleCity70,000 GBP63,500 GBP35,400-102,700 GBP
YorkCity70,000 GBP74,100 GBP32,900-111,700 GBP
StirlingCity69,800 GBP63,900 GBP36,700-105,200 GBP
DerryCity69,700 GBP69,700 GBP35,300-107,300 GBP
SouthamptonCity69,600 GBP69,600 GBP33,300-109,700 GBP
SwanseaCity69,600 GBP74,500 GBP34,000-111,700 GBP
OxfordCity69,200 GBP69,400 GBP34,300-107,700 GBP
ExeterCity68,800 GBP72,700 GBP32,900-108,200 GBP
NorwichCity68,500 GBP69,600 GBP33,000-109,000 GBP
PlymouthCity68,300 GBP64,400 GBP36,800-107,300 GBP
DerbyCity68,200 GBP66,000 GBP39,500-105,800 GBP
DundeeCity67,200 GBP69,700 GBP33,600-105,200 GBP
WinchesterCity67,000 GBP59,100 GBP33,300-97,300 GBP
NewryCity66,900 GBP62,300 GBP35,100-103,600 GBP
CambridgeCity66,400 GBP66,400 GBP34,000-105,800 GBP
ArmaghCity66,400 GBP68,800 GBP31,700-105,800 GBP
CanterburyCity65,900 GBP63,200 GBP31,700-100,700 GBP
BangorCity64,500 GBP61,400 GBP34,000-96,400 GBP
WalesRegion64,300 GBP65,100 GBP30,800-97,300 GBP
DurhamCity64,300 GBP68,100 GBP30,800-100,700 GBP
HartlepoolCity64,200 GBP66,400 GBP31,700-103,600 GBP
TruroCity64,100 GBP63,100 GBP32,600-97,100 GBP
SalisburyCity63,800 GBP65,900 GBP30,000-100,700 GBP
GloucesterCity63,200 GBP65,800 GBP30,300-100,700 GBP
InvernessCity63,200 GBP58,500 GBP31,400-93,900 GBP
KirkwallCity63,200 GBP58,500 GBP32,900-94,800 GBP
LisburnCity63,100 GBP59,800 GBP31,800-95,400 GBP
ChesterCity62,300 GBP62,100 GBP33,300-99,400 GBP
WakefieldCity61,700 GBP58,000 GBP30,300-94,500 GBP
RiponCity61,400 GBP63,900 GBP29,000-95,100 GBP
StrontianCity61,300 GBP64,800 GBP29,600-97,200 GBP
St DavidsCity61,200 GBP66,100 GBP29,300-98,900 GBP
StromnessCity60,900 GBP65,500 GBP26,200-92,600 GBP
AbingdonCity60,800 GBP57,400 GBP32,300-95,000 GBP
WellsCity60,200 GBP57,100 GBP31,400-90,900 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion59,800 GBP58,700 GBP32,900-95,300 GBP

Software Engineer in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a software engineer make per month in United Kingdom?

    A software engineer in United Kingdom earns about 5,575 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 66,900 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a software engineer in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level software engineers in United Kingdom start near 34,100 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 105,200 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 46,200 and 86,600 GBP.

  • Is the median software engineer salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 66,200 GBP, lower than the average of 66,900 GBP. Half of software engineers in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for software engineers in United Kingdom?

    Men working as a software engineer in United Kingdom earn around 6% more than women on average (67,300 vs 63,500 GBP a year).

  • Do software engineers in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 58% of software engineers in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.

  • Do software engineers earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

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

  • How often do software engineers in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    A software engineer in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 13% every 15 months, equivalent to roughly 10% a year.