Electrical engineer salary UK 2026: graduate, senior and chartered pay
Typical full-time electrical engineer pay is £60,303, with a simple average of £61,559. Compare graduate, senior and chartered progression, the published salary range and estimated monthly take-home.
How to read the official electrical engineer salary figure
The ONS group covers electrical engineers, not installation electricians or electrical engineering technicians. That distinction matters because professional design, analysis, systems and project responsibility sit in a different occupation group from trade installation work.
The midpoint is well above typical UK full-time pay. Industry, chartered status, technical specialism, project risk, site work and leadership can still move an individual salary away from the national figure.
The national figure is most useful after the role has been matched correctly. Electrical engineering can cover power, controls, building services, transport, manufacturing, renewables and design, while electrician work is classified separately. Site allowances, overtime or shift payments can also make annual gross earnings differ from basic salary.
Which electrical engineering jobs this figure covers
Use this page for professional electrical engineering roles that map to the ONS occupation, not every job with electrical in the title.
Good fit for this page
- Electrical engineers working in power, manufacturing, transport, construction or related industries
- Design, systems, project and technical leadership roles within the occupation
- Gross employee earnings before tax, which may include overtime, shift pay or cash allowances
Use a different comparison for
- Installation electricians and electrical fitters
- Electrical engineering technicians compared as the same occupation
- Contract day rates or consultancy turnover treated as permanent salary
Lower, typical and higher electrical engineer pay
£13,596 separates the median from the published 75th percentile. Two salaries inside that band can still be far apart, so the ladder alone cannot place your own pay or show the after-tax gap to the next point.
- Lower-middle pay25th percentile£43,003
- Typical payMedian£60,303
- Higher pay75th percentile£73,899
Moving from the median to the published 75th percentile is £13,596 gross a year, or about £658 more a month after standard tax and employee National Insurance.
Compare your confirmed engineering salary with the official range, then see take-home pay and True Wage after site time, travel and work costs.
From the median to the published 75th percentile is £13,596 gross a year, worth about £658 more a month after standard tax and employee National Insurance.
Official electrical engineer salary points used in this guide
See the published salary points
| Pay point | Annual salary | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | £43,003 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| Median | £60,303 | The published midpoint |
| 75th percentile | £73,899 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| Mean average | £61,559 | Simple average, affected by high salaries |
The paid report estimates a position using the verified occupation data. It does not claim an exact ranking of every worker.
Electrical engineer salary per month and after tax
At the £60,303 occupation median, gross pay is about £5,025 a month. A standard 2026/27 estimate gives take-home pay of about £3,794 a month after tax and employee National Insurance. The simple average is shown separately where ONS published it.
The estimate uses the standard Personal Allowance, Income Tax bands for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and employee National Insurance. It does not include pension, student loan, salary sacrifice or a different tax code. Scottish Income Tax is different.
Typical electrical engineer salary and the wider pay range
The median is £60,303, between a lower-middle point of £43,003 and an upper-middle point of £73,899. The simple average is £61,559, close to the midpoint and less distorted than in many senior-director occupations.
The range reflects different industries and levels of technical responsibility. Graduate design work, authorised power roles, specialist systems engineering and senior project leadership should not be expected to pay the same.
Graduate, senior and chartered electrical engineer salaries
Career stage and technical authority are essential context for the national figures.
Graduate electrical engineer salary
ONS does not publish a fixed graduate starting salary in this table. The £43,003 lower-middle point covers the whole occupation and should not be presented as a guaranteed graduate rate.
Senior electrical engineer salary
Senior roles may include design approval, project leadership, client responsibility or safety-critical decisions. The upper-middle point is useful context, but the title alone does not define seniority.
Chartered electrical engineer salary
Chartered status can support progression and demonstrate professional competence, but it does not create one national salary. Sector, responsibility and market demand still matter.
Useful next step: compare this role with the electrician salary guide, or £60,000 hourly rate.
What usually changes electrical engineer pay
Electrical engineering pay follows industry, technical authority and the consequences of the decisions being made.
Industry and system type
Power, rail, aerospace, building services, manufacturing and renewables use different technologies and labour markets.
Experience and chartership
Professional registration, design authority and proven delivery can support progression, especially in regulated or safety-critical work.
Project and site responsibility
Commissioning, travel, outage work, site access and responsibility for contractors can change both salary and working pattern.
Specialism and security clearance
High-voltage, protection, controls, safety, defence and regulated infrastructure skills may carry different market value.
Training, engineering work and progression
The National Careers Service says electrical engineers design, build and maintain electrical systems, machinery and equipment across many industries. Entry routes include degrees, degree apprenticeships and progression from technician work.
Day-to-day work can include specifications, calculations, testing, safety checks, project planning and working with clients, technicians and other engineers. Site visits and occasional out-of-hours work may be part of the role.
With experience, engineers can specialise, gain incorporated or chartered status, lead projects, manage teams or move into consultancy. Those paths explain the difference between the lower and upper parts of the salary range.
Progression usually comes from greater technical authority and responsibility. Professional registration, safety-critical work, design approval, project leadership, client responsibility and experience in a specialist sector can all strengthen earning power. Registration can support progression, but it does not guarantee a particular salary by itself.
What to check in an electrical engineer offer
An engineering offer should make technical scope and working conditions clear.
- Is the role design, operations, maintenance, projects, commissioning or technical assurance?
- What level of sign-off, safety, client and contractor responsibility applies?
- Are travel, site, shift, standby and overtime payments included or separate?
- What support is provided for chartership, training and professional subscriptions?
Where the salary and industry information comes from
The pay figures are from the Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14, 2025 provisional edition. They cover full-time employee jobs and do not cover self-employed people. Annual gross pay can include overtime, incentive pay, shift premiums and cash allowances reported through payroll, so it should not be read as guaranteed basic salary.
| Official job group | Electrical engineers. |
|---|---|
| Quality | ONS marks this full-time estimate as reasonably precise. In plain English, use it as a strong national guide while allowing for some sampling uncertainty. |
| Jobs in the estimate | About 34,000 full-time employee jobs |
| Career and role source | National Careers Service: Electrical engineer Entry routes, duties, working pattern and progression. View source |
Where the verified source extract leaves a salary point blank, this page leaves it blank too. A missing upper point is never filled with an estimate.
View the ONS salary tableCheck the 2026/27 tax and NI figuresCompare all 412 occupations
Electrical engineer salary questions
What is the average electrical engineer salary in the UK?
Typical full-time electrical engineer pay is the £60,303 median. The simple average is £61,559, while graduate, senior and chartered roles can sit at different points in the published range.
How much is an electrical engineer salary per month after tax?
At the £60,303 median, gross pay is about £5,025 per month and a standard 2026/27 estimate gives about £3,794 after Income Tax and employee National Insurance, before pension or other deductions.
What is a graduate electrical engineer salary?
ONS does not publish a fixed graduate salary in this table. The £43,003 lower-middle point covers the whole occupation and is not a promised starting rate.
What is a senior electrical engineer salary?
The upper-middle published point is £73,899. A senior role may sit around or above that level depending on industry, technical authority, project risk and leadership.
Is an electrical engineer the same as an electrician?
No. Electrical engineers and electricians are separate ONS occupations. Engineers usually focus on professional design, systems and project work, while electricians install, inspect and repair electrical systems.
Is £60,303 a good electrical engineer salary?
It is 54% above the UK full-time median and sits at the official midpoint for the occupation. Sector, experience and technical responsibility determine whether it is competitive for a specific role.
What is an electrical engineer salary in London?
This page uses UK-wide data and does not claim a London-only figure. Compare the national range with the actual sector, responsibilities, travel and total package.
Does chartered status guarantee a higher electrical engineer salary?
No. Chartered status can support progression by showing professional competence, but pay still depends on sector, experience, technical responsibility, location and the role. Compare the actual duties and authority as well as the qualification.
Which electrical engineering sectors can change pay the most?
Power, energy, transport, building services, manufacturing, defence and specialist safety-critical work can have different markets. Site work, travel, shifts, security clearance and project responsibility may also affect the package.