Software developer salary UK: what developers really earn
The typical full-time software developer salary is £56,914. See the official ONS pay range, estimated monthly take-home pay and how it compares with the UK full-time median of £39,039.
How to read the official software developer salary figure
Software developer salaries vary sharply by level, employer, location and the kind of work involved. The ONS groups programmers and software development professionals together, so this is a broad national guide rather than a salary promise for one language or job title. That breadth is still useful.
It shows that the middle of the market is comfortably above typical full-time UK pay, while the higher end stretches much further. The figures come from employee jobs, not freelance day rates, company income or a sample of current vacancies. Use them to judge the scale of an offer or your current salary, then add the details that matter in your case: seniority, management duties, sector, location and the value of any bonus or equity.
Which software jobs this figure covers
The ONS group covers programmers and software development professionals. It is broad enough to span many technologies, but it is not a catch-all figure for every job in technology.
Good fit for this page
- Employed software developers and programmers
- Application, web, platform and product development roles that map to the ONS group
- Permanent employee salaries before valuing bonus or equity
Use a different comparison for
- IT support, data analysis, product management or hardware engineering
- Freelance day rates or company revenue
- A job title that says developer but is mainly sales, implementation or support
Lower, typical and higher software developer pay
Only £7,189 separates the median from the published 60th percentile. A quick glance cannot show where your own pay sits inside that band or how close you are to the next salary point.
- Lower pay10th percentile£32,835
- Lower-middle pay25th percentile£42,289
- Typical payMedian£56,914
- Higher pay75th percentile£75,794
- Top 10% line90th percentile£102,860
Moving from the median to the published 60th percentile is £7,189 gross a year, or about £347 more a month after standard tax and employee National Insurance.
Compare your confirmed software role and salary with the ONS range, then see take-home pay and the value of unpaid time, remote work and other costs.
From the median to the published 60th percentile is £7,189 gross a year, worth about £347 more a month after standard tax and employee National Insurance.
Every published software developer salary point
See every published salary point
| Pay point | Annual salary | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £32,835 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 20th percentile | £39,105 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 25th percentile | £42,289 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 30th percentile | £45,101 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 40th percentile | £51,000 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| Median | £56,914 | The published midpoint |
| 60th percentile | £64,103 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| 70th percentile | £71,126 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| 75th percentile | £75,794 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| 80th percentile | £82,503 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| 90th percentile | £102,860 | Above the occupation midpoint |
The paid report estimates a position between two published points. It does not claim an exact ranking of every worker.
What the typical salary may look like after tax
At the typical software developer salary of £56,914, take-home is about £3,631 a month.
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.
Why software developer pay spreads so widely
The lower published point is £32,835, the typical salary is £56,914, and the top 10% line is £102,860. The simple average is £63,810, which is pulled upwards by higher salaries.
The top 10% line is far above the typical salary. That is consistent with a field where seniority, scarce skills, leadership and employer type can change pay quickly. A job title alone is not enough, so compare the official range with the actual duties and level of the role.
What usually changes software developer pay
Software pay spreads widely because the same broad occupation contains junior coding roles, experienced individual contributors, lead developers and managers. The title alone is not enough to judge an offer.
Level and responsibility
A role that owns architecture, reviews other people’s work or leads delivery should not be compared with an entry-level role that works inside an established design.
Employer and sector
A small local employer, a public body, a consultancy and a global product company can place different values on the same specialist skill.
Specialist and domain knowledge
Security, cloud platforms, data-heavy systems, financial services and other specialist areas can change demand, especially when the role combines specialist knowledge with business knowledge.
Bonus, equity and working pattern
Share awards, bonus, on-call work and release pressure can change the package. Compare guaranteed cash first, then value the uncertain parts separately.
What software developers do and where the role can lead
The National Careers Service describes software developers as discussing requirements, planning work, writing and updating code, testing, recording changes and supporting systems after release. The job may be office-based, remote or carried out at a client site.
Entry routes include university, college, apprenticeships and graduate training schemes. A degree can help, but the official guidance also points to practical routes and continuing learning in programming languages, project management and development methods.
Experienced developers can become senior developers, lead teams, manage projects or move into systems design, architecture and business analysis. Some later consult or set up a company. These are different jobs inside one broad pay range, so responsibility should be checked as closely as salary.
What to check in a software developer offer
A strong offer comparison looks past the stack named in the advert.
- What level is the role, and what decisions or systems will you own?
- How much of the package is guaranteed salary, bonus, equity or retention pay?
- Is on-call, weekend release work or client travel expected, and how is it compensated?
- What pension, leave, remote-work support, training budget and promotion path are included?
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 annual figures normally relate to people who have been in the same job for more than one year. They do not cover self-employed people.
| Official job group | Programmers and software development professionals |
|---|---|
| Quality | ONS rates this estimate precise (CV of 5% or less). The published median CV is 2.7%. In plain English, this is one of the more dependable ONS estimates for the occupation. |
| Jobs in the estimate | About 343,000 employee jobs |
| Career and role source | National Careers Service: Software developer Role duties, entry routes, working pattern and career progression. View source |
The page stops at the published 90th percentile. It does not turn that point into a claim about the maximum salary.
View the ONS salary tableCheck the 2026/27 tax and NI figures
Software developer salary questions
What is the typical software developer salary in the UK?
The ONS full-time median for software developers is £56,914. The simple average is £63,810. The median is the better starting point for a typical salary.
Is £56,914 a good salary for a software developer?
It is the official middle salary for full-time software developers. It is 46% higher than the UK full-time median of £39,039.
What do the best-paid software developers earn?
The published 90th percentile is £102,860. That is the line where the top 10% begins, not a cap on pay.
How much is software developer take-home pay at the typical salary?
A standard 2026/27 estimate gives about £3,631 a month after Income Tax and employee National Insurance. Pension, student loan, salary sacrifice and tax-code changes are not included.