Official pay data
Updated 15 October 2026
Salary guide
Official annual estimates for the whole country, mapped to the closest published occupation.
United Kingdom · gross annual earnings estimate
25th percentile
£28,565
Median
£34,954
75th percentile
£43,903
This ASHE benchmark covers full-time employee jobs, not self-employed income or part-time jobs. ASHE gross earnings include basic pay, overtime, incentive pay such as bonuses and commissions, shift premiums, and other cash pay. They are before deductions, exclude payments in kind, and are not take-home pay or the whole benefits package. Compare the benchmark with an offer on the same working-hours and annual-pay basis.
This is a country-level occupation benchmark, not a local offer estimate. Pay can differ by location, employer, duties, and working pattern.
Source: ONS, 2025-04-30. Mapped to Personal assistants and other secretaries; the occupation is broader than the page role. Figures are estimates, not advertised salaries.
The national benchmark uses the occupation "[Personal assistants and other secretaries](/uk/salaries/personal-assistant)", which is a useful comparison for an Executive Assistant because both roles provide senior administrative support. It is not an exact salary for every EA: responsibilities vary by manager and organisation, and the benchmark covers the wider occupation rather than a specific seniority level or employer.
Benchmark fit
The mapped occupation is a reasonable national benchmark because an Executive Assistant may support senior leaders, screen routine queries and protect their manager's time. The comparison stops where the broader occupation includes Personal Assistant work: the UK profile presents Executive Assistant duties separately, and exact responsibilities depend on the role and organisation.
Nearby titles: Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant.
Do not treat the occupation benchmark as a precise salary for a particular EA level. The mapped group is broader, and the profile's duties are examples rather than a complete list.
Role scope
An Executive Assistant provides proactive administrative support to a senior manager and may screen routine queries so the manager can focus on higher-level work.
Manage projects with other teams and departments, organise complex diaries and use judgement to prioritise tasks. · Research and summarise information for senior management teams and assist with decision-making processes. · Plan and co-ordinate board meetings, company events and travel. · Handle sensitive information in line with company policies and act as a contact for internal and external clients while managing those relationships.
A well-scoped EA role can produce organised diaries, coordinated meetings and travel, concise research summaries, and reliable support for management decisions.
The UK profile lists project work, complex diary management, research for senior management and board meeting co-ordination as examples for Executive Assistants.
A Personal Assistant is a closely related support role in the same mapped occupation, but Personal Assistant examples should not be used by themselves to define Executive Assistant scope.
Read the range
Use responsibility scope to compare roles, not the displayed quartiles as career-level bands. An EA role centred on complex diaries, management research and board co-ordination has a different remit from a role limited to routine administrative support, even when both sit within the same occupation benchmark.
One quarter of employees earn below this figure.
Half of employees earn below this figure and half above it; it is not the arithmetic midpoint of the displayed range.
One quarter of employees earn above this figure.
Location
The benchmark is national. Regional medians are available for the East, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, Scotland, South East, South West, Wales, West Midlands, and Yorkshire and The Humber, but these figures remain supplementary rather than a local offer estimate.
| Region | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| East | Not published | £34,752 | Not published |
| East Midlands | Not published | £27,124 | Not published |
| London | Not published | £47,852 | Not published |
| North East | Not published | £29,996 | Not published |
| North West | Not published | £30,052 | Not published |
| Scotland | Not published | £31,681 | Not published |
| South East | Not published | £35,273 | Not published |
| South West | Not published | £30,144 | Not published |
| Wales | Not published | £30,486 | Not published |
| West Midlands | Not published | £31,657 | Not published |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Not published | £32,770 | Not published |
Pay can differ by location, employer, duties and working pattern, so a regional figure does not predict an individual offer.
Beyond salary
Compare an offer on the same annual-pay and working-hours basis as the benchmark. Separate fixed salary from conditional cash, then check which benefits are contractual and what triggers any variable payment.
This gives you the cleanest comparison with the benchmark's annual employee-pay basis.
These forms of cash pay can be included in gross earnings, but their conditions affect what you can rely on.
Payments in kind and the wider benefits package are separate from the benchmark's gross cash-earnings measure.
Offer review
Compare roles
A Personal Assistant provides administrative support for managers and senior management. It is closely related to Executive Assistant work, but the supplied UK profile separates its example duties from the Executive Assistant examples. Both roles sit within the mapped occupation, Personal assistants and other secretaries.
Compare salary guideQuestions
Source
Source: ONS, 2025-04-30. The figures cover Personal assistants and other secretaries (4215) and full time employee jobs. Updated 15 October 2026. This broad occupation benchmark may not match every Executive Assistant vacancy.
Put the benchmark to work
Use the salary range as context. Tailor your CV around the experience that supports your target level.
