Official pay data
Updated 11 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.
This national benchmark is a useful starting point for Personal Assistant offers because the mapped occupation covers personal assistants alongside other secretarial roles. It fits administrative support work for managers, including appointments, correspondence, documents and travel, but it is not a pay estimate for every individual job or a substitute for checking the duties in your offer.
Benchmark fit
The benchmark groups Personal Assistants with other secretaries. That makes it relevant where the job involves administrative support for managers, but the group is broader than a single Personal Assistant job title.
Executive Assistant and Personal Assistant are related titles, but the national profile gives them different example task lists. Do not assume an Executive Assistant title, project work or support for decision-making is part of every Personal Assistant role.
Role scope
A Personal Assistant provides administrative support for managers and senior management.
Respond to enquiries by telephone, email and in person. · Set up meetings and make appointments. · Take meeting notes and draft letters, memos and emails. · Prepare documents, reports and presentations for managers. · Manage travel arrangements and book transport or accommodation.
Meeting arrangements, correspondence and manager-facing documents. · Updated files, records and contact lists.
The profile separates this title from Personal Assistant work and gives Executive Assistants examples such as project management, complex diary prioritisation and research for senior management.
Read the range
Use the benchmark to compare a Personal Assistant offer built around appointments, correspondence, documents and travel support. If the post also asks for Executive Assistant-style project coordination, complex diary prioritisation or research for senior management, compare it with the [Executive Assistant salary benchmark](/uk/salaries/executive-assistant) and read the job description closely rather than treating that scope as standard Personal Assistant work.
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
Supplementary regional medians are available for selected UK regions, alongside the national occupational benchmark.
| 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 |
Regional figures are supplementary. A national occupation benchmark is not a local offer estimate, and pay can differ by location, employer, duties and working pattern.
Beyond salary
Compare the offer's annual cash pay on the same working-hours basis as the benchmark. Then separate fixed salary from overtime, bonuses, commission, shift premiums and other conditional cash payments, and review benefits on their own terms.
Confirm the stated annual salary and contracted hours before comparing it with the benchmark.
Ask whether overtime, bonuses, commission, shift premiums or other cash pay are offered, and what conditions govern them.
Check pension, health cover, leave and any other benefits separately, because payments in kind are outside gross earnings.
Offer review
Questions
Source
Source: ONS, 2025-04-30. The figures cover Personal assistants and other secretaries (4215) and full time employee jobs. Updated 11 October 2026. This broad occupation benchmark may not match every Personal Assistant vacancy.
Put the benchmark to work
Use the salary range as context. Tailor your CV around the experience that supports your target level.
