UK Executive Assistant Salaries
Executive Assistant pay in the UK sits in a wide band in 2026, from around £28,000 for a first EA role outside London to over £75,000 for a senior Executive Assistant supporting a chief executive in financial services. The average across the market falls between £37,000 and £43,000 depending on which data set you use. This page sets out what Executive Assistants are paid across the UK, broken down by city, sector, experience level and job title. We also explain why published salary figures differ so widely, because that difference matters when you are preparing for a pay review or benchmarking a new role.
Executive Assistant Pay
The market in 2026 remains candidate led. Recruiters continue to report difficulty filling senior EA roles, and counter offers during notice periods have become common at the top end. That gives experienced Executive Assistants more leverage than they had in the years immediately after the pandemic.
Executive Assistant Salaries in the UK by city
Below you will see the Executive Assistants’ salaries in the UK. The major cities in the United Kingdom. All cities where there are enough jobs and data to post reliable averages have been added to the list.
The honest answer is that no single national average exists. Job board data draws on large numbers of self-reported salaries and includes junior and part-time roles, which pulls the figure down. Recruitment agency guides reflect the roles those agencies are actually placing, which skew senior and London-weighted, so their figures run higher. Read both, and treat the agency guides as the better guide to what a good role is worth right now.
Average Executive Assistant salary in the UK
| Source | UK average | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Glassdoor | £43,500 | Self reported, includes additional pay |
| PayScale | £36,800 | Base salary only |
| Robert Walters | £28,000 to £75,000 | Full range across all levels |
Averages are rounded to the nearest thousand. Top earner figures for London, Slough and Manchester are the 90th percentile reported pay. Regional top-end figures reflect the senior EA ranges reported across those markets rather than a city-specific percentile, so treat them as indicative.
Executive Assistant jobs in London
London remains the highest-paying EA market in the UK by a clear margin. The typical London pay band runs from about £37,000 at the lower quartile to just under £60,000 at the upper quartile, with top earners reporting above £75,000.
That premium is driven by industry mix rather than by location alone. Investment funds, private equity, banking, insurance, law, and corporate head offices all concentrate in London, and all pay above the national benchmark for executive support. Recruitment guides aimed at these employers quote London EA ranges starting above £50,000, which reflects the seniority of the roles they handle rather than the whole market.
Cost of living offsets a meaningful part of the London premium. At senior salary levels, net disposable income outside London can be comparable or better.
Executive Assistant salaries in the UK by city
| City | Average salary | Top earners |
|---|---|---|
| London | £47,000 | £75,000 |
| Slough and Thames Valley | £43,000 | £61,000 |
| Birmingham | £40,000 | £50,000 |
| Bristol | £35,000 | £50,000 |
| Leeds | £35,000 | £50,000 |
| Manchester | £34,000 | £50,000 |
| Edinburgh | £34,000 | £50,000 |
| Glasgow | £33,000 | £49,000 |
| Aberdeen | £33,000 | £50,000 |
Executive Assistant pay outside London
The gap between London and the regions sits at roughly 15 to 30 per cent for equivalent roles. Birmingham has strengthened relative to other regional cities, helped by professional services and legal employers building out their Midlands offices. Bristol, Leeds, Manchester and Edinburgh cluster closely together, with averages in the mid-thirties and senior roles reaching £50,000 and above.
Senior EA roles supporting a chief executive in Manchester, Birmingham or Edinburgh typically command £40,000 to £55,000. The South East outside London runs higher at £45,000 to £65,000 for the same level of role, with the Thames Valley corridor around Slough, Reading and Maidenhead paying close to London rates because of the technology and pharmaceutical employers based there.
Executive Assistant pay in Scotland
Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen hold the bulk of Scottish EA roles. Edinburgh leads on average pay, supported by asset management, banking and legal employers. Aberdeen pay continues to track the energy sector, which produces a small number of well-paid roles rather than a consistently higher average. Reported sample sizes in Aberdeen are small, so individual adverts are a better guide there than published averages.
Executive Assistant salaries in Wales and Northern Ireland
Cardiff and Belfast both sit close to the regional benchmark rather than the national one, with averages in the low thirties and senior roles reaching the mid forties. Both markets have comparatively few dedicated EA roles, so the range between adverts is wide.
Executive Assistants in Northern Ireland should also watch the Republic of Ireland market, where the European headquarters of large technology employers in Dublin push EA salaries well above UK levels.
Job titles in executive support are used inconsistently, but the pay ladder is fairly stable.
| Job title | London range | Regional range |
|---|---|---|
| Team Assistant or Administrator | £28,000 to £35,000 | £24,000 to £30,000 |
| Personal Assistant | £35,000 to £45,000 | £28,000 to £36,000 |
| Executive Assistant | £45,000 to £60,000 | £34,000 to £45,000 |
| Senior EA or EA to CEO | £50,000 to £75,000 | £40,000 to £55,000 |
| Chief of Staff | £75,000 and above | £55,000 and above |
The biggest single jump is from Executive Assistant to EA supporting a chief executive. Experienced EAs with ten or more years of C-suite support and sector knowledge earn £65,000 to £75,000 and above in financial services, private equity and the leading law firms. Total compensation, including bonus, pension and benefits, can exceed £90,000 at lead level.
| Experience | Typical base salary |
|---|---|
| Under 1 year | £28,000 to £32,000 |
| 1 to 4 years | £32,000 to £40,000 |
| 5 to 9 years | £40,000 to £52,000 |
| 10 years and above | £50,000 to £75,000 |
London roles sit at the top of each band, and regional roles at the bottom. Progression slows after roughly ten years unless the role itself changes, which is why moving into C-suite support, board support or a Chief of Staff remit is the most reliable route to a significant increase.
Which sectors pay Executive Assistants the most
Sector has a larger effect on EA pay than almost any other factor apart from location. The strongest paying sectors in 2026 are private equity and investment funds, investment banking, corporate law, technology, pharmaceuticals, energy, and management consultancy. Financial services ranks highest for both base pay and bonus.
Charities, education, local government and smaller owner-managed businesses pay below the national benchmark, often by £8,000 to £12,000 for a role with comparable duties. Public sector and NHS roles follow banded pay structures, which cap the top end but usually come with stronger pension provision.
Bonuses, benefits and total compensation
Base salary understates what senior Executive Assistants actually earn. Most permanent EA roles supporting a chief executive in London include a discretionary bonus of 5 to 20 per cent of base salary. Financial services employers pay the highest percentages, and some senior EAs receive 20 to 30 per cent in strong years.
Beyond bonus, the benefits that appear most consistently in EA packages are private medical cover, enhanced pension contributions, life assurance, season ticket loans and paid professional development. Hybrid working is now standard for most office-based EA roles, typically two to three days in the office, although roles supporting a chief executive more often require full-time office attendance and are usually priced accordingly.
Contract and temporary Executive Assistant rates
Day rates for EA and executive support assignments in London run from £200 to £300 per day. Inside IR35 assignments sit at the lower end, between £200 and £275, to allow for umbrella company deductions. Outside IR35 assignments command more but have become rare for executive support roles.
Maternity cover and interim assignments still make up a large share of the contract market, and experienced EAs often use them to move into a sector or level of seniority that would be difficult to enter directly.
Work-life balance and the salary trade-off
A consistent relationship exists between the highest-paying EA roles and the demands placed on the person doing them. The sectors at the top of the pay table are the same sectors where EAs report the longest hours, the most out-of-hours contact and the least predictable diaries. Supporting a chief executive in private equity or investment banking is a materially different job from supporting a director in a mid-sized business, and the salary reflects that.
This is worth weighing deliberately, not by default. A £10,000 increase that comes with permanent evening availability is a different proposition from a £10,000 increase that comes with a larger remit.
How to increase your Executive Assistant salary
The factors that move EA pay the most, in order of impact:
1. Move up the executive you support. Supporting a chief executive, chief financial officer or board pays more than supporting a department head, in every sector and every city.
2. Move into a higher-paying sector. The same duties can pay £10,000 more in financial services than in the charity sector.
3. Take on remit beyond diary and travel. Budget responsibility, board minutes, project ownership, managing other support staff and stakeholder management all move a role up a band.
4. Build recognised AI and technology skills. Employers are paying a premium of roughly 8 to 15 per cent for EAs with advanced proficiency in AI tools, alongside regulatory knowledge or a second language. This is the fastest-moving differentiator in the market right now.
5. Gain a formal qualification. A recognised EA or Office Manager qualification gives you something concrete to point at in a pay review, which matters when your case rests on judgement and trust rather than measurable output.
IEAA runs training and qualifications built around exactly these areas. You can see the full Executive Assistant courses range, the Executive Assistant Qualification structure, and our Microsoft Office courses for the technical side.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average Executive Assistant salary in the UK in 2026?
Between £37,000 and £43,000 depending on the data source. Job board averages sit lower because they include junior roles, and recruitment agency guides sit higher because they reflect the senior roles those agencies place.
How much does an Executive Assistant earn in London?
The London average is approximately £47,000, with a typical range of £37,000 to £60,000 and top earners above £75,000.
Which UK city pays Executive Assistants the most?
London, followed by the Thames Valley corridor and Birmingham.
Do Executive Assistants receive bonuses?
Most senior EA roles in London include a discretionary bonus of 5 to 20 per cent of base salary. Financial services pays the highest, with 20 to 30 per cent in strong years.
What is the difference between EA and PA salaries?
Executive Assistant roles typically pay £7,000 to £12,000 more than Personal Assistant roles, reflecting the seniority of the executive supported and the wider remit. See our guide to [PA roles and PA pay](https://executive-assistants.org/what-is-a-pa/).
How much does an EA to a CEO earn?
In London, £39,000 to £75,000, with the median between £50,000 and £60,000 for candidates with five or more years of C-suite experience. Regional equivalents run £40,000 to £55,000.
Does a qualification increase Executive Assistant pay?
It is not an automatic uplift, but it strengthens the case at review, and it is frequently listed as preferred on senior EA adverts. It matters most when combined with a move up in the seniority of the executive supported.
Method and sources
Figures on this page come from Glassdoor, Indeed, PayScale, Robert Half, Robert Walters, Morgan McKinley, and specialist business support recruiters, using data published between February and August 2026. Where sources disagree, we show the spread rather than averaging them into a single number, because the underlying samples measure different things.
City figures cover locations with enough reported roles to produce a usable benchmark. We exclude smaller markets rather than show unreliable averages.
We review this page twice a year. Next scheduled review: March 2027.
Learn more about the role in our guide to what an Executive Assistant does, or read our career advice on becoming a PA.