Veterinary Nurse Salary 2026/27: Official ONS Figures, Take-Home Pay and Regional Differences

Veterinary Nurse Salary: What the Official Statistics Show

Understanding the veterinary nurse salary in the UK requires looking at the most authoritative source: the Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). For 2025 provisional data, ONS classifies veterinary nurses under SOC 2020 unit group 3240. The full-time median gross annual pay is £28,893. A quarter of veterinary nurses earn below £25,190, and 70% earn under £31,869. The 10th, 75th, 80th and 90th percentiles were suppressed by ONS as statistically unreliable, so there is no official figure for the lowest or highest paid.

Earlier ASHE data (2024, using the older SOC 6131 code) gave a median of £27,000, with a 25th percentile of £23,500 and a 75th percentile of £31,000. The upward movement reflects general pay growth. It is important to note that ASHE covers only employed veterinary nurses – locums working for themselves are outside the survey. The figures also mix all experience levels, regions and practice types, so individual salaries can vary widely.

How Veterinary Nurse Pay Compares to the National Living Wage and NHS Band 5

From April 2026, the National Living Wage (for those aged 21 and over) is £12.71 per hour. Over a standard 37.5-hour week for 52 weeks, that equates to £24,785 gross per year. The veterinary nurse median of £28,893 sits about £4,100 above that floor. However, the 25th percentile of £25,190 is only £405 above the NLW, meaning a significant proportion of veterinary nurses earn barely more than the legal minimum.

Comparing with NHS nursing: the entry point for NHS Agenda for Change Band 5 in 2026/27 is £32,073, rising to £39,043 at the top of the band. The veterinary nurse median is £3,180 below that entry point. After Income Tax and National Insurance in England, the take-home gap is about £2,290 per year. The comparison is imperfect because the ASHE figure is from April 2025 while the NHS figure is from April 2026, but it still highlights a clear pay differential. Veterinary nurses also typically have a defined contribution pension rather than the NHS’s defined benefit scheme.

Regional Variations in Veterinary Nurse Pay

Where you work makes a substantial difference. According to Salary Scout (which draws on ONS data), the median veterinary nurse salary ranges from £13,584 in the North East to £31,986 in Scotland – a gap of 135%. Other higher-paying regions include the South East (£29,542) and West Midlands (£28,743). London, despite higher living costs, shows a median of £25,057, possibly reflecting a mix of practice types. Wales (£22,542), the North West (£18,954), East Midlands (£15,577), and South West (£15,543) all fall below the UK median. These regional figures should be treated as indicative; they are based on survey data that may have small sample sizes in some areas.

Take-Home Pay and Pension Contributions

For a veterinary nurse on the £28,893 median, take-home pay in England in 2026/27 (with no pension contribution and no student loan) is £24,323 per year – about £2,027 per month. That is after deducting £3,265 Income Tax and £1,306 National Insurance. If the nurse contributes 5% of full pay into a workplace pension via salary sacrifice, take-home falls to roughly £23,282. The legal minimum auto-enrolment contribution is 5% employee / 3% employer on qualifying earnings (£6,240 to £50,270), but many practices may use different arrangements.

Self-employed locums pay tax differently: Class 4 National Insurance at 6% (rather than 8% Class 1) on profits between £12,570 and £50,270, and no Class 2 if profits exceed the Small Profits Threshold (£7,105). This can result in slightly higher take-home for the same gross income, but locums must cover their own pension and holiday pay.

The Minimum Wage Floor for Student and Newly Qualified Nurses

Employed student veterinary nurses and apprentices must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage for their age. From April 2026, the apprentice rate is £8.00 per hour (for apprentices under 19 or in their first year), the 18–20 rate is £10.85, and the National Living Wage of £12.71 applies to those 21 and over. Over a 37.5-hour week, the apprentice rate yields £15,600 a year, while the NLW yields £24,785. Higher or further education students on a work placement of up to one year are not entitled to the minimum wage.

What the RCVS Survey Shows

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons conducts a periodic survey of the profession. The 2024 survey had a 16% response rate (3,740 responses). While the summary does not provide specific salary figures, it is a useful source for understanding broader trends in the profession, such as job satisfaction and working patterns. For precise pay data, the ONS ASHE remains the benchmark.

For more context on how veterinary nurse pay fits into the wider UK salary landscape, see the UK Average Salary overview and explore salary data for other occupations.

FAQs

What is the average veterinary nurse salary in the UK?

The most reliable official figure is the median full-time gross annual pay of £28,893 from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 provisional data. The mean (average) is lower at around £26,280 according to Salary Scout, because lower earners pull the average down. Advertised salaries may differ from these reported earnings.

How does veterinary nurse pay compare to NHS Band 5 nursing?

The veterinary nurse median of £28,893 is £3,180 below the NHS Agenda for Change Band 5 entry point of £32,073 in 2026/27. After tax and National Insurance in England, that gap narrows to about £2,290 per year of take-home pay. However, the ASHE figure is from April 2025 and the NHS figure from April 2026, so part of the difference reflects a year of pay growth.

What is the take-home pay for a veterinary nurse on the median salary?

On the £28,893 median, with no pension contribution, take-home in England in 2026/27 is approximately £24,323 per year (£2,027 per month), after £3,265 Income Tax and £1,306 National Insurance. With a 5% workplace pension contribution via salary sacrifice, take-home reduces to about £23,282 per year.