Work out the cost of employing a receptionist
Uses 2026/27 rates for the whole of the UK. Change the figures and press Work it out; the results update as you go.
Example result with the figures above (37.5 hours a week over 5 days at £12.71 an hour, 3% pension on qualifying earnings, no Employment Allowance, 30-minute unpaid lunch, no sick days or extras):
| Gross pay (37.5 × 52.14 weeks × £12.71) | £24,851 |
| Employer National Insurance (15% of pay above £5,000) | £2,978 |
| Employer pension (3% of pay between £6,240 and £50,270) | £558 |
| Total cost a year | £28,387 |
| Total cost a month | £2,366 |
| Hours a year actually at the desk (after 28 days' holiday) | 1,745 |
| Cost per hour at the desk | £16.27 |
| Working hours a year with nobody answering (holiday and lunch) | 326 |
Receptionist cost calculator results at a glance (2026/27)
What it costs a UK employer to employ a receptionist in 2026/27 for some common jobs: pay, employer National Insurance and the minimum 3% pension on qualifying earnings, with no Employment Allowance unless stated, a 30-minute unpaid lunch, no sick days and no extra costs. Click a row to open the calculator with those figures filled in.
| Job | Hours a week | Hourly pay | Gross pay | Employer NI | Pension | Total a year | A month | Per hour at the desk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full time, National Living Wage | 37.5 | £12.71 | £24,851 | £2,978 | £558 | £28,387 | £2,366 | £16.27 |
| Full time, National Living Wage, with Employment Allowance | 37.5 | £12.71 | £24,851 | £0 | £558 | £25,410 | £2,117 | £14.56 |
| Full time, £14 an hour | 37.5 | £14.00 | £27,374 | £3,356 | £634 | £31,364 | £2,614 | £17.97 |
| Full time, £16 an hour | 37.5 | £16.00 | £31,284 | £3,943 | £751 | £35,978 | £2,998 | £20.61 |
| Full time, 40 hours, National Living Wage | 40 | £12.71 | £26,508 | £3,226 | £608 | £30,342 | £2,529 | £16.30 |
| Part time, 25 hours over 5 days | 25 | £12.71 | £16,567 | £1,735 | £310 | £18,612 | £1,551 | £16.00 |
| Part time, 20 hours over 3 days | 20 | £12.71 | £13,254 | £1,238 | £210 | £14,703 | £1,225 | £15.80 |
Receptionist cost calculator: key facts
- The National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over from 1 April 2026, rising to £13.21 from 1 April 2027.
- A full-time receptionist at the National Living Wage costs about £28,390 a year in pay, employer NI and minimum pension, before any other costs (our illustration: 37.5 hours a week).
- Employer National Insurance is 15% of pay above £5,000 a year in 2026/27.
- The Employment Allowance is up to £10,500 a year per employer, not per employee, so it may already be used up by staff you have.
- The minimum employer pension contribution is 3%, usually on earnings between £6,240 and £50,270, for staff aged 22 to State Pension age earning at least £10,000 a year.
- Statutory holiday is 5.6 weeks a year, capped at 28 days. For a full-timer that's 210 hours a year when the desk is empty.
- The cost per hour at the desk is higher than the hourly rate suggests: about £16.27 in the full-time example, against pay of £12.71.
How does the receptionist cost calculator work?
It multiplies the paid hours by the hourly rate to get yearly pay, then adds employer National Insurance (15% above £5,000), the employer pension contribution and any extra costs you enter. It then takes off holiday, sickness and paid breaks to find the hours someone is actually at the desk.
The calculator follows the same steps a payroll would, but for a whole year at once:
- Paid hours = hours a week × 52.14 weeks (365 days ÷ 7).
- Gross pay = paid hours × hourly rate. This already includes holiday pay, because holiday is paid.
- Employer NI = (gross pay − £5,000) × 15%, less any Employment Allowance you can use.
- Pension = your percentage × qualifying earnings (pay between £6,240 and £50,270), or × all pay if your scheme works that way.
- Extras = one-off costs ÷ the years you spread them over, plus yearly running costs.
- Hours at the desk = paid hours − holiday hours − sick hours (− breaks, if they're paid).
With the default figures (37.5 hours a week at £12.71, 3% pension, no Employment Allowance, no extras) it gives about £24,850 pay, £2,980 employer NI and £560 pension: about £28,390 a year, or £2,366 a month. Take off 28 days' holiday (210 hours) and that's about £16.27 for each hour someone is at the desk. These are our sums from GOV.UK rates, not a typical salary: many receptionists are paid more.
Rates used, and where they come from
- National Living Wage £12.71 an hour (21 and over), £10.85 (18 to 20), £8 (under 18 and apprentices) from 1 April 2026: GOV.UK minimum wage rates.
- Employer National Insurance 15% above the £5,000 secondary threshold, and Employment Allowance up to £10,500: GOV.UK rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027.
- Minimum employer pension 3% of qualifying earnings (£6,240 to £50,270), automatic enrolment from £10,000 a year: GOV.UK workplace pensions.
- Holiday 5.6 weeks a year, capped at 28 days: GOV.UK holiday entitlement.
What you enter, and what it assumes
- Inputs: paid hours a week; working days a week; age band; hourly pay; whether you can use the Employment Allowance (and how much is left); employer pension % and whether it's on qualifying earnings or all pay; sick days a year; break minutes a day and whether breaks are paid; optional recruitment, training, equipment and software costs.
- Assumptions: the same pay all year (2026/27 tax year rates); 52.14 weeks a year; holiday is paid and already inside gross pay; sick days are paid at full pay.
- Pre-filled links: add
hours,days,rateand, if needed,age(a21, a18 or u18),pension,pbasis(qualifying or all),ea(yes or no),ealeft,sick,break,breakpaid,recruit,training,spread,equiporsoftwareto the address and the result shows when the page opens. For example /receptionist-cost-calculator?hours=20&days=3&rate=12.71.
What it leaves out: employee costs that don't change your bill (their own NI, tax and pension contribution come out of their pay); salary sacrifice; the Apprenticeship Levy; overtime and bonuses; Statutory Sick Pay instead of full pay; maternity and other family leave; pay rises during the year; and the cost of covering absences. NI is worked out on the year as a whole. Payroll works it out each payday, so real figures can differ slightly, especially if hours vary.
For a side-by-side look at employing someone against using an outside service, read our guide to virtual receptionist vs hiring a receptionist. This page is for running your own numbers.
How much employer National Insurance do you pay on a receptionist?
In 2026/27 you pay employer (secondary) Class 1 National Insurance of 15% on each employee's pay above £5,000 a year (£96 a week or £417 a month). For a full-time receptionist on the National Living Wage that's about £2,980 a year, before any Employment Allowance.
Employer NI is on top of the salary. It isn't deducted from the employee's pay; the employee pays their own NI separately. The threshold applies to each employee, so someone on low part-time pay may cost little or no employer NI.
The Employment Allowance: per employer, not per employee
Eligible employers can take up to £10,500 a year off their total employer NI bill in 2026/27. That's one allowance for the business, not £10,500 for each person. So:
- If you have no other staff and you're eligible, the allowance could cover all the employer NI on a receptionist's pay.
- If you already employ people, some or all of the allowance may already be used against their NI. Enter only what's left, or choose "No".
- Companies in a connected group get one allowance between them, and you can only claim against one payroll.
Not every business can claim. GOV.UK says you can claim if you're a business or public body doing less than half your work in the public sector, and charities can claim too. A company whose only director is also the only employee paid above the secondary threshold can't claim. Hiring a receptionist may change that, so check the eligibility rules on GOV.UK or ask your accountant.
What pension do you have to pay a receptionist?
If your receptionist is aged 22 to State Pension age, earns at least £10,000 a year and works in the UK, you must enrol them in a workplace pension and pay at least 3% of their qualifying earnings: pay between £6,240 and £50,270 a year. The employee pays 5%, making 8% in total.
The minimum is usually worked out on "qualifying earnings", not on the whole salary. On £24,850 pay, only £18,610 counts (£24,850 − £6,240), so 3% is about £560 rather than £745. Qualifying earnings include wages, overtime, bonuses and statutory sick and family pay.
- Your scheme may be different. Some schemes work out contributions on all pay, or you may choose to pay more than 3%. Choose "All pay" or change the percentage in the calculator to match.
- Lower earners and under-22s. If someone earns under £10,000 a year, or is under 22, you don't have to enrol them automatically. They can usually still ask to join, and you must contribute if they earn more than £520 a month (£120 a week).
- Part time. A part-timer may fall below the £10,000 trigger. The calculator flags this, but you can leave the 3% in if you expect them to join.
See GOV.UK's guide to joining a workplace pension for the full rules, including when you don't have to enrol someone.
How many hours a year is nobody answering the phone?
A full-time receptionist on five days a week has 28 days' paid holiday, which is 210 hours a year at 7.5 hours a day. Add sickness and around 30 minutes a day for lunch and breaks, and there are typically more than 300 hours a year when the desk is empty during normal hours, unless you arrange cover.
Holiday is paid, so it's already in the salary, but the phone still rings while they're away. The calculator works out holiday as 5.6 weeks × the days worked each week, capped at 28 days, which is the statutory minimum. If you give more, the gap is bigger.
With the default figures: 210 hours of holiday, plus 30 minutes a day of breaks over about 233 working days (around 117 hours), gives about 326 hours a year when nobody is at the desk. Each day off sick adds another 7.5 hours. That's before calls that come in while the receptionist is already on the phone, dealing with a visitor, or before and after their hours.
- Rest breaks: workers over 18 who work more than 6 hours a day are entitled to an uninterrupted 20-minute break. Whether it's paid depends on the contract.
- Sickness: eligible employees get Statutory Sick Pay of £123.25 a week (or 80% of average weekly earnings if lower) from the first day of illness, and employers can't recover it. The calculator assumes full pay; if you only pay SSP the pay cost is a little lower, but the phone gap is the same.
- Bank holidays: you can include them in the 28 days. If your business is open on bank holidays, those are still days the receptionist may be off.
The usual ways to fill the gap are to share calls around the team, book temporary staff for longer absences, or divert calls to an outside call answering service for holidays, lunch and sickness. Our guide to call answering for small businesses goes through how that cover works.
What other costs should you add to a receptionist's salary?
Add recruitment and training as one-off costs, and desk space, equipment, software and phone licences as yearly costs. Use your own figures: they vary too much between businesses for a rule of thumb.
The optional boxes in the calculator are there so you can put in what these cost you. Some ways to find a figure:
- Recruitment: the job board advert or agency fee you'd pay, from a quote or what you paid last time. If you expect to replace the person every couple of years, spread it over that many years.
- Training: any course fees, plus a fair value for the time a colleague spends showing them the ropes.
- Desk, equipment and space: a computer and headset spread over their useful life, furniture, and a share of rent if the desk could be used for something else.
- Software and phone: extra user licences for your phone system, email, booking or practice software.
Things the calculator doesn't price but you may want to think about: payroll and HR time, pay rises each April (the National Living Wage went from £12.21 in 2025/26 to £12.71 in 2026/27, with £13.21 announced for April 2027), and the cost of covering absences. Our comparison guide covers these in more detail.
Is a part-time receptionist or a job share cheaper?
Per hour, part-time staff can cost slightly less, because the £5,000 NI threshold and £6,240 pension threshold apply to each person, so a smaller share of their pay attracts employer NI and pension. But part-time staff have the same rights as full-timers, holiday is pro rata, and you cover fewer hours.
Enter the part-time hours and days in the calculator. Holiday is worked out pro rata: someone working 3 days a week gets at least 16.8 days (3 × 5.6). GOV.UK says part-time workers must not be treated less favourably than comparable full-timers just because they're part time, including pay rates, pension, holiday and training.
A job share illustration (our sums from GOV.UK rates). Two people each on 18.75 hours a week at £12.71 cover the same 37.5 hours as one full-timer:
| Item | One full-timer | Two job-sharers (together) |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | £24,850 | £24,850 (£12,425 each) |
| Employer NI | (£24,850 − £5,000) × 15% = £2,980 | 2 × (£12,425 − £5,000) × 15% = £2,230 |
| Employer pension (3%) | (£24,850 − £6,240) × 3% = £560 | 2 × (£12,425 − £6,240) × 3% = £370 |
| Total | £28,390 | £27,450 |
Rounded to the nearest £10, before any Employment Allowance. The saving is real but small next to the other costs: two people to recruit, train, equip and manage, handovers between them, and two sets of holiday to plan. The upside is that job-sharers can sometimes cover each other's holidays, which narrows the cover gap.
How do you compare this with a call answering quote?
Ask providers to quote for the hours and calls you actually need covered, including the holiday, sickness and lunch gaps the calculator shows, then compare their yearly cost with your total. Make sure you're comparing the same hours and the same work.
A call answering service only answers calls, so compare it with the phone part of the role. Give every provider the same brief:
- Your call pattern: roughly how many calls a month, how long they last and when they come. Your phone system's call logs, including missed calls, are the best source.
- The hours you want covered: all day, overflow only, lunch and holidays only, or evenings and weekends too.
- What happens on each call: take a message, book an appointment, transfer to someone, or pass on urgent calls in a set way.
Then ask each one, in writing:
- How is it priced: a monthly bundle, per call, per minute, or a mix? What counts as a chargeable call, and how is time rounded?
- What does it cost if you go over a bundle, and do unused calls roll over?
- Is there a set-up fee? Are evenings, weekends or bank holidays extra?
- Do they offer cover-only or low-volume plans for holidays and lunch breaks?
- What's the minimum term and notice period, and can prices rise during the contract?
- Will they sign a data processing contract with the terms UK GDPR Article 28 requires? They'll be handling your callers' details.
Work each quote out over a year and set it against the calculator's total, or against the cost of the gap hours if you're thinking of a hybrid. Our checklist on how to choose a call answering service goes further.
When is employing a receptionist still the better choice?
Employing someone is usually the better choice when people visit your premises, there's admin to fill the time between calls, or the phone is busy and steady all day. A lower cost per call doesn't help if you need someone in the building.
The calculator gives you a cost, not a verdict. A receptionist who greets visitors, signs for deliveries, keeps diaries and does admin is doing a lot more than a phone service, so a higher total may be the right answer. Employing is likely to win if:
- clients, patients or customers come to your premises and need looking after;
- there's enough admin to keep someone busy between calls;
- calls are high and constant through the day;
- callers need detailed knowledge that only comes from working inside the business.
Even then, the cover gap doesn't go away. Many businesses employ a receptionist and use an outside service just for overflow, lunch, holidays and out-of-hours calls. If that's where you're heading, our guide to out of hours call answering explains what callers get when the office is closed.
Related guides
Receptionist cost calculator: frequently asked questions
How much does a receptionist cost to employ in the UK?
As an illustration, a full-time receptionist on 37.5 hours a week at the April 2026 National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour costs about £24,850 in pay, £2,980 in employer National Insurance and £560 in minimum pension: about £28,390 a year. Recruitment, training, equipment and cover are on top. Many receptionists are paid more, so use the calculator with your own figures.
What does the receptionist cost calculator include?
Gross pay, employer National Insurance (with the Employment Allowance if you can use it), the employer pension contribution, and any recruitment, training, equipment and software costs you enter. It also works out the monthly cost, the cost per hour actually at the desk, and the hours a year nobody is answering.
Is the Employment Allowance per employee?
No. It's up to £10,500 a year off the employer's total National Insurance bill in 2026/27, for the business as a whole. If your existing staff already use it up, there's none left for a new receptionist. Connected companies share one allowance.
Do I have to pay into a pension for a receptionist?
Yes, if they're aged 22 to State Pension age, earn at least £10,000 a year and work in the UK. You must enrol them automatically and pay at least 3% of qualifying earnings, which is pay between £6,240 and £50,270 a year. Lower earners can usually ask to join.
Why is the cost per hour higher than the hourly pay?
Because you pay employer NI and pension on top of pay, and you pay for holiday when nobody is at the desk. In the full-time example, £28,390 spread over about 1,745 hours actually at the desk is about £16.27 an hour, against pay of £12.71.
How much holiday does a receptionist get?
At least 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year, which is 28 days for five days a week. Statutory holiday is capped at 28 days. Part-timers get it pro rata, for example 16.8 days for three days a week. You can include bank holidays in it.
What will a receptionist cost from April 2027?
The National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over rises to £13.21 an hour from 1 April 2027. Press the April 2027 button in the calculator to use it. NI and pension thresholds for 2027/28 hadn't been set when we checked, so the calculator keeps the 2026/27 thresholds.
Is a part-time receptionist cheaper?
In total, yes, because you pay for fewer hours. Per hour it can be slightly cheaper too, because the NI and pension thresholds apply to each person. But you cover fewer hours, and part-timers have the same rights to pay rates, pension and pro rata holiday as full-timers.
Can I pay a receptionist less than the National Living Wage?
Only if they're under 21 or an apprentice, when lower minimum rates apply: £10.85 an hour for 18 to 20 year olds and £8 for under 18s and apprentices from April 2026. Choose the age band in the calculator to see the minimum.
Does the calculator store what I type?
No. It runs entirely in your browser and nothing you enter is sent to us. Only the enquiry form, if you choose to fill it in, sends your details.
How do I compare this with a call answering service?
Ask providers to quote in writing for your real call volume and the hours you want covered, including holiday and lunch gaps. Work each quote out over a year and compare it with the calculator's total, remembering that an employee can also greet visitors and do admin.
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources on 11 November 2026:
- National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates (GOV.UK)
- Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 (GOV.UK)
- Employment Allowance: check if you're eligible (GOV.UK)
- Workplace pensions: joining a workplace pension (GOV.UK)
- Workplace pensions: what you, your employer and the government pay (GOV.UK)
- Holiday entitlement (GOV.UK)
- Rest breaks at work (GOV.UK)
- Part-time workers' rights (GOV.UK)