Salary guide
Kitchen Assistant salary
What kitchen assistants are advertised at on live vacancies we hold — we name the nation whenever we publish a figure.
Official support staff pay spine · 2026/27
NJC pay points 3–43
Full-time, full-year rates from 1 April 2026 (3.3% increase agreed). Show all pay points
| Pay point (SCP) | Annual salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | £25,614 | £13.28 |
| 4 | £26,016 | £13.48 |
| 5 | £26,427 | £13.70 |
| 6 | £26,847 | £13.92 |
| 7 | £27,274 | £14.14 |
| 8 | £27,709 | £14.36 |
| 9 | £28,153 | £14.59 |
| 10 | £28,608 | £14.83 |
| 11 | £29,071 | £15.07 |
| 12 | £29,542 | £15.31 |
| 13 | £30,023 | £15.56 |
| 14 | £30,515 | £15.82 |
| 15 | £31,015 | £16.08 |
| 16 | £31,525 | £16.34 |
| 17 | £32,046 | £16.61 |
| 18 | £32,578 | £16.89 |
| 19 | £33,119 | £17.17 |
| 20 | £33,673 | £17.45 |
| 21 | £34,237 | £17.75 |
| 22 | £34,811 | £18.04 |
| 23 | £35,570 | £18.44 |
| 24 | £36,581 | £18.96 |
| 25 | £37,563 | £19.47 |
| 26 | £38,510 | £19.96 |
| 27 | £39,481 | £20.46 |
| 28 | £40,444 | £20.96 |
| 29 | £41,177 | £21.34 |
| 30 | £42,123 | £21.83 |
| 31 | £43,149 | £22.37 |
| 32 | £44,253 | £22.94 |
| 33 | £45,529 | £23.60 |
| 34 | £46,579 | £24.14 |
| 35 | £47,665 | £24.71 |
| 36 | £48,738 | £25.26 |
| 37 | £49,817 | £25.82 |
| 38 | £50,908 | £26.39 |
| 39 | £51,928 | £26.92 |
| 40 | £53,051 | £27.50 |
| 41 | £54,143 | £28.06 |
| 42 | £55,224 | £28.62 |
| 43 | £56,293 | £29.18 |
Source: NJC for Local Government Services pay agreement 2026 (Annex 1)
Councils and most maintained schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland pay support staff on this spine; each employer decides which pay points a role sits on. Annual figures are for a full-time (37-hour), all-year post — term-time and part-time staff are paid a proportion of them. Hourly rates are for a 37-hour week. Pay point 2 was removed, so the spine now starts at point 3. Academies, independent schools and private nurseries may use their own pay.
Read the official pay agreement (Local Government Association)Typical advertised pay
£12,611 per year – £25,032 per year
Median advertised range for Catering Assistant roles in England
Based on Catering Assistant adverts
We don't yet have enough Kitchen Assistant adverts with pay to publish a figure of their own, so this shows the closest main role. Based on 16 live public vacancies. Support-staff pay is set locally, so individual adverts vary.
See the Catering Assistant salary guideKitchen Assistant job openings
Kitchen Assistant
Alton Park Junior School · Clacton-on-Sea
Kitchen Assistant
Pix Brook Academy · Stotfold
Kitchen Assistant (x2 posts)
Malet Lambert · Hull
Kitchen Assistant at Escrick Primary School
Escrick Church of England Primary School · York
General Kitchen Assistant
Downside Primary School · Luton
Kitchen Assistant
Brighouse High School · Brighouse
Schools hiring kitchen assistants
Ranked by live vacancy volume. We do not publish employer-level pay figures.
Where kitchen assistants are being advertised
Areas with the most live kitchen assistant vacancies.
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Local-government support-staff pay structures (England and Wales)
See admin assistant salary guide
Career advice for kitchen assistant roles
Frequently asked questions
How much does a kitchen assistant earn?
We do not yet hold enough verified salary evidence to publish a kitchen assistant figure. Rather than estimate, we show live vacancies so you can see what employers are actually advertising.
Does kitchen assistant pay vary by area?
It can, but we only publish area differences where we have enough evidence for that area — we never apply a regional multiplier to invent a local figure.
What pay framework applies to a kitchen assistant?
There is no single pay framework that generally applies to this role: pay depends on the employer, the contract and the nation. Use the advertised salary evidence on this page and check the individual advert.
Find your next kitchen assistant job
Live UK kitchen assistant vacancies from schools, trusts and agencies.
Browse Kitchen Assistant jobs