As of April 22, 2025, the average annual salary for a Senior Software Engineer in the United Kingdom is £68,100, with an hourly rate of £33, according to Salary.com Global Salary IQ data. The average salary ranges from £60,900 to £74,900, influenced by factors like location, education, experience, and more.

Global Market Data
25TH   £60,900
50TH(Median)   £68,100
75TH   £74,900
Senior Software Engineer Salaries by Percentile
Percentile Salary Location Last Updated
25th Percentile Senior Software Engineer Salary £60,900 United Kingdom April 22, 2025
50th Percentile Senior Software Engineer Salary £68,100 United Kingdom April 22, 2025
75th Percentile Senior Software Engineer Salary £74,900 United Kingdom April 22, 2025

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How Much Does a Senior Software Engineer Make by Hour, Week, Month, and Year?

Last Updated on April 22, 2025

Salary.com provides you with accurate and diversified Senior Software Engineer salary data based on specialized databases to help you get a fairer salary. The average annual pay for a Senior Software Engineer is about £68,100 a year, this translates to an approximate hourly rate of £33, a monthly salary of about £5,675, and a weekly pay of around £1,310. Click the switch button below to see more details about Senior Software Engineer hourly pay, weekly pay, monthly pay, and so on.

How Much Do Senior Software Engineers Earn at Different Levels in 2025?

A Senior Software Engineer's salary varies significantly based on experience level. Entry typically earn £61,867 - £66,273, while Intermediate make £62,512 - £66,810, Senior earn £63,694 - £67,885, Specialist earn £67,563 - £71,449, Expert can reach £69,318 - £73,378 or more, depending on the company and location.

Levels Salary
Entry Level Senior Software Engineer £64,876
Intermediate Level Senior Software Engineer £65,413
Senior Level Senior Software Engineer £66,488
Specialist Level Senior Software Engineer £70,130
Expert Level Senior Software Engineer £71,957
£64,876 0 yr
£65,413 < 2 yrs
£66,488 2-4 yrs
£70,130 5-8 yrs
£71,957 > 8 yrs
Entry Level 5%
Intermediate Level 4%
Senior Level 2%
Specialist Level 3%
Expert Level 6%
View as Table
View as Graph
Last Updated on April 22, 2025

Skills to Boost a Senior Software Engineer Salary

Mastering key skills can significantly increase your earning potential as a Senior Software Engineer. According to Salary.com's Real-time Job Posting Data, expertise in Analysis can lead to a 3% salary raise, while strong Software Development skills boost pay by a 5%. Even Software Engineering can result in a 3% salary increase.

Skill Library evaluates talent skills across five levels, supported by 5-10 behavior indicators, delivering precise insights for data-driven hiring decisions.
Analysis
Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
Software Development
Software development is the process of conceiving, specifying, designing, programming, documenting, testing, and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining applications, frameworks, or other software components. Software development is a process of writing and maintaining the source code, but in a broader sense, it includes all that is involved between the conception of the desired software through to the final manifestation of the software, sometimes in a planned and structured process. Therefore, software development may include research, new development, prototyping, modification, reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any other activities that result in software products. Software can be developed for a variety of purposes, the three most common being to meet specific needs of a specific client/business (the case with custom software), to meet a perceived need of some set of potential users (the case with commercial and open source software), or for personal use (e.g. a scientist may write software to automate a mundane task). Embedded software development, that is, the development of embedded software, such as used for controlling consumer products, requires the development process to be integrated with the development of the controlled physical product. System software underlies applications and the programming process itself, and is often developed separately.
Software Engineering
Software engineering is the application of engineering to the development of software in a systematic method. Notable definitions of software engineering include: "the systematic application of scientific and technological knowledge, methods, and experience to the design, implementation, testing, and documentation of software"—The Bureau of Labor Statistics—IEEE Systems and software engineering - Vocabulary "The application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software"—IEEE Standard Glossary of Software Engineering Terminology "an engineering discipline that is concerned with all aspects of software production"—Ian Sommerville "the establishment and use of sound engineering principles in order to economically obtain software that is reliable and works efficiently on real machines"—Fritz Bauer
More Skills...
Based on recent job listings, in-demand skills in the Senior Software Engineer field include Analysis (3%), Software Development (5%), Software Engineering (3%), and Kubernetes (3%). These skills reflect current market needs.
Skills Salary Demand
Skill & Salary Demand
Analysis £70,143
Analysis
£70,143
3%
Software Development £71,505
Software Development
£71,505
5%
Software Engineering £70,143
Software Engineering
£70,143
3%
Kubernetes £70,143
Kubernetes
£70,143
3%
Analysis
6.83%
Software Development
3.80%
Software Engineering
0.91%
Kubernetes
7.30%

What are the Highest Paying Cities in the United Kingdom for Senior Software Engineer?

The top 3 highest-paying cities in the United Kingdom for Senior Software Engineer are London, Brighton and Hove, and Manchester. In London, the average salary is £73,548 per year, while Brighton and Hove offers £68,606, and Manchester pays around £65,277 annually.

Which Job Pays More: Senior Embedded Software Engineer or Senior Software Engineer?

As of April 22, 2025 , a Senior Embedded Software Engineer makes less than a Senior Software Engineer. A Senior Embedded Software Engineer earns an average annual salary of £50,048. And a Senior Software Engineer earns an average annual salary of £68,100.

Job Title Salary Range in GBP
Senior Embedded Software Engineer
£39,828
£59,582
Software Engineer III
£40,050
£59,913
Software Engineer I
£25,891
£34,274
Software Engineer II
£35,231
£53,025

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