Occupational therapists: pay and what the work involves

Occupation 2222 · Professional occupations

Occupational therapists

Occupational therapists work with people who have a physical or learning disability or mental illness, actively engaging them in purposeful activities in order to maximise self-confidence, independent functioning and well-being.

How people enter it

Entrants usually possess A levels/H grades, an HND/HNC, a BTEC/SQA award or equivalent qualifications followed by training on an approved degree scheme necessary for state registration as an occupational therapist. There is a minimum age limit of 18 years to enter training.

What the work involves

considers the physical, psychological and social needs of a patient that may result from illness, injury, congenital condition or lifestyle problems
devises, designs, initiates and monitors carefully selected and graded treatments and activities as part of the assessment and intervention process
liaises with a wide variety of other professionals in planning and reviewing ongoing treatments
trains students and supervises the work of occupational therapy assistants
makes home visits to clients, families and carers to organise support and rehabilitation and assist them to deal and cope with disability
counsels clients in ways to promote a healthy lifestyle, prevention of illness and/or preparation for coping with increasing stages of illness
maintains patient records, manages caseloads

Also called

Community occupational therapist · Occupational therapist · Paediatric occupational therapist

What it pays

Measure	Hours	Basis	Period	Value	Source
2222 : Occupational therapists	None	None	2026-03	45,700.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2222 : Occupational therapists	None	None	2026-03	47,100.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2222 : Occupational therapists	None	None	2026-03	54,300.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2222 : Occupational therapists	None	None	2026-03	1,700.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2222 : Occupational therapists	None	None	2026-03	7,200.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2222 : Occupational therapists	None	None	2026-03	56,000.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2222 : Occupational therapists	None	None	2026-03	1,400.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)

Every regional figure

ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.

Region	Measure	Hours	Value	Period
East	2222 : Occupational therapists	None	2,700.00	2026-03
East Midlands	2222 : Occupational therapists	None	3,600.00	2026-03
London	2222 : Occupational therapists	None	10,700.00	2026-03
North East	2222 : Occupational therapists	None	1,300.00	2026-03
North West	2222 : Occupational therapists	None	4,900.00	2026-03
Northern Ireland	2222 : Occupational therapists	None	1,700.00	2026-03
Scotland	2222 : Occupational therapists	None	7,200.00	2026-03
South East	2222 : Occupational therapists	None	8,900.00	2026-03
South West	2222 : Occupational therapists	None	5,900.00	2026-03
Wales	2222 : Occupational therapists	None	1,400.00	2026-03
West Midlands	2222 : Occupational therapists	None	4,100.00	2026-03
Yorkshire and The Humber	2222 : Occupational therapists	None	3,700.00	2026-03

Common questions

Does pay for occupational therapists vary by region?

ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 12 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.

Where do these pay figures come from?

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.

Classified alongside this

Clinical psychologists · Other psychologists · Physiotherapists · Psychotherapists and cognitive behaviour therapists · Speech and language therapists · Therapy professionals n.e.c.