If you are thinking about taking on a receptionist so you stop missing calls, the salary is only part of the bill. This guide works through the full cost using the official rates for the 2026 to 2027 tax year, then compares the other ways of making sure every call gets answered.
The short answer
A full-time receptionist aged 21 or over, paid the National Living Wage for a 37.5 hour week, costs a UK employer about £28,300 a year, or roughly £2,360 a month, once employer National Insurance and the minimum pension contribution are added. That buys cover for 37.5 of the 168 hours in a week.
Some small employers can claim the Employment Allowance, which can bring the National Insurance part down, so your own figure may be lower. Recruitment, equipment and cover for holidays and sickness come on top.
What you pay in wages
The legal minimum is the starting point. From April 2026 the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour (£10.85 for 18 to 20 year olds).
For a 37.5 hour week, that works out as:
- £12.71 x 37.5 hours = £476.63 a week
- £476.63 x 52 weeks = £24,785 a year
The National Careers Service receptionist job profile gives a typical range of £21,000 for a starter to £25,000 for an experienced receptionist, working 37 to 40 hours a week. With the April 2026 rise, a full-time job at the minimum wage now sits near the top of that range, so budget for at least £25,000 if you want someone with experience.
Employer National Insurance
On top of wages you pay employer (secondary) Class 1 National Insurance. For 2026 to 2027 the rate is 15% on earnings above the secondary threshold of £5,000 a year.
- (£24,785 minus £5,000) x 15% = £2,968 a year
If your business is eligible, the Employment Allowance (£10,500 for 2026 to 2027, on the same page) reduces your employer National Insurance bill. A business with one or two staff may pay little or none, so check whether it applies to you.
Workplace pension
You must put eligible staff into a workplace pension and pay in at least 3% of their qualifying earnings, which is pay between £6,240 and £50,270 a year.
- (£24,785 minus £6,240) x 3% = £556 a year
The full cost of a full-time receptionist
| Cost | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Wages (37.5 hours at £12.71) | £24,785 | £2,065 |
| Employer National Insurance | £2,968 | £247 |
| Pension (3% of qualifying earnings) | £556 | £46 |
| Total | £28,309 | £2,359 |
These are minimums. Pay above the National Living Wage, or a pension above 3%, pushes the figure up.
A part-time receptionist
Many small businesses only need cover for part of the day. For 20 hours a week at the same rate:
| Cost | Per year |
|---|---|
| Wages (20 hours at £12.71) | £13,218 |
| Employer National Insurance | £1,233 |
| Pension | £209 |
| Total | £14,661 |
That is about £1,220 a month for four hours a day.
The costs people forget
- Holiday. Full-time staff are entitled to 28 days of paid holiday a year (5.6 weeks), which can include bank holidays. Calls still come in while your receptionist is away, so someone else has to answer them.
- Sickness and breaks. Lunch, appointments and sick days all leave the phone unattended unless you arrange cover.
- Recruitment and training. Advertising the job, interviewing and showing someone your systems all take time or money.
- Equipment. A desk, a phone system, a computer and software licences.
The hours a receptionist covers
A full-time receptionist covers 37.5 hours out of 168 in a week, a little over a fifth. Calls at 7am, during lunch, in the evening or at the weekend still go to voicemail, and many callers do not leave a message. If those are the calls you are missing, extra staff hours cost the same again.
The alternatives
Answer it yourself, or divert calls to your mobile. It costs nothing extra, but you cannot answer while you are with a customer, on a ladder or driving. Our guide to diverting calls on a UK mobile shows how to send unanswered calls somewhere useful.
A human answering service. Staff at a call centre answer in your business name and pass on messages. Prices are usually per call or per minute, with a monthly minimum. We keep a side by side comparison of UK answering services, with prices taken from their own websites.
An AI receptionist. Software answers every call in a natural voice, at any hour, takes messages, answers common questions and can book appointments. Tilly costs £29, £59 or £119 a month plus VAT, with 40, 150 or 500 calls included, and every plan starts with a free trial. It answers around the clock, so evenings and weekends are covered, and it can pass urgent calls straight to you.
An AI receptionist only does the phone. If you also need someone to greet visitors, sort post or run the diary in person, a person in the building is still the answer. Many businesses use both: a receptionist in office hours, and an AI receptionist for lunch, holidays and out of hours.
Working out what is right for you
Count the calls you miss. Most phones show missed calls in the call log; check a typical week and note when they happen. If they cluster in a few busy hours, part-time cover may be enough. If they are spread across early mornings, evenings and weekends, a service that answers around the clock costs far less than staffing those hours.
If you want to hear what an AI receptionist sounds like before deciding, you can listen to sample calls or read how it works.
Figures use the rates published on GOV.UK for the 2026 to 2027 tax year, checked on 12 October 2026. They are a guide, not tax advice; an accountant can confirm the figures for your business.