This guide sets out what a mortgage adviser earns in the UK using official, dated sources only: the National Careers Service and the Office for National Statistics. It covers starter and experienced pay, trainees and apprentices, how bonus, commission and procuration fees work, and why salary figures disagree. If you searched for "mortgage advisor salary UK", the figures below apply across the UK; the qualification most advisers hold is CeMAP®, the Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice from Walbrook (LIBF). For how to get into the job, start with our guide to becoming a mortgage adviser.
How much does a mortgage adviser earn in the UK?
A mortgage adviser in the UK earns from about £27,000 a year as a starter to £70,000 when experienced, according to the National Careers Service, checked on 30 October 2026. ONS 2026 data give a median of £53,940 for the wider adviser group.
The two official sources
The National Careers Service mortgage adviser profile gives an average salary range for England. The ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Table 14, gives pay by occupation from a 1% sample of PAYE records. Its 2026 provisional edition was published on 22 October 2026.
ONS codes the job title "mortgage adviser" to SOC 2020 unit group 2422, "Finance and investment analysts and advisers", according to the ONS SOC 2020 coding index. That group also includes financial advisers and investment analysts, so it is wider than mortgage advice.
| Source and measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| National Careers Service: starter | £27,000 a year |
| National Careers Service: experienced | £70,000 a year |
| ONS ASHE 2026, SOC 2422, full-time: 10th percentile | £29,743 |
| ONS ASHE 2026, SOC 2422, full-time: 25th percentile | £39,666 |
| ONS ASHE 2026, SOC 2422, full-time: median | £53,940 |
| ONS ASHE 2026, SOC 2422, full-time: 75th percentile | £75,790 |
| ONS ASHE 2026, all full-time employees: median | £40,911 |
ASHE annual figures are gross pay for the tax year ending 5 April 2026, for full-time employees who had been in the same job for more than a year. They include bonuses and incentive pay. ONS did not publish a 90th percentile for this group, because it judged the estimate unreliable. The median was 6.6% higher than the previous year's figure.
Key fact: The ONS median is the middle job in the group: half of full-time jobs in SOC 2422 paid less than £53,940 and half paid more.
What does a trainee mortgage adviser earn?
A trainee mortgage adviser's pay has no separate official figure. The National Careers Service starter salary is £27,000 a year, and an apprentice must be paid at least £8 an hour, the National Minimum Wage apprentice rate from April 2026.
Apprentices
On gov.uk's minimum wage rates, the apprentice rate from 1 April 2026 is £8 an hour. It applies to apprentices under 19, and to apprentices aged 19 or over in the first year of their apprenticeship. After the first year, apprentices aged 21 or over are entitled to the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour. The government has announced rates of £8.31 and £13.21 from April 2027.
Worked example. An apprentice on the minimum apprentice rate working 37.5 hours a week earns 37.5 × £8 = £300 a week, or £300 × 52 = £15,600 a year before tax. That is a legal floor, not typical pay; employers may pay more. On 30 October 2026, the one apprenticeship advert shown on the National Careers Service profile, for a trainee mortgage and protection adviser, offered £17,000 a year. One advert is an example, not an average.
Support roles
Many people start in administration. ONS codes "mortgage administrator" to SOC 2020 group 4129, "Financial administrative occupations n.e.c.", whose full-time median annual pay in ASHE 2026 was £29,614. That group is also broad, covering many kinds of finance administration, not just mortgages. Mortgage underwriters, another common lender role, are coded with insurance underwriters in group 3532, so no mortgage-only figure exists for them either. Our trainee mortgage adviser guide explains which roles need CeMAP.
Key fact: Trainee advisers work under supervision until their firm assesses them as competent, under FCA rule TC 2.1.1R. Pay often rises at that sign-off, but no official data measure the step.
How do salary, bonus and procuration fees work?
Mortgage adviser pay usually combines a basic salary with a bonus or commission. Firms earn procuration fees from lenders and fees from customers, and MCOB 4.4A.8R requires firms to tell customers how they are paid, including commission.
The pieces
- Basic salary. Fixed pay. The National Careers Service figures are salary ranges.
- Bonus or commission. Usually linked to completed cases, protection policies arranged or customer outcomes. The National Careers Service advises checking how much of an advertised figure is on-target earnings (OTE), which depends on meeting targets.
- Procuration fee. The payment a lender makes to an intermediary firm for a completed mortgage. It is paid to the firm, not the adviser.
- Customer fees. Some firms charge the customer a broker fee; others are fee-free and rely on procuration fees.
What the customer must be told
Under MCOB 4.4A, the firm must disclose the basis on which it is paid: any fees it charges, when they are payable, whether it receives commission from the lender, and whether that commission is offset against fees. For a mortgage under the Mortgage Credit Directive, the amount of commission must be given, or the customer told it will appear in the ESIS. This is the same disclosure CeMAP FRE2 tests under AC7.3, "types of service provision and disclosure requirements".
Since 31 July 2023, the FCA's Consumer Duty has also required firms to avoid foreseeable harm to retail customers, which affects how incentive schemes are designed.
Exam tip: In CeMAP questions, a procuration fee is commission from the lender. It must be disclosed, but it does not by itself make advice unsuitable.
How does pay differ between lenders, brokers and self-employed advisers?
Pay differs mainly in structure: lender-employed advisers usually have a salary plus bonus, broker advisers often a lower base plus commission, and self-employed advisers keep a share of the income they generate. No official source gives separate figures for each group.
| Employer type | Typical structure | Official data |
|---|---|---|
| Bank or building society | Salary plus bonus; advises on that lender's products | Within ONS SOC 2422 if employed |
| Broker or estate agency | Salary plus commission or bonus | Within ONS SOC 2422 if employed |
| Appointed representative of a network (self-employed) | Share of fees and procuration fees, minus network charges and own costs | Not covered: ASHE excludes the self-employed |
The ONS codes "mortgage broker" to SOC 2020 group 3531, "Brokers". In ASHE 2026, ONS did not publish a median full-time salary for that group, because the estimate was not reliable enough. That is why we do not quote a "mortgage broker salary UK" figure.
Self-employed income has no official series at all. ASHE covers employees only, and the National Careers Service says only that experienced advisers may become self-employed. Our guide to becoming a mortgage adviser explains how appointed representatives work.
Key fact: ASHE does not cover the self-employed, so official earnings data say nothing about network advisers' income.
Does CeMAP increase your salary?
CeMAP raises earning potential by making advice possible: it is an FCA appropriate qualification for advising on regulated mortgages, activity 20 in TC App 4.1. No official source measures a "CeMAP salary" premium, so any figure claiming one is unofficial.
Without an appropriate qualification, a firm cannot assess you as a competent mortgage adviser (TC 2.1.1R), and you cannot advise at all until you have passed the regulatory module (TC 2.1.6R). The pay effect of CeMAP is therefore the step from support work into advice. On ONS figures, that is broadly the difference between the administrative group 4129 (full-time median £29,614) and the adviser group 2422 (£53,940). Those groups are broad, and many other factors separate the two medians, so treat the comparison as context, not as the value of the certificate.
As of October 2026, CeMAP costs £735 for the full qualification from the Walbrook CeMAP page, with £120 for each resit. Our CeMAP cost guide lists every fee, and is CeMAP worth it? weighs cost against career value.
Key fact: Passing CeMAP is a requirement for the job, not a pay grade. The firm's competence sign-off is what moves a trainee to full adviser.
Which qualifications raise pay after CeMAP?
The qualifications after CeMAP that widen what you can advise on are CeRER for equity release, the Level 4 CeMAP Diploma, and the Level 4 DipFA for investment advice. None has an official pay premium; their value is the extra business you can advise on.
| Qualification | What it adds | Fee (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| CeRER (Certificate in Regulated Equity Release), Level 3 | Equity release advice, FCA activities 21 and 22; requires CeMAP or an equivalent | £275 |
| CeMAP Diploma, Level 4 | CeMAP plus the Advanced Mortgage Advice unit | £550 (AMA) |
| DipFA (Diploma for Financial Advisers), Level 4 | Retail investment advice; shares the FSRE module with CeMAP | £1,475 |
Fees are as of October 2026, from Walbrook's course pages for CeRER, the CeMAP Diploma and the DipFA. Equity release advice needs its own appropriate qualification, so CeRER is the most direct way to add a product line. DipFA leads into financial advice, a different job. Our CeRER qualification guide covers the equity release route, and the CeMAP qualification guide explains where CeMAP sits.
Exam tip: Passing FRE1 and FRE2 counts towards both CeMAP and DipFA, so CeMAP 1 is never wasted if you later move into financial advice.
Why do salary figures differ between sources?
Salary figures differ because sources measure different things: the National Careers Service gives a typical starter-to-experienced range, ONS ASHE measures a broad occupation group from payroll data, and job adverts often quote on-target earnings that depend on sales.
| Source | What it measures | Strength | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Careers Service | Typical range for the job title | Mortgage-specific | A range, not a distribution; England service |
| ONS ASHE | Actual pay for an occupation group | Large sample, payroll-based, dated | SOC 2422 includes other advisers; no self-employed |
| Job adverts | What one employer offers | Current and local | Often OTE; not a statistic |
| Recruiter and industry surveys | Varies by survey | Can be specific | Method and sample often unpublished |
The two official sources broadly agree. The National Careers Service starter figure of £27,000 sits just below the ONS 10th percentile for SOC 2422 (£29,743), and its experienced figure of £70,000 sits between the ONS median (£53,940) and 75th percentile (£75,790). The ONS group is wider and includes financial advisers and investment analysts, which may explain why its upper figures run higher.
Before you trust any salary figure, check four things: who collected it, when, whether it includes commission or OTE, and whether it covers employees, the self-employed or both. If a figure gives no date and no source, ignore it.
Key fact: The figures on this page were checked on 30 October 2026. ONS publishes ASHE each autumn, so expect updated figures in late 2027.
Your plan to start earning
Your plan to start earning as a mortgage adviser has four steps: take the free FRE1 diagnostic, pass CeMAP 1 (the regulatory module you need before advising), apply for trainee roles, and finish CeMAP while you train.
- Check your starting point with the free FRE1 diagnostic, 20 questions in 30 minutes.
- Study CeMAP 1. Our CeMAP 1 (FSRE) hub covers both units; drill the biggest FRE1 topic with the FCA, PRA and Handbook drill.
- Sit the free mock 1. The FRE1 mock 1 is 40 questions in 60 minutes, as in the real exam.
- Apply for trainee roles while you finish CeMAP 2 and CeMAP 3.
The diagnostic, quick practice and mock 1 are free for every unit; mocks 2 to 10 and the topic drills are in Pro, from £6.99 a week. See the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
+Do mortgage advisers earn commission?
Many do. Pay is often a basic salary plus a bonus or commission linked to completed cases, and the National Careers Service warns that some adverts quote on-target earnings that depend on sales targets. Customers must be told how the firm is paid, including any commission from the lender, under MCOB 4.4A.
+What is a procuration fee?
A procuration fee, or proc fee, is the payment a lender makes to a mortgage intermediary for introducing a completed mortgage. It goes to the firm, which decides how much, if any, reaches the adviser. The firm must disclose to the customer whether it receives commission from the lender.
+Do mortgage advisers earn more in London?
Pay in general is higher in London, but the official sources we checked do not give a London figure for mortgage advisers. The National Careers Service publishes one national range, and the ONS occupation table we used is UK-wide. Treat any London mortgage adviser average you see as unofficial.
+How much do self-employed mortgage advisers make?
There is no official figure. The ONS earnings survey covers employees only, and the National Careers Service does not give a self-employed range. Self-employed advisers usually keep a share of the fees and commission they generate, after their network's charges and their own costs, so income varies widely.
+Is mortgage advice a good career?
It suits people who like dealing with customers, can handle detail and accept targets. Entry needs a qualification rather than a degree, and the National Careers Service lists routes into team management, self-employment and financial advice. Pay often depends partly on performance, which some find motivating and others stressful.
+What does a CeMAP-qualified adviser earn in their first year?
No official source measures first-year pay for CeMAP holders. The closest official figure is the National Careers Service starter salary for mortgage advisers, £27,000 a year (checked 30 October 2026). Trainees who are still qualifying, and apprentices, may start lower.
Keep reading
- How to Become a Mortgage Adviser in the UKHow to become a mortgage adviser in the UK: FCA-recognised qualifications, routes in with no experience, how firms assess competence and your first steps.
- Trainee Mortgage Adviser Jobs: What They Need and What CeMAP Lets You DoTrainee mortgage adviser jobs: what the role is, which CeMAP stage each mortgage job needs, what CeMAP 1 alone allows and how to apply with no experience.
- Is CeMAP Worth It? An Honest Look at Cost, Jobs and AlternativesIs CeMAP worth it? The £735 cost against what it unlocks, who needs it and who does not, self-funding or an employer, the new structure and alternatives.
- CeRER: The Certificate in Regulated Equity Release After CeMAPThe CeRER qualification for equity release advisers: the FOER and EQRS exams, pass marks, the £275 fee, how long it takes and how CeMAP prepares you.
- The CeMAP Qualification: What It Is, What It Lets You Do and How to Get ItThe CeMAP qualification is LIBF's Level 3 mortgage adviser certificate: 5 unit exams, £735, 18 months. What it lets you do and how to get it.