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UK Underwriting market update and salary benchmarking guide 2026

Compare underwriting salaries and see where the market is moving

A softer market has made hiring more selective. Whether you are building a team or weighing your next move, get the market intelligence and salary ranges to make more informed choices. 

Inside, you will find:

  • Salary benchmarking across 20 classes of businessHigh and low base salary ranges from underwriting to head of underwriting from Accident to Treaty
  • The market factors impacting who gets hiredHow M&A activity, MGA appetite and AI are changing hiring, retention and what employers are prioritising
  • What really moves top underwriters nowWhy total package, equity and role scope increasingly matter as much as base salary, and how firms are closing the mid-senior skills gap

Benchmark your next hire or your next move

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One underwriting salary guide. Two sides of the market.

Built from conversations with hiring managers and underwriters across the London market.
See the full picture, not just half of it.

FOR EMPLOYERS

Build and retain the team you need

  • Pitch offers that land with the help of accurate salary ranges structured by class and seniority
  • Plan succession before key underwriters leave
  • Hold on to talent through M&S and integration uncertainty
Start benchmarking your team
FOR UNDERWRITERS

Make your next opportunity count

  • See what your experience is worth in your class of business
  • Weigh options by business line with clear comparison
  • Know what employers now look for, from broker relationships to AI literacy
Check your market value
classes of business benchmarked, from accident ad health to treaty
salary ranges across four levels, underwriter to head of underwriting
years in partnership with leading insurers to secure best-in-class talent
Adam Smith

Senior Principal

"Too many businesses are competing for the same pool of established senior underwriters. The firms that build the strongest succession pipelines will be those willing to identify talent a level or two below, give them responsibility and develop them into the senior underwriters of the future."

Aeson Rodgers

Senior Principal

“MGAs have widened the options available to senior underwriters. Established insurers are now competing not just with other carriers for talent, but with platforms offering greater autonomy, influence and potential equity."

Louie York

Principal Consultant

"AI is already changing how underwriting teams work, but I don’t think the biggest impact on talent will be replacing underwriters. It will be raising the bar for what a good underwriter looks like. Technical underwriting and broker relationships will remain fundamental, but the people who can also understand data, use technology effectively and adapt to new tools will increasingly stand out. Tech literacy is quickly becoming a core skill rather than a nice-to-have."

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