In United Kingdom, published freelance rates for a reporter are £175–£289.38 a day.
Freelance
£175–£289.38 a day
Sources
3 documents
What reporter work in United Kingdom pays, according to the documents that set rates there, each quoted as printed. How the pay guide works →
What the published rates say
Year
Full-time journalists and reporters (2492): mean gross annual payONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026
£51,469.80
Full-time journalists and reporters (2492): median gross annual payONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026
£48,153.40
All journalists and reporters (2492), full and part time: median gross annual payONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026
£46,360.70
Day
TV reporting or producing day, all-rights buyoutNUJ · Collective agreement · 1 Jan 2024
£289.38
National newspapers: writing news, per dayNUJ · Recommended minimums · 9 Aug 2021
£200
Online: writing, per dayNUJ · Recommended minimums
£175
1,000 words
National newspapers, "qualities": news, per 1,000 words, fromNUJ · Recommended minimums · 9 Aug 2021
£430
Online: writing, per 1,000 wordsNUJ · Recommended minimums
£300
Week
Full-time journalists and reporters (2492): median gross weekly payONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026
£907
Piece or item
Radio feature, minimumNUJ · Collective agreement · 1 Jan 2024
£350.70
Hour
Full-time journalists and reporters (2492): median gross hourly payONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026
£23.54
Article
National tabloids: page lead, rarely less thanNUJ · Recommended minimums · 9 Aug 2021
£1,250
What reporter job ads in United Kingdom offer
Open marketWhat employers offered in public job ads over the last 12 months, from 18 job ads with pay. These figures come from the open job market, not from journalist.net, and we do not check them.
ReporterOn staff
£37,500 a year
ReporterOther or not stated
£32,500 a year
Journalism jobs in United Kingdom →
The middle figure of the ads for each job, with the middle half of them. Shown only where at least 3 employers posted ads with pay and none posted more than half of them.
Each published rate as a day's pay
On staff · 5 figures
£46,360.70 a year
£51,469.80 a year
Freelance · 3 figures
£175 a day
£289.38 a day
US$ a day at the ECB rate for the month. A month is 12 payments over 260 working days, or 13 or 14 where the agreement says so; a year is 260 days; a shift counts as a day.
| Type of work | What | As printed | US$ a day | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On staff | All journalists and reporters (2492), full and part time: median gross annual pay | £46,360.70 a year | $239.50 | ONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026 |
| On staff | Full-time journalists and reporters (2492): median gross weekly pay | £907 a week | $243.65 | ONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026 |
| On staff | Full-time journalists and reporters (2492): median gross annual pay | £48,153.40 a year | $248.76 | ONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026 |
| On staff | Full-time journalists and reporters (2492): median gross hourly pay | £23.54 an hour | $252.94 | ONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026 |
| On staff | Full-time journalists and reporters (2492): mean gross annual pay | £51,469.80 a year | $265.89 | ONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026 |
| Freelance | Online: writing, per day | £175 a day | $235.05 | NUJ · Recommended minimums |
| Freelance | National newspapers: writing news, per day | £200 a day | $268.63 | NUJ · Recommended minimums · 9 Aug 2021 |
| Freelance | TV reporting or producing day, all-rights buyout | £289.38 a day | $388.68 | NUJ · Collective agreement · 1 Jan 2024 |
Every figure, as printed
Open a row for the wording in the document and its dates.
Printed
'2492 | 14 | 48153.4DocumentONS ASHE pay for newspaper and periodical journalists and reporters (SOC 2020 2492), 2026 provisional · Official statistics StatusIn force · 1 Apr 2026
Printed
Mean 51469.8DocumentONS ASHE pay for newspaper and periodical journalists and reporters (SOC 2020 2492), 2026 provisional · Official statistics StatusIn force · 1 Apr 2026
Printed
'2492 | 16 | 46360.7DocumentONS ASHE pay for newspaper and periodical journalists and reporters (SOC 2020 2492), 2026 provisional · Official statistics StatusIn force · 1 Apr 2026
Printed
'2492 | 15 | 907DocumentONS ASHE pay for newspaper and periodical journalists and reporters (SOC 2020 2492), 2026 provisional · Official statistics StatusIn force · 1 Apr 2026
Printed
'2492 | 15 | 23.54DocumentONS ASHE pay for newspaper and periodical journalists and reporters (SOC 2020 2492), 2026 provisional · Official statistics StatusIn force · 1 Apr 2026
Printed
Radio features minimum 350.70DocumentNUJ-BBC house agreement minimum fees for freelance contributors, 2024 · Collective agreement StatusIn force · 1 Jan 2024
Printed
reporting or producing day, terms - all rights buyout 289.38DocumentNUJ-BBC house agreement minimum fees for freelance contributors, 2024 · Collective agreement StatusIn force · 1 Jan 2024
Printed
Writing news: per day 200.00DocumentNUJ Freelance Fees Guide: suggested minimum rates, national newspapers and online (rates updated 9 Aug 2021) · Recommended minimums StatusIn force · 9 Aug 2021
Printed
News, for "qualities", per 1000 words, from 430.00DocumentNUJ Freelance Fees Guide: suggested minimum rates, national newspapers and online (rates updated 9 Aug 2021) · Recommended minimums StatusIn force · 9 Aug 2021
Printed
Page lead, tabloids - sky's the limit, rarely less than 1250.00DocumentNUJ Freelance Fees Guide: suggested minimum rates, national newspapers and online (rates updated 9 Aug 2021) · Recommended minimums StatusIn force · 9 Aug 2021
Printed
1000 words 300.00DocumentNUJ Freelance Fees Guide: suggested minimum rates, national newspapers and online (rates updated 9 Aug 2021) · Recommended minimums StatusIn force
Printed
Writing, per day 175.00DocumentNUJ Freelance Fees Guide: suggested minimum rates, national newspapers and online (rates updated 9 Aug 2021) · Recommended minimums StatusIn force
Questions people ask
In United Kingdom, published freelance rates for a reporter are £175–£289.38 a day.
NUJ, ONS, in 3 documents.
£37,500 a year in the middle of the ads from the last 12 months: middle half £33,000–£42,921.75 · 12 ads.
A reporter's minimum nearby
Lowest staff minimum in each country's agreements, as US$ a day.
About this data. These rates are compiled from publicly available sources and quoted as printed, with their date. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any figure. For information only: Journalist.net does not recommend or set rates. How we count