How much do Royal Mail workers earn?

Royal Mail workers have claimed that letters are going undelivered for weeks as the service prioritises parcels.

Whistleblowers told the BBC that trays of first-class mail are left in depots for long periods, while tracked parcels make up the bulk of deliveries for staff.

Workers describe being told to prioritise tracked parcels, because they boost office statistics and generate revenue, while non-tracked letters and second-class mail are frequently left behind.

One postman said the job had become more like that of an Amazon driver, telling the BBC: “Imagine being an Amazon driver with around 300+ parcels to deliver a day.

“Now imagine you also have letters to deliver on top of that to around 800+ houses. Every day. It’s impossible.”

Another Royal Mail worker claimed that, “day in, day out, we’re not getting all the mail delivered”, adding: “If they’re small parcels and they’re first class, then that is supposed to take priority over second class, but the truth of it is if there’s a large parcel that’s second class we take it because we don’t want it in the delivery office, getting in the way the next day.”

Some 16 million customers failed to receive letters on time over the Christmas period, but the problems appear to have become worse since then, with overtime cut, holidays taken and more staff calling in sick.

Customers who spoke to the BBC said NHS appointment letters were arriving after the appointment date, while there were also reports of missing school certificates and late bank statements.

In October last year, regulator Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21m for missing its annual delivery targets.

Royal Mail insists the vast majority of mail is delivered as planned and blames short-term factors like weather and sickness for local issues.

A spokesperson told Yahoo News UK: “Adverse weather, including storms Goretti, Ingrid and Chandra in January, alongside higher-than-usual sick absence, has caused some short-term disruption to certain routes.

“Where a delay affects a route, we work to resolve it as quickly as possible by putting in extra support and reviewing performance daily to restore deliveries as quickly as possible.”

How much do Royal Mail workers earn?

Royal Mail employs thousands of workers across the UK in roles ranging from frontline delivery staff to management and support positions.

Salaries vary significantly depending on the job, experience, location (with higher rates often paid in London and urban areas due to allowances), overtime opportunities and whether the role is hourly or salaried.

A Royal Mail spokesperson told Yahoo News UK that postal delivery workers earned 10–19% more than the UK national living wage in 2024/25.

Average hourly pay across delivery, processing and collections ranged from £12.54 per hour to £13.65 per hour, compared to the national living wage of £11.44.

The median salary for its workforce is £26,339, with median total pay and benefits standing at £35,064 (including allowances, overtime, shift payments and pension).

Estimated figures drawn from employee-reported data on job sites like Indeed and Glassdoor and actual pay can differ based on individual contracts, negotiations and recent pay awards.

Figures from those sites suggest postal delivery workers earn around £22,000 to £28,000 per year, with hourly rates commonly in the region of £12.50 to £15.50.

Entry-level or starting pay can be closer to £21,000–£23,000, rising with experience and overtime to at least £25,000.

Delivery drivers earn approximately £12.60 per hour (roughly £24,000–£28,000 a year for full-time hours).

Other roles include:

• Sorter or warehouse/processing staff: Around £25,000 to £30,000 per year

• Delivery manager: Around £40,000 to £50,000 per year

• Operations manager: Typically £45,000 to £65,000, with senior director-level roles reaching over £90,000