ARA’s Salary Recommendations
The ARA is committed to supporting and promoting the archives, records management and archive conservation professions.
Salaries should reflect the skills, expertise and qualifications required to perform the duties of the post regardless of employer, sector or job title. We regularly review salaries across the sector in order to give you a guide on what to look for and expect.
The recommendations are designed to help employers set salaries for archive, recordkeeping and conservation posts. For ARA members, the recommendations are a useful advocacy tool when raising the issue of pay with employers and funding bodies.
Salary Recommendations 2026
The UK and Ireland are two different countries with different economic outlooks and differing attitudes from central Government towards pay increases – particularly in relation to the Public Sector.
Inflation
The inflation rates for 2025 in the two countries were:
UK 3.5%
Ireland 3.2%
Pay agreement and settlements in 2025
UK
In the UK public sector pay continued to be negotiated via different unions in different sectors this resulted in the following averages:
Median Pay settlement 3%
Average Pay settlement private sector 2.9%
Average Pay settlement public sector 3.6%
Average Pay Review Board recommendation 4%
Using an average of inflation, average pay settlement in public sector and average pay review board recommendation we reached a figure of 3.7% to apply to UK salary bands for 2026
Ireland
In Ireland a Public Service Level Agreement set out pay increases for March 2025 to June 2026. In some cases a lump sum replaced a percentage if it was higher – eg in March 2025 the pay increase was 2% or Euro 1,000 if higher. In February 2026 the pay increase will be 1% of Euro 500 if higher. Working through the set of increases laid out in the agreement arrives at a variable pay increase of 7.9% for the lowest salary bands and 5.1% for the highest.
A note to employers and would-be employers
It is important to remember when benchmarking against other similar jobs and when negotiating increases that there can be big differences in total remuneration packages that go beyond just annual salaries, for example: more generous pension schemes, the amount of holiday days given (and whether they are inclusive or exclusive of bank holidays), additional perks such as health insurance, subsidised travel etc. This should also be taken into account when comparing existing salary scales with these recommendations.
Employers using these recommendations for budgeting purposes should bear in mind that these do not include on-costs such as national insurance, pension contributions, recruitment and on-boarding costs, etc.
The recommendations below are for minimum salaries.
Salary Recommendations 2026
| Level | Salary | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Para-professional | £26,861/€28,043 minimum | Eg: support staff, performing some tasks independently. Possibly working towards qualification as a Foundation Member of the ARA and/or towards a degree/diploma. |
| Lower Management Level 1 |
Starting in the range of £34,717 -£41,146 or €37,685-€43,702 | Eg: responsible for a discrete area of work/delivers on short term targets. Basic level of responsibility. Recently completed a specialist degree and/or qualified as a Foundation Member of the ARA. |
| Lower Management Level 2 |
Level 2: £41,146 or €43,702 minimum | Eg: manages some resources, people and/or services; possibly working towards qualification as a Registered Member of the ARA. |
*All figures are gross and do not include London weighting.
For more details including rates of inflation and average pay increase rates please see the pdf here.
A pdf version of last year’s (2025) guidance can be found here.
Guidance for freelancers
ARA recognises that increasing numbers of professionals are working independently on a freelance, contract or agency basis, often at an hourly or daily rate.
Our Guidance for Freelancers is designed to help inform those considering a move into freelance work. An additional resource for those considering a change to a freelance career can be found in the Going-Freelance Guide. However, ARA advises members to undertake detailed research according to their own specific circumstances before committing to contract work.
Note for Employers and would-be employers
The guidance for freelancers will give you some idea of the amount you may need to pay for short term contracts and day work. This guide only applies to those you employ who are working on a self-employed basis. If you plan to employ someone via an agency there may be additional on-costs over and above those indicated in this guide and you should check with relevant agencies on their current rates, ideally prior to making funding bids or allocating budgets.
Trainee roles
Graduate traineeships, apprenticeship and internships are not explicitly included in the recommendations.