SDR Salary UK
SDR salaries in the UK have evolved significantly over the past three years. The post-2022 hiring correction that saw some companies freeze SDR headcount has given way to renewed investment in pipeline generation — and with it, a more competitive market for experienced SDRs who can demonstrate genuine quota attainment. This guide provides comprehensive UK SDR and BDR salary benchmarks for 2025–26, including base pay, OTE ranges, commission structure mechanics, regional data, and how to evaluate whether a given SDR package is competitive for your market and stage.UK SDR Salary Overview: Key Data Points
Market data from multiple sources for UK SDR roles in 2025–26:- Glassdoor UK average SDR base: £39,685
- RepVue UK median base: £39,523
- RepVue UK median OTE: £59,636
- Chris Ritson (LinkedIn SDR expert) UK average base: £35,000
- Live Digital placement range (2024–25): £28,000–£45,000 base depending on seniority and sector
SDR Salary by Level
Junior / Graduate SDR
- Base salary: £25,000–£32,000
- Target variable: £8,000–£14,000
- OTE: £33,000–£46,000
- Ramp period: 1–3 months (reduced quota or full OTE protection)
SDR (1–2 years’ experience)
- Base salary: £30,000–£40,000
- Target variable: £15,000–£22,000
- OTE: £45,000–£62,000
Senior SDR / SDR Team Lead
- Base salary: £38,000–£50,000
- Target variable: £18,000–£28,000
- OTE: £56,000–£78,000
SDR Salary by Location
SDR Salary by Location
- London: £38,000–£48,000 base, OTE £58,000–£78,000
- Manchester / Leeds: £28,000–£38,000 base, OTE £42,000–£58,000
- Bristol / Bath: £28,000–£36,000 base, OTE £42,000–£55,000
- Edinburgh / Glasgow: £27,000–£35,000 base, OTE £40,000–£52,000
- Remote (London-headquartered company): Increasingly approaching London rates, especially at funded SaaS businesses
Looking to hire SDRs or BDRs?
Live Digital recruits SDRs and BDRs for SaaS and tech companies across the UK. We can benchmark your package against current market rates before you go live.
Talk to our teamSDR Commission Structure: How Variable Pay Works
The design of the SDR commission plan matters as much as the headline OTE number. There are three main models in use across UK SaaS:Meeting-Based Commission (Most Common)
The SDR earns a fixed amount per qualified meeting booked (e.g., £150–£400 per meeting, depending on deal size and ICP tier). Simple to administer and provides fast feedback loops. The risk is that SDRs optimise for meeting volume rather than quality — book meetings with anyone who’ll accept, regardless of fit. Mitigation: require the meeting to meet a minimum qualification bar (e.g., BANT or MEDDIC criteria confirmed, correct persona, correct company size) before it counts. Claw back the commission if the AE disqualifies the meeting within the first 10 minutes.Pipeline-Based Commission
The SDR earns commission on ARR value of opportunities created, typically after the first meeting has happened and the AE has qualified the opportunity into the pipeline. Stronger quality alignment than pure meeting counts but more complex to administer and a longer feedback loop.Revenue-Influenced Commission
The SDR earns a percentage of ARR from deals closed by the AE that originated from the SDR’s meetings. The strongest quality alignment — the SDR is directly incentivised to book meetings that close. The downside is the longest feedback loop (the SDR might not know their meeting converted for 6–12 months) and complexity in attribution tracking. Our recommendation: A hybrid of meeting-based and pipeline-created commission works best for most UK SaaS businesses — fast enough feedback to keep SDRs motivated, quality-aligned enough to reduce meeting padding.SDR Quota: What’s Realistic?
SDR quotas in the UK vary widely based on motion type (inbound vs. outbound), product complexity, and ICP accessibility. Typical benchmarks:- Pure outbound (cold outreach only): 8–15 qualified meetings per month
- Blended (inbound + outbound): 12–20 qualified meetings per month
- Inbound-heavy (mostly MQL qualification): 20–35 qualified meetings per month
The SDR-to-AE Promotion Path: Salary Progression
The SDR career path in UK SaaS typically follows this salary progression:- Graduate / Junior SDR: £25,000–£32,000 base, OTE £33,000–£46,000
- SDR (12 months): £30,000–£40,000 base, OTE £45,000–£62,000
- Senior SDR / SDR Team Lead: £38,000–£50,000 base, OTE £56,000–£78,000
- SMB Account Executive: £38,000–£52,000 base, OTE £65,000–£88,000
- Mid-Market AE: £52,000–£70,000 base, OTE £90,000–£130,000