What a CAD Technician payslip looks like
A typical UK cad technician payslip is paid monthly and shows a basic pay line at the top. CAD technicians produce 2D and 3D drawings and BIM models for engineering, construction and architecture, progressing into BIM coordination and management. The line items below depend on grade, shift pattern and contractual additions, but the structure usually mirrors HMRC's recommended payslip layout: a payments block, a deductions block, a year-to-date column, and a net pay summary.
Common employers in this occupation include engineering consultancies, architectural practices, construction firms. Each employer runs payroll slightly differently, but the underlying PAYE computation against tax code 1257L and Class 1 National Insurance is identical across the UK (excluding Scotland for income tax). The biggest variability between two cad technician payslips at the same gross will be in the additions block: PAYE salaried; employer-funded AutoCAD/Revit/BIM training is normally tax-free, not a benefit-in-kind. Moving from an apprenticeship or agency role can carry a wrong or emergency code into the first salaried payslip.
Year-to-date columns are critical to verify on this role because the additions and salary sacrifice items change month to month. If your YTD gross divided by months elapsed in the tax year does not match your expected annual run-rate, that is the single best signal that something is mis-coded.
Depends how you are engaged
Umbrella company and agency payslips and cad technician pay
Drawing offices cover workload peaks with agency technicians, and the registry names an agency spell as one of the two routes into a salaried CAD post. The salaried state is the norm for this role, so the employer costs above the gross line apply only while you are actually agency-supplied and stop the day you go permanent. The registry also names the specific casualty of that switch, which is a wrong or emergency tax code carried from the agency payroll into the first salaried payslip, so check the code on the first one rather than the net figure.
- Employer (secondary) Class 1 National Insurance rate
- 15%
- Secondary threshold
- £5,000 a year
Educational only. Whether this reaches your own pay turns on your contract and how you are engaged, and tribunal and claim time limits are short. Check the limit that applies to you before relying on a date.
Umbrella company and agency payslips: the rates, the payslip lines, what goes wrong and the 23 primary sources. Chapter 11 of Part 2 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003, in force 6 April 2026 for the Chapter 11 rules.
CAD Technician salary bands (UK 2024)
ONS ASHE 2024 full-time gross pay. Net figures use 2026/27 PAYE bands and assume 5% of qualifying earnings (£6,240–£50,270) under a net-pay arrangement — before income tax, but not before National Insurance.
| Band | Gross / year | Net / year | Net / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | £28,000 | £22,809 | £1,901 |
| Median | £35,000 | £27,569 | £2,297 |
| 75th percentile | £43,000 | £33,009 | £2,751 |
Common deductions for a CAD Technician
- PAYE income tax.Calculated against tax code 1257L. Cumulative coding means refunds can appear if you start mid-year.
- National Insurance (Class 1).8% between £12,570 and £50,270 of annual earnings, then 2% above. Period-by-period method is standard.
- Pension.Auto-enrolment minimum 5% employee on qualifying earnings (£6,240 - £50,270), unless your employer runs a more generous scheme such as the NHS, Teachers Pension or Civil Service alpha.
- Salary sacrifice patterns.Common in this occupation: cycle-to-work, electric-car salary sacrifice, additional pension contributions, and where applicable workplace nursery vouchers (still tax-efficient via pre-existing schemes).
- Union or professional body.Tax-deductible for HMRC-listed bodies. CAD Technicians commonly hold subscriptions covered by section 344 ITEPA 2003 (List 3).
CAD Technician payslip FAQ
What is the average CAD Technician salary in the UK in 2024?
According to ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2024 for SOC code 3121, the median full-time gross annual salary for a CAD Technician in the UK is approximately £35,000. The 25th percentile sits at £28,000 and the 75th at £43,000.
What is take-home pay on a median CAD Technician salary?
On £35,000 gross with the standard 1257L tax code and 5% of qualifying earnings into a net-pay pension, monthly take-home is approximately £2,297 after PAYE income tax, Class 1 employee National Insurance and auto-enrolment pension. Actual figures vary if you have student loan, salary sacrifice or a non-cumulative tax code.
What is unusual about a CAD Technician payslip?
PAYE salaried; employer-funded AutoCAD/Revit/BIM training is normally tax-free, not a benefit-in-kind. Moving from an apprenticeship or agency role can carry a wrong or emergency code into the first salaried payslip.
Which tax code should a CAD Technician typically be on?
Most people in this role on standard PAYE will see 1257L. Check the prefix and suffix carefully: a K-prefix means deductions exceed your allowance (often after a bonus or P11D benefit), 0T means you have no allowance left at this employer, and BR means basic rate on the whole job (common in second jobs).
Related roles
Salary estimates: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2024, full-time gross annual pay by SOC 2020 occupation. Figures rounded to nearest £100.