What a Commis Chef payslip looks like
A typical UK commis chef payslip is paid monthly and shows a basic pay line at the top. A commis chef is a junior kitchen role, learning the trade under chefs de partie and the sous chef. 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 restaurants, hotels, gastropubs. 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 commis chef payslips at the same gross will be in the additions block: PAYE pay broadly tracking the National Living Wage, so the hourly rate must not fall below the minimum once any extra hours are counted. Tips through a tronc are taxable but National Insurance-free when the tronc is independently administered.
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.
Applies to some of this work
Tips, gratuities, service charges and troncs and commis chef pay
On a points tronc you sit at the bottom of the scale, and length of time served with the employer is one of the factors the Code expressly allows, so a smaller share is not automatically unfair. What is not allowed is a probation rule nobody wrote down. Gov.uk's example of a bar cutting tips for the first two weeks is compliant precisely because the policy applies to everyone, so ask whether the starter rate you are on appears in the written policy at all.
- Tipping Act main duties in force
- 1 October 2024
- Statutory Code of Practice in force
- 1 October 2024
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.
Tips, gratuities, service charges and troncs: the rates, the payslip lines, what goes wrong and the 16 primary sources. Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023, Part 2B of the Employment Rights Act 1996, in force 1 October 2024.
Commis Chef 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 | £24,400 | £20,361 | £1,697 |
| Median | £25,500 | £21,109 | £1,759 |
| 75th percentile | £27,500 | £22,469 | £1,872 |
Common deductions for a Commis Chef
- 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. Commis Chefs commonly hold subscriptions covered by section 344 ITEPA 2003 (List 3).
Commis Chef payslip FAQ
What is the average Commis Chef salary in the UK in 2024?
According to ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2024 for SOC code 5434, the median full-time gross annual salary for a Commis Chef in the UK is approximately £25,500. The 25th percentile sits at £24,400 and the 75th at £27,500.
What is take-home pay on a median Commis Chef salary?
On £25,500 gross with the standard 1257L tax code and 5% of qualifying earnings into a net-pay pension, monthly take-home is approximately £1,759 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 Commis Chef payslip?
PAYE pay broadly tracking the National Living Wage, so the hourly rate must not fall below the minimum once any extra hours are counted. Tips through a tronc are taxable but National Insurance-free when the tronc is independently administered.
Which tax code should a Commis Chef 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).
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.