jobfacts

Pensions and insurance clerks and assistants

SOC 2020 4132

Pensions and insurance clerks and assistants provide general clerical support to senior colleagues and perform specialist clerical tasks in relation to the administration of pensions and insurance policies.

Also calledInsurance claims handlerClaims administratorClaims settlerClaims technicianClaims assessorPensions administratorand 68 more titles
Typical full-time pay£30,3002025 Provisional
People in the job65,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month974↓ 1%on last year · 193rd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time pensions and insurance clerks and assistants earn between £26,400 and £34,700 a year.

What full-time pensions and insurance clerks and assistants earn, 2025
£30,300 typical£23,600lowest 10%£26,40025%£35,900top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£26,400–£34,700)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£23,600
Lowest 20% earn less than£25,300
25%£26,400
Median£30,300
75%£34,700
Top 20% earn more than£35,900
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £30,300
London!£34,300
Yorkshire and The Humber!£31,700
Scotland!£31,500
East Midlands!£30,000
South East£29,700
North East!£29,600
East of England£28,500
West Midlands!£28,200
South West!£27,800
North West!£27,700
Wales!£26,700
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £30,300
London£34,300 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£31,700 (small sample)
Scotland£31,500 (small sample)
East Midlands£30,000 (small sample)
South East£29,700
North East£29,600 (small sample)
East of England£28,500
West Midlands£28,200 (small sample)
South West£27,800 (small sample)
North West£27,700 (small sample)
Wales£26,700 (small sample)
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £26,000
  • 2024 £27,500
  • 2025 Provisional£30,300
↑ 16% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 974 jobs for pensions and insurance clerks and assistants are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,155
Jul 2026853
Jun 2026996
May 2026937
Apr 2026779
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026716
Jan 20261,237
Dec 2025811
Nov 20251,012
Oct 20251,248
Sept 2025972
Aug 20251,097
Jul 20251,027
Jun 20251,102
May 20251,109
Apr 20251,025
Mar 20251,169
Feb 20251,104
Jan 2025995
Dec 2024591
Nov 2024902
Oct 2024882
Sept 2024986
Aug 20241,035
Jul 20241,069
Jun 20241,125
May 20241,395
Apr 20241,377
Mar 20241,125
Feb 20241,297
Jan 20241,589
Dec 20231,230
Nov 20231,182
Oct 20231,319
Sept 20231,115
Aug 20231,280
Jul 20231,479
Jun 20231,919
May 20231,788
Apr 20231,579
Mar 20231,808
Feb 20232,037
Jan 20232,063
Dec 20221,636
Nov 20222,153
Oct 20222,153
Sept 20222,262
Aug 20222,261
Jul 20222,372
Jun 20222,205
May 20222,559
Apr 20222,077
Mar 20222,266
Feb 20222,079
Jan 20222,638
Dec 20211,855
Nov 20211,895
Oct 20211,947
Sept 20211,999
Aug 20211,795
Jul 20211,967
Jun 20211,861
May 20211,884
Apr 20211,362
Mar 20212,006
Feb 20211,289
Jan 20211,329
Dec 2020996
Nov 20201,175
Oct 20201,462
Sept 2020929
Aug 2020916
Jul 2020787
Jun 2020683
May 2020585
Apr 20201,010
Mar 20201,900
Feb 20202,075
Jan 20202,161
Dec 20191,615
Nov 20192,041
Oct 20192,146
Sept 20191,923
Aug 20192,281
Jul 20192,979
Jun 20193,008
May 20192,822
Apr 20191,836
Mar 20192,444
Feb 20192,346
Jan 20192,418
Dec 20181,373
Nov 20182,286
Oct 20182,026
Sept 20182,386
Aug 20182,185
Jul 20182,145
Jun 20182,242
May 20182,524
Apr 20182,045
Mar 20182,401
Feb 20182,191
Jan 20182,913
Dec 20171,784
Nov 20172,083
Oct 20172,146
Sept 20171,895
Aug 20172,037
Jul 20171,806
Jun 20172,537
May 20171,955
Apr 20172,092
Mar 20172,577
Feb 20172,053
Jan 20172,787
Is there a shortage of pensions and insurance clerks and assistants?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
10%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for administrative occupations: records, which includes pensions and insurance clerks and assistants. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London514
Manchester158
Leeds140
Glasgow City101
Birmingham93
Bristol, City of92
Liverpool74
Bolton56
Belfast39
Chelmsford38
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where pensions and insurance clerks and assistants are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of pensions and insurance clerks and assistants
11%!
32%!
29%!
18%!
9.9%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–2411% (small sample)
25–3432% (small sample)
35–4429% (small sample)
45–5418% (small sample)
55–649.9% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent45%
Higher education below degree!6.7%
A levels or equivalent29%
GCSEs or equivalent15%
Other qualifications!2.4%
No qualifications!2.1%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent45%
Higher education below degree6.7% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent29%
GCSEs or equivalent15%
Other qualifications2.4% (small sample)
No qualifications2.1% (small sample)

Main employers: non-life insurance (43%), activities of insurance agents and brokers (13%), general public administration activities (7.2%), other activities auxiliary to financial services, except insurance and pension funding (4.2%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
45%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
1
from level 3
Apprenticeships take
18 months
typically
T Levels
1
college courses for 16 to 19 year olds

Routes in

Insurance claims handler

You can get into this job through:

University

You can study for a university degree before applying for a job. Employers accept most subjects although some may give preference to ones like:

  • finance
  • maths
  • law
  • economics
  • business management

It can help to get some relevant work experience whilst you're studying, for example through an internship or a year in industry placement.

Your university careers service will be able to help you with this.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

College

You could do a college course which would teach you some of the skills and knowledge needed to get a trainee position in insurance.

Courses include:

  • customer service
  • providing financial services
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship with an insurance or financial company.

These include:

  • Insurance Practitioner Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
  • Financial Services Customer Adviser Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
  • Insurance Professional Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship

These normally take between 1 and 2 years to complete and combine workplace training and study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You may be able to start as an admin assistant or insurance clerk and take further training on the job to become a claims handler.

You'll usually need GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English and maths, A levels or equivalent qualifications.

Apply directly

You can apply directly for jobs. You'll usually need:

  • experience in insurance, related financial services or banking
  • GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English and maths
  • good IT skills
  • excellent communication skills
Other routes

You could take the Chartered Insurance Institute's (CII) Foundation Insurance Test award to get a basic understanding of insurance. This may help you to find a trainee position with an insurance company.

Once working, you could study for further CII qualifications, as your career develops, such as the Certificate in Insurance.

If you have a university degree, you might be able to apply for a place on a graduate training scheme with an insurance firm.

Registration and professional bodies

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) for professional development opportunities.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in insurance from the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for insurance claims handler. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Pensions administrator

You can get into this job through:

College

You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills and knowledge you need in this job.

Subjects include:

  • business and administration
  • providing financial services
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship like a Pensions Administrator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, or a Financial Services Administrator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could start as an assistant administrator and do training on the job with organisations like the Pensions Management Institute and the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Apply directly

You can apply directly for vacancies.

Employers will expect you to be:

  • good with numbers
  • confident using IT programs at work such as Outlook
  • able to communicate verbally and in writing

Previous experience in customer service, accounts or office work would also be helpful.

You can find more advice about working in pensions from Pension Careers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for pensions administrator. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

1 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Other qualifications

QualificationTypeLevel
FinanceT Level3

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • answers queries from clients and assists in interpreting and completing information requested on forms
  • checks forms completed by clients and contacts clients to obtain additional information or to clarify details
  • makes arrangements for financial advisers to visit clients and potential customers
  • transfers information from application forms and other documentation to computerised records
  • receives notice of changes to personal circumstances and updates files
  • issues application forms, policy documents, reminders, claims forms and other standard documentation
  • performs general clerical duties to support senior staff

Skills

  • handle financial transactions
  • trace financial transactions
  • maintain records of financial transactions
  • perform clerical duties
  • communicate with customers
  • obtain financial information
  • offer financial services
  • provide financial product information
  • use office systems
  • communicate with banking professionals
  • handle paperwork
  • perform office routine activities
  • present reports
  • write work-related reports

Knowledge

  • banking activities
  • electronic communication
  • office software
  • accounting techniques
  • customer service
  • fraud detection
  • tax legislation
  • accounting department processes

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Leading and persuading

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for administrative occupations, a group of 20 jobs that includes pensions and insurance clerks and assistants.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 12%about 381,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 20351 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.