Non-executive director salary · 2026

What a non-executive director is paid, on AIM, at smaller quoted companies and at SMEs

A non-executive director is paid a fee, not a salary.

BDO’s 2025 report puts the median NED base fee on the AIM 100 at £58,000.

The QCA’s 2022 survey found an average of £40,500 across small and mid-size quoted companies.

The fee follows the size of the company, the time the seat takes and the extra roles it carries, such as chairing the board or a committee.

When you hire a non-executive director through us, we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with fee expectations, availability and conflicts set out.

Brief us on a NED appointment →See the roles

How a brief runswhat we undertake

01Brief30-MINUTE SCOPING CALLDay 0
02Shortlist of 3–5VETTED · RATE BENCHMARK · IR35After the brief
03InterviewsYOU MEET THE SHORTLISTYour diary
04Scoped startFIRST-MONTH OUTCOMES AGREEDYou set the date
05Fractional, interim and permanentIR35 POSITION SET OUTOn every brief

Shortlist3–5

In the press

Financial Times The executives going ‘fractional’, not freelance (paywall)
The FT on senior people who work at leadership level in several companies at once. Many non-executive directors build the same shape of career, so a board fee is often one of several.

£58,000

AIM 100 NED fee · median base fee

BDO, 2025

£40,500

Smaller quoted NED fee · average, small and mid-size quoted companies

QCA, 2022 survey

3–5

Shortlist · with fee expectations, availability and conflicts set out

15 minutes · video or phone

Book 15 minutes to hire a non-executive director

Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with Non-Executive Director candidates, their day rates and availability.

0115 minutes, video or phone
02We scope the role and the days a week
03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs

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Pick a day that suits · live availability

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On the board · last 3 months

Senior executive jobs on the board

5 on the board · 0 confirmed open

Browse every role on the board →

Non-executive roles are not listed on our board; these are live senior executive roles.

Live senior executive roles

Fractional recruiting starts with the brief, not the CV pile. Send a Non-Executive Director brief and we come back with a shortlist of three to five candidates, each through five-stage vetting.

01/ the role

What a non-executive director is paid, and what sets the fee

There is no fixed rate.

The fee follows the size of the company, the time the seat takes and the extra roles it carries, such as chairing a committee.

It is written into a letter of appointment, not an employment contract, alongside the term, the time expected and any committee posts.

A listed company follows the FRC’s UK Corporate Governance Code.

Provision 34 says NED pay is set in line with the articles of association or by the board, should reflect the time commitment and responsibilities of the role, and should not include share options or other performance-related elements.

A fixed fee protects the independence the board is paying for.

The fee buys a director, not an adviser.

A NED carries the same legal duties as the rest of the board, including those GOV.UK lists for company directors, such as following the articles of association.

For what the role involves day to day, see what a non-executive director does.

The exception: charity boards

Charity trustees sit on a board too, but are normally unpaid.

The Charity Commission’s guidance on paying trustees says being a trustee is generally a voluntary role, and sets out the rules a charity must follow before it pays one.

A charity pays its executive team instead; see charity CEO recruitment.

02/ scope

Setting the fee when you hire a NED

1. Benchmark against the right companies

Compare with companies of your size and type.

A FTSE 250 figure means little to a private company, and the AIM 100 is the 100 largest AIM companies, not a proxy for small businesses.

BDO’s AIM report and the QCA’s 2022 survey are the published benchmarks for a smaller quoted board.

2. Price the seat, not the person

Set a base fee for board membership, then decide whether chairing a committee or acting as senior independent director carries more.

Write down the time you expect: board meetings, committees, reading the papers and time in the business.

3. Put it in the letter of appointment

The letter should state the fee, the term, the time commitment and any committee posts.

A listed company sets NED pay in line with its articles or by board decision, with no share options or performance-related pay.

4. Run the checks before the appointment

Before you hire a non-executive director, check the candidate’s other directorships and time commitments.

A new director must now verify their identity with Companies House and give their personal code when they are appointed.

What we do on a NED brief

We recruit non-executive directors alongside fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent executives.

Every candidate goes through our five-stage vetting first, and we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with fee expectations, availability and conflicts set out, and IR35 position where relevant.

03/ the board

What the board holds.

A read of the roles on the board on this page, counted as they stand: how each is engaged, whether the posting gives the days and the rate, and where the work happens.

On this board, last 90 days · 5 roles · Senior executive

Engagement

Fractional4
Interim1

Seat

CFO3
CHRO1
CEO1

Days a week

Stated in the posting1
Not stated4

Day rate

Verified rate1
Estimated (est)0
Rate not stated4

Work arrangement (as the job feed classifies it)

Remote1
Hybrid3
On-site1

Newest posting on the board: 6 Oct 2026.

Postings per week on this board, last 90 days

5 postings on this board in the last 90 days, counted by the week each was published.

04/ rates by stage

Non-executive director salary by company type

Published NED fees by company type, each named to its source. The BDO figures are current; the QCA figures are older and dated in the table. FTSE fees appear in each company’s directors’ remuneration report.

Company typeFeeBasisSource

AIM 100£47,000 · £58,000 · £75,000NED base fee: first quartile · median · third quartileBDO, 2025

Smaller quoted companies£40,500 averageSmall and mid-size quoted companies; 41% paid £30,000–£40,000QCA, 2022 survey

05/ vetting

How we vet non-executive directors

What we undertake on every brief, before a candidate reaches you.

01
Qualification screen
Verify Non-Executive Director tenure, sector context and stage fit.
SOURCING
02
Mandate fit
Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.
MATCHING
03
Reference deep-dive
We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.
VERIFY
04
Shortlist
Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
SHORTLIST OF 3–5

06/ ned fees

NED fees: a fee, not a salary

NED fees are paid for holding an office, not for employment.

BDO puts it plainly: NEDs receive a fee for their services rather than a salary.

The fee is usually a fixed annual sum for board membership, with separate additions for extra responsibilities.

BDO’s AIM 100 median base fee rose to £58,000, up from £53,000; its first and third quartiles are £47,000 and £75,000.

How fees are set: under Provision 34 of the Corporate Governance Code, a listed company sets them in line with its articles of association or by board decision, to reflect the time commitment and responsibilities of the role.

In a private company the board or the shareholders agree the fee, and the letter of appointment records it.

How fees are taxed: a company director holds an office, and HMRC’s Employment Status Manual says earnings from a directorship are employment income, subject to Class 1 National Insurance.

HMRC’s PAYE Manual sets out when PAYE must be operated on a director’s pay.

So a NED fee normally runs through the company’s payroll under PAYE, not on an invoice.

Where a NED provides services through their own company, the off-payroll working rules (IR35) can apply.

Status turns on how the engagement runs, not its label, and a medium or large client makes the determination; for a small client outside the public sector, the worker’s own company decides.

Our IR35 guide sets out the tests.

07/ chair fees

Chair fees: what a board chair is paid

Chair fees are set differently from other NED fees.

A board chair is typically paid one all-inclusive fee for the whole role, set by the board or the remuneration committee against the size of the company, the time the chair role takes and its responsibilities.

Other NEDs are typically paid a base fee for board membership, with additions for chairing a committee.

In a listed company the chair’s fee is public: FTSE chair fees are published in each company’s annual remuneration report, so the reports of comparable companies are the benchmark.

We do not quote a chair fee on this page.

Committee chair fees follow the same logic: chairing the audit or remuneration committee takes more time and carries more exposure than membership alone.

For smaller and private boards no current published chair fee is available from a source we can cite, so agree the fee against the time the seat takes.

To find the route to a first seat, see how to become a non-executive director.

08/ questions

Non-executive director salary FAQ

The questions people ask before bringing in a non-executive director.

NEDs are paid a fee, not a salary. BDO’s 2025 report puts the AIM 100 median base fee at £58,000 (BDO). The QCA’s 2022 survey found an average of £40,500 across small and mid-size quoted companies.

A listed company sets NED fees in line with its articles of association or by board decision, reflecting the time commitment and responsibilities of the role, with no share options or performance-related pay (UK Corporate Governance Code, Provision 34). The fee is usually a fixed base sum, with additions for chairing a committee, and is recorded in the letter of appointment.

Normally, yes. A director holds an office, and HMRC treats earnings from a directorship as employment income subject to Class 1 National Insurance (HMRC ESM4040), with PAYE operated on a director’s pay (HMRC PAYE72005). Where a NED works through their own company, the IR35 rules can apply.

A board chair is typically paid one all-inclusive fee for the whole role, set by the board or the remuneration committee against the size of the company and the time the role takes. FTSE chair fees are published in each listed company’s annual remuneration report.

BDO’s 2025 report puts the AIM 100 NED median base fee at £58,000, with £47,000 at the first quartile and £75,000 at the third. The QCA’s 2022 survey found 41% of small and mid-size quoted companies paid £30,000–£40,000. For private SMEs we have no current published figure from a source we can cite, so agree the fee against the time the seat takes.

Write down the gap on the board and the committees the NED will join. Search wider than the chair’s contacts, test each candidate’s independence, time and conflicts, set the fee against comparable companies and put it in the letter of appointment. Our guide to non-executive director recruitment sets out each step; for where roles are advertised, see non-executive director jobs.

The main cost is the NED’s fee, run through payroll with employer’s National Insurance. Published figures run from a £40,500 average at small and mid-size quoted companies (QCA, 2022 survey) to a £58,000 median on the AIM 100 (BDO, 2025); a chair is paid one all-inclusive fee, set separately. On every shortlist we set out each candidate’s fee expectation, availability and conflicts.

Normally not. The Charity Commission says being a trustee is generally a voluntary role, and a charity must follow its rules before paying one (Charity Commission, CC11). Charities pay their executive team; see charity CEO recruitment.

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Bring the brief. We architect the team.

A shortlist of 3–5 with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.

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