Professional, scientific and technical services in the United Kingdom
This page gathers the figures we hold on professional, scientific and technical services in the United Kingdom. Each section names its own source.
Each source groups industries its own way, so the edges of professional, scientific and technical services differ a little from section to section.
- Median sale multiple7.5times EBITDA
- EBITDA margin23.5%share of sales, 2024
- Still trading after three years62.6%of businesses started in 2021
- Earnings change+2.3%the year to June 2026
What businesses sold for
- Professional, scientific and technical services7.5 times EBITDA, middle half 6.0 to 10.0, 20+ deals
- Legal services6.0 times EBITDA, 5+ deals
Deal details
Professional, scientific and technical services: median 7.5 times EBITDA. The middle half of deals ran from 6.0 to 10.0 times (20+ deals of £5.3 million to £263 million, announced 2014 to 2026).
Legal services: median 6.0 times EBITDA (5+ deals of £5.3 million to £263 million, announced 2019 to 2022).
Sizes are converted from our size range of A$10 million to A$500 million, at the fixed rate our database uses to place overseas deals: £1 = A$1.90. The rate stays fixed, so the range always describes the same deals.
What multiple will my business sell for?
In the United Kingdom, professional, scientific and technical services businesses bought between 2014 and 2026 sold for a median of 7.5 times EBITDA, across 20+ deals.
See what UK businesses sell for, by sector.
These are deals for UK businesses in our database, not every deal in the market.
Source: deals in our database with a published value. Counts by onestepright.
Compare sale multiples across countries.
Margins
In 2024, what was left after bought-in costs and staff costs came to 23.5% of sales across the industry. The measure is close to EBITDA.
Staff costs took 34.8% of sales, and purchases 42.8%.
What is the average profit margin in professional, scientific and technical services?
Across every professional, scientific and technical services business added together, sales less bought-in and staff costs came to 23.5% of sales in 2024. The measure is close to EBITDA.
Every business in the industry is added together, so the figures are not a typical business. The survey does not count owners' own pay as a cost, so the figure reads high where small businesses are many.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Business Survey, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Ratios computed by onestepright.
How many businesses are still trading
About 63 in every 100 were still trading three years later.
The ONS counts businesses registered for VAT or PAYE. The rate is our calculation from its counts.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Business Demography, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Rates computed by onestepright.
Businesses that started and stopped
Each is a share of the businesses trading in 2024.
A business counts as stopped when it is no longer active on the ONS register of VAT and PAYE businesses. The rates are our calculation from ONS counts.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Business Demography, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Rates computed by onestepright.
What costs did
What earnings and input prices did in this industry. Each comes from its own ONS series and grouping of industries. Earnings move with the mix of jobs and hours as well as with pay, so they are not a pay rate.
Each bar comes from its own ONS series, named below.
Average weekly earnings in professional, scientific and technical activities, the ONS group nearest professional, scientific and technical services, rose 2.3% in the year to June 2026.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Average Weekly Earnings, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
No ONS price series measures this industry's inputs closely enough to show.
Prices businesses expect to charge
For October 2026, 13.0% of professional, scientific and technical services businesses expected to raise their prices. Across all businesses, 17.4% did.
The ONS asks trading businesses about the month ahead, before it begins. Each business counts once, whatever its size.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Business Insights and Conditions Survey, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
See professional, scientific and technical services in Australia.
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See professional, scientific and technical services in the United States.
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