| Club: | Chelsea |
| Season: | 1981–82 |
| Manager: | John Neal |
| Chairman: | Viscount Chelsea Ken Bates |
| Stadium: | Stamford Bridge |
| League: | Second Division |
| League Result: | 12th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Quarter-finals |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Third round |
| League Topscorer: | Clive Walker (16) |
| Season Topscorer: | Clive Walker (17) |
| Largest Win: | 4–1 (two matches) |
| Largest Loss: | 0–6 v Rotherham United |
| Highest Attendance: | |
| Lowest Attendance: | |
| Pattern La1: | _chelsea1981h |
| Pattern B1: | _chelsea1981h |
| Pattern Ra1: | _chelsea1981h |
| Pattern Sh1: | _chelsea1981h |
| Leftarm1: | _chelsea1981h |
| Shorts1: | 0000FF |
| Pattern La2: | _chelsea1981a |
| Pattern B2: | _chelsea1981a |
| Pattern Ra2: | _chelsea1981a |
| Leftarm2: | FFFF00 |
| Body2: | FFFF00 |
| Rightarm2: | FFFF00 |
| Shorts2: | FFFF00 |
| Socks2: | FFFF00 |
| Prevseason: | 1980–81 |
| Nextseason: | 1982–83 |
The 1981–82 season was Chelsea Football Club's sixty-eighth competitive season.
Chelsea began the season with a new manager, John Neal, Geoff Hurst having been sacked at the end of the previous season. Neal's arrival brought no immediate upturn in the club's fortunes, and they finished 12th in the Second Division for the second successive year. The highlight of the season was a run to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup (the club's first appearance in a cup quarter-final since 1973), which included a 2–0 win over reigning European champions Liverpool.
Off the pitch, the club were purchased by businessman Ken Bates for £1 in April 1982.