EY’s UK partners received average distributable profits of £870,000 for the financial year ended 3 July 2026, an increase of more than 10%, even as consulting revenues continued to decline.
According to EY’s results announced on 27 October, UK fee income rose 2% to £3.86 billion, while distributable profits before tax increased 3.4% to £702 million, from £679 million the previous year.
Average profit per partner increased from £787,000 to £870,000, a rise of approximately 10.5%, considerably outpacing both revenue and total profit growth.
Consulting Declines for Third Consecutive Year
Consulting revenue fell 3%, extending a downturn that has now lasted three consecutive financial years.
The decline was offset by growth elsewhere in the business. EY-Parthenon, the firm’s strategy and transactions practice, recorded revenue growth of 6%, while Tax and Assurance each grew 3%.
EY also reported a 46% increase in sales of AI and data projects, reflecting stronger demand for technology-related transformation work.
Despite the difficult consulting market, the firm recruited 2,300 people, increased average employee pay by 5.2% and expanded its total employee bonus pool by more than 25%.
Smaller Partnership, Higher Distributions
The Financial Times reported that EY had reduced its UK equity partnership to 774, its lowest level in five years, while limiting partner promotions and moving some partners into salaried positions.
The smaller equity partnership helps explain why average partner distributions increased substantially faster than the firm’s overall profits.
EY’s £870,000 average remains below the latest UK payouts reported by its three Big Four rivals. As Big4News recently reported, PwC’s UK partners received a record £935,000 despite workforce reductions and falling consolidated group revenue.
Deloitte reported average UK equity partner remuneration of approximately £1.13 million, while KPMG’s latest reported figure was £880,000.
EY’s results provide another example of how the Big Four are maintaining growth in partner remuneration despite subdued demand in parts of their businesses, with partnership size playing an increasingly important role in the distribution of profits.
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About the author: Claudine Cassar is the founder and editor of Big4News, covering audit, consulting, regulation and governance across Deloitte, PwC, EY and KPMG.