PwC UK partner pay set to exceed £900,000 after cost-cutting drive
Average PwC UK partner remuneration is expected to rise by more than 5% as staff numbers fall and profits recover despite weak consulting demand
PwC’s UK partners are on course to receive average annual remuneration of more than £900,000 for the year to June 2026, bringing payouts close to the firm’s previous record levels.
The projected figure represents an increase of slightly more than 5% from the £865,000 average paid in the previous financial year. Final payments have not yet been determined and could be reduced if PwC decides to retain more profit for investment.
The improvement follows an extensive cost-reduction programme introduced as demand for consulting services weakened. PwC’s UK workforce has fallen from about 36,000 to 33,700, while the firm has reduced partner numbers and other operating costs. Those measures have helped profitability recover after remaining broadly flat the previous year.
A payout above £900,000 would exceed the latest reported averages at KPMG UK, where partners received £880,000, and EY, where the average was £787,000. Deloitte remained the highest-paying UK Big Four firm, with average equity-partner remuneration of £1.05 million.
PwC’s expected payment would nevertheless remain below its recent peak. The firm paid partners an average of £920,000 for the year to June 2022, alongside an additional payment connected with the disposal of part of its global mobility business. Average remuneration subsequently fell to £906,000 in 2023 before declining further during the consulting slowdown.
The projected rise illustrates how staff reductions and tighter cost control can increase the share of profit available to remaining partners even when revenue growth is subdued. PwC had not commented publicly on the Financial Times report when it was published.
Related coverage
PwC partners in line for near-record £900,000 annual pay — Financial Times, 18 July 2026
Reports that PwC UK’s average partner payout is expected to rise by more than 5%, following workforce reductions and other cost-saving measures introduced during the consulting slowdown.
PwC Keeps Lid on Pay for UK Partners as Consulting Demand Cools — Bloomberg Tax, 17 September 2025
Covers PwC’s previous annual results, when average partner remuneration remained almost unchanged at £865,000 as weak consulting demand constrained growth.
KPMG’s UK partners took home $1.2 million last year, leapfrogging their rivals at EY and PwC — Business Insider, 29 January 2026
Compares the latest disclosed partner payouts across the Big Four and explains how KPMG moved ahead of PwC and EY while remaining below Deloitte.
PwC’s partner pay drops to £906,000 this year — AccountingWEB, 23 August 2023
Provides historical context on PwC’s earlier near-record payouts, including the decline from £920,000 in 2022 to £906,000 in 2023.
PwC raises UK partners’ pay to more than £1m for first time — The Guardian, 18 August 2022
Reports on PwC’s record 2022 remuneration when average profit per partner reached £920,000 and an additional disposal-related payment pushed total earnings above £1 million.
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