Accountancy Capital publishes salary guides for the qualified finance roles we recruit, typically at £50,000 and above. The ranges come from our search work and from day-to-day conversations with candidates and employers. We update them as the market moves rather than collecting them once a year by survey, which is why none of the guides carries a year in its title. Each guide covers base salary by region and experience, how business size and ownership change the number, bonus and benefits, and interim or fractional rates where they apply.
This page is the index. It starts with a summary table of headline ranges, explains how to use the guides properly, then lists every guide by role family, by engagement type and by location. Finance Director and CFO searches are run by our sister firm FD Capital, and the senior guides here are written with that in mind.
Headline Salary Ranges at a Glance
The table shows typical permanent base salaries. Each linked guide breaks these figures down by business size, ownership and sector. The ranges are wide on purpose: the bottom of each one is a first appointment at a smaller owner-managed business, and the top is a larger, more complex or PE-backed role.
| Role | London | Midlands & North | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Controller | £65k–£115k | £48k–£86k | FC guide |
| Group Financial Controller | £95k–£135k | £70k–£100k | Group FC guide |
| Head of Finance | £68k–£120k | £55k–£98k | Head of Finance guide |
| Finance Manager | £55k–£95k | £44k–£76k | Finance Manager guide |
| Finance Business Partner | £60k–£110k | £47k–£84k | FBP guide |
| FP&A Manager / Head of FP&A | £62k–£108k | £48k–£82k | FP&A guide |
| Management Accountant | £50k–£85k | £40k–£67k | Management Accountant guide |
| Financial Accountant | £52k–£95k | £40k–£73k | Financial Accountant guide |
| In-House Tax Manager | £60k–£140k | £47k–£106k | Tax Manager guide |
| Finance Director (via FD Capital) | £95k–£205k+ | £73k–£153k | FD guide |
| CFO (via FD Capital) | Around £130k–£215k base for most mid-market roles; often £160k–£280k with bonus | Typically 15–20% lower | CFO guide |
The FC figures are typical base salaries running from an owner-managed business of £5m–£15m revenue up to a PE-backed business of £10m–£50m. Larger PE-backed and listed CFO roles pay well above the mid-market CFO range; the CFO salary guide covers those, including FTSE 250 packages and long-term incentives.
How to Use These Salary Guides
Salary guides give market ranges, not exact numbers. The actual salary for a particular hire depends on several things together: the scope of the role, the size and ownership of the business, the location, the candidate’s qualification and post-qualification experience, and the other options open to that candidate at the time.
The most common benchmarking mistake is using the wrong reference point for the business. Take a Financial Controller at a PE-backed technology business of £25m revenue and an FC at a stable owner-managed services business of the same size. The first typically earns £15,000–£20,000 more in London. Each role guide therefore splits its figures by ownership and size as well as region.
A sensible approach is:
- Find the range for your role and region in the relevant guide.
- Adjust for ownership: PE-backed businesses typically pay 15–25% above the owner-managed range at the same revenue.
- Adjust for sector: technology and financial services roles typically pay around 10–15% more.
- Adjust for the depth of experience you actually need, not the experience you would like.
- Add on-costs. Employer’s National Insurance rose to 15% in April 2025, and pension and benefits come on top, so the cost of a permanent hire is well above base salary.
- Check your adjusted figure with a specialist before you commit to a range in the brief.
For a wider view of earnings across the economy, the Office for National Statistics publishes earnings and working hours data. It is useful context, but it is too broad to price a specific qualified finance role.
Financial Controller and Senior Finance Salary Guides
Financial Controller hiring is our core work, so the FC guides are the most detailed we publish. The Financial Controller Salary Guide UK covers base salary by region, business size and ownership, bonus and interim rates. The London Financial Controller Salary Guide goes deeper on the capital by sector and PE versus owner-managed. The Group Financial Controller Salary Guide UK covers multi-entity and consolidation roles.
Above FC level, the Head of Finance Salary Guide UK covers the role that often sits between FC and FD. Our explainer on what a Head of Finance does, its seniority and salary helps when the title means different things in different businesses. The Finance Director Salary Guide UK and the CFO salary guide cover board-level pay, including bonus, equity and LTIPs. Hiring a Finance Director or CFO? Those searches are run by FD Capital, and we build the team around them.
Role Salary Guides
Each role guide covers base salary by region (London, South East, Midlands and North), salary by business size and ownership, the qualification premium, bonus and benefits, and interim day rates for the role. ACA, ACCA and CIMA are the usual qualifications at this level. The ICAEW, ACCA and CIMA each publish details of their qualifications and member pathways.
Finance Manager and accountant roles
The Finance Manager Salary Guide UK is one of our most-used guides. Pair it with Finance Manager day rates and salary if you are weighing interim cover against a permanent hire. For accountant roles beneath the Finance Manager, see:
- Management Accountant Salary Guide UK: monthly reporting, budgeting and variance analysis roles.
- Financial Accountant Salary Guide UK: statutory accounts, year-end and audit roles.
- Group Financial Accountant Salary Guide UK: consolidation and group reporting roles.
FP&A and business partnering
The Finance Business Partner Salary Guide UK covers commercial and operational partnering roles. The FP&A Manager Salary Guide UK covers planning, forecasting and modelling roles. Further down and further up the FP&A ladder:
Tax
In-house tax pay varies more than most finance roles because the scope ranges from corporation tax compliance to group-wide advisory work. The In-House Tax Manager Salary Guide UK is the main benchmark. Specialist tax roles have their own guides:
FCA-regulated firms and funds
Regulated firms pay a premium for finance people who know regulatory capital, client money and regulatory reporting. The regulated firm finance salary guide covers the finance team in FCA-regulated businesses. For background on the regime itself, see the Financial Conduct Authority. The specialist role guides are:
- Regulatory Reporting Accountant: role, salary and hiring
- CASS Accountant job description and salary
- Fund Accountant job description and salary guide
Need a Specific Salary View? — 0204 553 8893
The guides give market ranges. For a view on what a particular role at your business, in your location and at your required experience level will cost now, talk to us before you brief the search. We respond the same working day, with no obligation.
Fractional and Interim Rates
The rates guides cover interim and fractional engagements: day rates, monthly retainers, IR35 and the total cost compared with a permanent hire. Every engagement needs an employment status decision under the off-payroll working (IR35) rules, and each guide explains how that affects cost.
| Engagement | Typical London cost | Full guide |
|---|---|---|
| Interim Financial Controller | £400–£650 a day | Interim FC rates |
| Fractional Financial Controller, one day a week | £29k–£39k a year | Fractional FC rates |
| Interim CFO (via FD Capital) | £750–£1,300 a day | Day rate card |
| Fractional CFO, two days a week (via FD Capital) | £6,500–£11,000 a month (£78k–£132k a year) | Fractional CFO rates |
The interim finance day rate card brings every interim role onto one page. Role-specific rates guides cover the rest:
- Interim Financial Controller Rates UK
- Fractional Financial Controller Rates UK
- Fractional CFO Rates UK
- Interim Financial Accountant day rates
- Interim FP&A budget-season cover day rates
- Interim tax professionals day rates
Location Salary Guides
The location guides cover every qualified finance role in one city or region, from Accounts Assistant to Finance Director. They are useful for employers benchmarking several roles in one place, and for candidates who want an overview of their local market or are weighing a move.
- London Accountancy Salary Guide: all qualified finance roles in London, our most comprehensive location benchmark.
- London Financial Controller Salary Guide: FC pay in London by sector, business size, ownership and interim day rate.
- Birmingham Accountancy Salary Guide: qualified finance roles across Birmingham and the Midlands, compared with London.
- Oxford Accountancy Salary Guide: Oxford and Oxfordshire, including the life sciences and tech cluster and the university sector.
- Cambridge Accountancy Salary Guide: Cambridge and Cambridgeshire, including deep tech, life sciences and the university sector.
We have offices in London (167–169 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF) and the West Midlands (Watling Court, Orbital Plaza, Watling Street, Cannock WS11 0EL), and recruit across the UK. For roles in other cities, our consultants can give a view based on the nearest guide and current market conversations.
Salary Guides for Candidates
If you are using these guides to understand your own market value, the most important benchmark is not the overall range for your job title but the range for your business context. A Financial Controller with five years’ post-qualification experience at a £15m PE-backed business should compare themselves with the PE-backed FC range at that revenue, which sits above the owner-managed range at the same size.
If you think you are paid below market for your scope, experience and context, talk to a specialist finance recruiter. Our guide on how to negotiate your finance salary covers how to make the case to your current employer. Register with us for a confidential conversation about what the market would pay for your profile.
Salary Guide FAQs
How often are the salary guides updated?
We update them as the market moves rather than on a fixed annual cycle, which is why the guides have no year in their titles.
Are the figures base salary or total package?
The headline ranges are permanent base salaries. Bonus, pension, benefits and, at senior level, equity are covered in each guide. Employers should add employer’s National Insurance and pension to get the full cost.
Why are London salaries higher?
London has more PE-backed, listed and financial services employers competing for the same qualified candidates, and a higher cost of living. Regional PE-backed businesses often pay closer to London rates.
Do you cover Finance Director and CFO salaries?
Yes, through the FD and CFO guides. Those searches are run by our sister firm FD Capital, while Accountancy Capital recruits the qualified finance roles below director level.
Adrian Lawrence FCA — Founder, Accountancy Capital
Fellow of the ICAEW | Chartered Accountant holding an ICAEW practising certificate | Part of FD Capital Group
Adrian is a former listed-company Finance Director with a BSc from Queen Mary College, University of London. His view of salary guides is that they are a starting point to refine, not a precise number. The best candidates are not mainly motivated by salary, but they will not accept materially less than they could earn for the same scope elsewhere. Pitching at the middle of the range for your specific context, and saying so clearly in the brief, gives a search the best start.
Related Pages and Resources
FC and Senior Finance Guides
Our most-used salary benchmarks.
Hiring Below Director Level
Permanent qualified finance searches.
Interim and Fractional
Day rates and flexible finance cover.
→ Interim Accountancy Recruitment
Finance Salary Advice — 0204 553 8893
Call us before you set the range, or email recruitment@accountancycapital.co.uk. We respond the same working day. Fees are agreed in writing before a search starts.