UK partners at the Big Four firm KPMG received greater payouts than their counterparts at rivals EY and PwC this year.
KPMG announced on Wednesday that partners received £880,000, roughly $1.2 million, in the firm’s 2025 financial year — an 11% rise compared to the previous year.
The bonus pool for rank-and-file employees increased 18%, though that was lower than the 20% rise for the previous financial year.
KPMG is often considered the underdog of the Big Four professional services firms, being both the youngest and the smallest by global revenue and number of employees.
Partners hold a stake in the firm, giving them a vote in key decisions and a share of distributable profits.
While payouts were up, the number of senior leaders at KPMG continues to slowly shrink.
The total number of partners dropped by six in the 2025 calendar year, according to Business Insider’s analysis of publicly available data. Partner numbers have declined for at least the last four years.
Nonetheless, the firm’s results placed its partners above rivals at PwC and EY when it comes to pay.
PwC UK partner pay remained largely flat in its 2025 financial year, with partners receiving £865,000, or $1.19 million. At EY, partner payouts were £787,000, just over $1 million.
Deloitte remains the most lucrative for those at the top levels of the Big Four in the UK, paying its partners £1.05 million, or $1.4 million, in its 2025 financial year.
Overall, KPMG UK reported annual revenue of £3.6 billion ($4.9 billion), up 2% from the previous year. The results include the firm’s Switzerland branch following its 2024 merger with the UK firm.
KPMG’s UK audit and tax and legal divisions posted gains of 5% and 6% respectively, but the consulting business declined by 3%, which the firm said was due to “a difficult consulting and deals trading environment.”
Demand for consulting services has slowed across the board in the UK. Consulting revenue was down at all of the Big Four’s UK divisions in their latest financial years, and by as much as 10% at Deloitte UK.
The tightening market, combined with the need to evolve as AI changes the industry, has put pressure on the partner class at the Big Four.
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