The KPMG salary will strongly influence your decision to join this massive firm. Consulting salaries are going up as a result of growing competition due to the increased proliferation of boutique firms and the expansion of in-house consulting services within large corporations. The KPMG starting salary has followed this trend and is on par with the other Big 4 accounting firms.
A KPMG consulting position is a great way to make good money, gain tremendous experience, and ensure excellent exit opportunities as the KPMG brand is a good addition to your resume.
KPMG Salaries Vary
The KPMG starting salary will vary depending upon your office location and function inside the firm. For example, you stand to make more inside KPMG Advisory as opposed to KPMG Audit.
KPMG does offer varying starting salaries across the United States and globally based on the cost of living in the region. So even though you will have little room to negotiate your KPMG salary, you should consider a city with a lower cost of living such as Houston or Dallas (hello line-dancing and Monday Margaritas!).
Your KPMG consultant salary will also be dependent upon the level in which you enter the firm; this is partly based upon your education level. You will earn more with an MBA or PhD vs only an undergraduate degree or a non-business master’s degree. In 2020:
KPMG Starting Consultant Salary For Those With An Undergraduate or Master’s:
Total Annual Compensation: up to $83,160
KPMG Starting Consultant Salary For Those With An MBA or PhD:
Total Annual Compensation: up to $175,000
Consistent with broader industry trends, consultant salaries at the post-MBA level have gone up faster than post-undergraduate consultant salaries. However, both have increased steadily given increased competition for talent. From a financial perspective, it has never been a better time to pursue a consulting career.
KPMG Consultant Salary by Role
- KPMG intern salary: ~$11,600 ($29/hr.; 10-week engagement, 40 hour work week)
- KPMG Analyst salary: ~$70,575 (on average via Glassdoor)
- KPMG Consultant salary: ~$93,500 (on average via Glassdoor)
- KPMG Senior Consultant salary: ~$155,000 (on average)
- KPMG Manager salary: ~$200,000 (on average)
- KPMG Senior Manager salary: ~ $250,000 (on average)
- KPMG Director salary: ~ $400,000 (on average)
- KPMG Managing Director salary: ~ $550,000 (on average)
- KPMG Partner salary: ~ $750,000 (on average via Glassdoor)
We complete hundreds of hours of research each year to bring you the most current salary information you can find anywhere.
Be sure to see our full MC Salary Report for detailed salary information for many consulting firms.
KPMG Career Path
If you stay at KPMG, the career path is very clear. You will progress in your career as follows:
- KPMG Analyst
- KPMG Consultant
- KPMG Senior Consultant
- KPMG Manager
- KPMG Senior Manager
- KPMG Partner/Associate Partner
If you do what is expected, you can expect to be promoted every 2-3 years at KPMG. You can expect to spend more time in middle level positions, 4-5 years, versus entry level.
KPMG Glassdoor Reviews
Glassdoor reviews of KPMG have a similar flavor to what you see from employees at the other Big 4 firms. Hours can be long, making the pay seem less than impressive for your time. Travel can be taxing, and busy season (in line with tax season, because businesses are busy doing all kinds of data-collection and optimization) is brutal. There are no surprises here, as this is what you can expect as a consultant at any Big 4 firm.
It gets more interesting and divergent when KPMG employees respond to recommending KPMG as a firm to their friends. Only 69% of employees said they would recommend KPMG to a friend. This is very low when you see that 94% of Bain employees would recommend their firm as a good place to work.
On a positive note, employees do report enjoying more flexibility and work-life balance as compared to the other Big 4. They say that there are seasons where this is not the case, but overall, there is more flexibility with KPMG. They also appreciate the friendly work environment.
KPMG is also the only firm to bring all of their interns together for training, further substantiating that KPMG is heavily focused on training its team members.
KPMG UK Salary vs. KPMG Salary US
One of the desirable things about selecting KPMG as your employer is the outstanding global opportunities. Generally, you will earn more in the United States than abroad, but the experience gained by working abroad is excellent and a huge resume-booster.
As an example, the KPMG salary in the UK is lower than in the United States. Your bonuses will also be less here. This is largely driven by increased talent competition abroad vs. the United States. The cost of living is also much higher in the UK and can be in many other global locations – so it’s a double whammy disadvantage to work for KPMG in the UK vs. the US.
#Merica – in this case at least.
KPMG Consultant Salary
In comparison to other industry salaries, consulting salaries are higher. With increasing competition for top talent between consulting firms, banking and technology companies, there has never been a better time to consider a consulting position. Consider positioning yourself to earn more by working in the United States, especially in a state with a lower cost of living such as Florida or Texas.
You will be compensated well, but you will put in long hours, which can make you feel like you are not earning enough. It may be worth it as you pursue exit opportunities as the KPMG brand name is desirable to many of your future employers.