Deloitte Consultant Salary

Consulting is a lucrative career with a clearly defined path to the top of the career ladder. This means that once you start your Deloitte consulting career, you’ll know each step of the ladder you need to hit to make Partner. You’ll also know how long, on average, it will take to get there. How far you want to climb that ladder is up to you – the exit opportunities are so appealing, most consultants decide to leave consulting after 1-2 promotion cycles (2-4 years).

What’s not so clear, however, is what each position on the Deloitte career path pays. Management consulting in general is a very diverse field—varying wildly across niches, industries, specialties and locations. This includes differences in benefit packages and other forms of compensation that differ widely depending on the job title and location.

Deloitte Consultant Salary Overview

For the reasons stated above, it’s challenging to provide an average for a Deloitte consulting starting salary—and upwards on the Deloitte career path. That being said, taking data from Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn, and our own salaries report, we put together an overview of Deloitte consulting salaries at different levels and in different practice areas.

A couple of things to keep in mind.

First, Deloitte Consulting pays much better than the average white-collar salary in America ($63,076). So yes, the blood, sweat and tears you put into your case interview prep is absolutely worth it.

Overall, Deloitte spends around ~$15B on consultant salaries and benefits. Deloitte has the second highest human capital cost out of all professional services firms. Part of this is due to its sheer size and scale. But still, the firm is committed to growing happy, well-compensated employees – it’s just good business!

Below is an estimate of Deloitte consulting career salaries categorized by level and practice area. Following that, salaries are listed according to specific roles.

Deloitte Consultant Salary by Practice Area and Level

Deloitte Undergraduate & Master’s Consultant Salaries

Deloitte Consulting

• Base: up to $95,000
• Signing Bonus: $12,500

Deloitte S&A (Strategy & Analytics)

• Base: $100,000
• Signing Bonus: $12,500

Deloitte Government & Public Services

• Base: $82,000
• Signing Bonus: $7,000

Deloitte Tech

• Base: $70,000
• Signing Bonus: $7,500

Deloitte MBA & PhD Consultant Salaries

Deloitte Consulting

• Base: up to $163,000
• Signing Bonus: $15,000

Deloitte S&A

• Base: $175,000
• Signing Bonus: $30,000 ($20,000 contingent on signing early)

Deloitte Federal

• Base: $128,000
• Signing Bonus: $15,000

Deloitte Government & Public Services

• Base: $117,000
• Signing Bonus: $15,000

Deloitte Human Capital

• Base: $160,000

Deloitte Tech

• Base: $160,000

For a more detailed look at Deloitte salaries, see our latest salary report.

Role Playing: Deloitte Consulting Career Salary by Job Title

We include a range of salaries here—starting from an entry level consulting salary up to a Deloitte management starting salary. At the very top of the ladder is the Deloitte consulting principal salary. Please note: salaries at Deloitte vary widely based on the practice and function you are a part of. These are averages across consulting practices.

• Deloitte Undergrad/Master’s intern salary: $41/hour + overtime
• Deloitte MBA intern salary: ~$30,000
• Deloitte consultant starting salary (first year/associate): Average base salary across practices: $72,670. (Based on 5,589 salaries submitted by Glassdoor members with the title, “Consultant” (0-2 years) at Deloitte in US.)
• Deloitte senior consultant salary: Average base salary across practices: $102,000 (Based on 549 salaries submitted by LinkedIn members with the title, “Senior Consultant” at Deloitte in US.)
• Deloitte consulting manager salary: Average base salary across practices: ~$145,000 (Based on Management Consulted sources)
• Deloitte consulting senior manager salary: Average base salary across practices: $180,000 (Based on Management Consulted sources)
• Deloitte associate partner salary: Average base salary across practices: $216,083 (Based on 456 salaries submitted by Glassdoor members with the title, “Associate Partner.”)
• Deloitte consulting principal salary: Average base salary across practices: $464,517 Average total comp: $2,560,789. (Based on 15 salaries submitted by Glassdoor members with the title, Consulting Principal).

Note: Your primary job as a Principal is to sell projects and manage clients. The higher you move up the consulting ladder, the more your job becomes to sell. This means that more of your annual compensation is variable. Interestingly, this is one skill consulting doesn’t really give you.

Deloitte Salaries By Practice Area

• Deloitte human capital consultant salary: Average base salary: $88,081 (Based on 53 salaries submitted by Glassdoor members with the title, “Human Capital Consultant.”)
• Deloitte technology consulting salary: Average base salary: $91,790 (Based on 244 salaries submitted by Glassdoor members with the title, “Technology Consultant.”)

Start Low. Aim High: The Deloitte Consulting Career Path

It’s expected that most entry-level consultants will start on the low end of a Deloitte consulting starting salary. Before deciding on a final offer as you embark on your Deloitte consulting career, take into account how your salary will increase over time on your way to the top of the Deloitte career path. For example, at Deloitte S&O, you can expect a 10-15% raise per year and 20-30% raise in promotion years.

Also note that it’s not unusual for our interview prep clients to receive slightly higher job offers in tech than in consulting. The good news is that salary growth in management consulting outpaces many industry positions. Because of that, the net income after a few years in consulting can exceed those in other industries, despite an initially lower base pay. This, combined with the broader exit opportunities, make consulting an incredibly attractive career path.

Fortunately, with a Deloitte consulting career, the promotion path is very clear. Deloitte invests in you to maximize your chances of success – once you’re in, they want you to stick around!

On your Deloitte career path, promotions are typically every one to two years up to Senior Consultant. After that, it will likely take about three years to get to the Manager level, then five years to Senior Manager. Getting from an Entry-level Consultant to Partner or Director could take a total of anywhere from 10-18 years.

The following is the typical Deloitte career path:

1. Analyst (Undergraduate)
2. Consultant (MBA or advanced degree)
3. Senior Consultant
4. Manager
5. Senior Manager
6. Director
7. Partner

Word on the Web: What do Deloitte management consultants say about Deloitte’s career path?

Deloitte has consistently been named among one of the “best places to jump-start your career.” A senior Deloitte consultant in Boston lauds the company’s “excellent training and knowledge management,” noting that they like to hire “smart, well-spoken and subtly aggressive (read: proactive) candidates.”

Another Deloitte consultant embraces the wide breadth of clients and opportunities that comes with a Deloitte consulting career. “If you like being a ‘jack of all trades,’ you can spend 12 months in one industry such as healthcare, then jump into another industry where it will feel like an entirely different job,” he says. “You can also jump on a project a thousand miles away. There you’ll gain lots of travel experience, and develop your skills in other areas and industries. It’s why people at Deloitte say, “Two years in consulting is like five years in industry!”

“Continuing a career with Deloitte can be very lucrative if you have have the capacity and ability,” writes a senior consulting manager from California. “The training I received was second to none. Besides a well-laid out career path, another huge benefit is a solid network across the country.

“Great place to start a career,” shares a Deloitte consulting manager. She also praises the “generous Deloitte management consulting salary, networking opportunities, PTO and a pension program that takes care of you for life.”

Look to the Stars? Deloitte Glassdoor’s One-Star Reviews

Ah, those ubiquitous one-star reviews. They’re everywhere, and often filled with … well, entertaining verbiage. Word to the wise: It’s best to take these with a grain of salt. Unless you’re the proverbial “fly on the wall” where you’re able to observe both sides of “the story” firsthand, it’s best to read such reviews with a critical eye.

Much Ado About Nothing?

Pay attention to language (especially “entitlement” language) when reading one-star reviews. For example, one unhappy reviewer claims he was “verbally harassed by two managers on two different projects.” Okay, well being harassed is never good. However, it does beg another question that you’d want to ask this person if you could: What do you mean by “harassment”? Were you told more firmly than you’d like that your job performance was subpar? If so, did this, perhaps, put you slightly on the defensive? The next question would be: Were you actually harassed— as in belittled, shamed or, in the worst case scenario, yelled at? There’s a really fine line sometimes—one that particularly sensitive types can easily misconstrue as they start out on their Deloitte career path.

Consider the Source

Then there’s the “evil money-grubbing corporation” type of comments—simply because, well, the company they’re maligning is a corporation. Imagine that: Deloitte, like any company is a business with the aim of increasing profits that, in turn, supports families and contributes to the economy.

Who knows? Perhaps some of these disgruntled employees couldn’t replicate the “safe space” they found in their college cocoon. In those cases, you’re tempted to say aloud, “Welcome to the world of adulting!” Inflammatory and emotionally-charged statements such as “Put greedy people without ethics in charge and you get Deloitte” are red flags. More often than not, such rants indicate an unhinged employee (or ex-employee) with an agenda. As the saying goes, “Consider the source.” You don’t know this person’s background, their work habits, their maturity level, their personality or even their expectations coming into the job. Those expectations may have been completely unrealistic!

Also, take the “fair and balanced” approach when reading reviews. How many negative reviews are there, and do you see a troubling pattern that may be cause for legitimate concern? How may positive reviews do you see—are there more good reviews than bad ones? Also look for consistent “Pros” and Cons” that will help you determine if you would be happy working there. For example, if most people are saying that they’re satisfied with their Deloitte career path, then you know you’ll probably be too.

Negativity Sells, Positivity … Not So Much

Keep in mind that statistically, it’s unhappy people who write the most reviews. Customers or employees who have a bad experience are twice to three times more likely to write an angry review than satisfied customers are to post a positive review. This is especially true if those naysayers can hide under the cloak of anonymity. It’s not fair to a business, but it’s a psychological reality that people tend to accentuate the negative more than the positive. As one Deloitte consultant remarks about weekdays around the water cooler, “People like to complain … it’s their nature.”

What about those fake glowy reviews? It’s not all that hard to sort out the genuine from the fake. Look at language, content and an authentic and realistic tone vs. a canned-sounding review. The latter will invariably sound like it was spun by a PR machine.

Lesson Learned: Character Counts

The truth is, no company is perfect. It’s not unlike a marriage (except for quibbling over toothpaste, in-laws and taking out the garbage). But landing a Deloitte consulting career offers a real opportunity for a bright future. It’s a future that, frankly, you would be foolish to pass on due to just the one-star reviews. More often that not, it’s our own attitude that needs some adjustment—not managers and coworkers upon whom we may be placing unrealistic expectations. As the saying goes, “attitude determines altitude.”

Sure, it’s possible that you’ll come to a crossroads when it’s time to leave your Deloitte consulting career for “greener pastures.” But if and when you do, rather than spending your time ranting and raving online over your grievances (whether real or imagined), decide instead to “leave well.”

You’ll want to maintain the relationships you build at Deloitte long after you leave – they’ll come in handy as you continue in your career. Check out MC’s entertaining “review of online reviews” video.

Deloitte UK Consultant Salary vs. Deloitte Consultant Salary US

There is a large variation in consulting salaries between the UK and the US. Management consulting salaries are highest in the US due to the competition for talent between consulting, Silicon Valley, and Wall Street. Consultant salaries in the UK are relatively lower, which is something to consider given the high cost of living in cities like London.

Compare and contrast Deloitte consulting career salaries between the US and UK:

• Deloitte consulting starting salary: UK – £41,160 (US equivalent: $51,093); US – $73,000
• Deloitte senior consultant salary: UK – £58,000 (US equivalent: $72,034); US – $102,000
• Deloitte Consulting Principal: UK – £882,000 (US equivalent $1.1M); US – $2.5M

* Based on Glassdoor average salaries listed in London, UK. For a complete comparison of different consulting role salaries at Deloitte, go to https://managementconsulted.com/consultant-salary/ or Glassdoor.com
*As of Feb, 2020.

The average salary at Deloitte in the UK is £57,000 ($70K US equivalent). As you can see, the average base salary is a bit lower in the UK; however, compared to most UK companies, Deloitte comes in third for salary satisfaction—exceeded only by Apple and Salesforce. (Survey by Power House Truths.)

Beyond the Paycheck: What about Benefits?

How do benefits compare between the US and the UK? In general, the US isn’t as competitive with the UK and most European countries when it comes to taking care of its workers. Denmark, France, and Spain offer the most generous benefits, for the simple reason that regulatory mandates demand it. According to a Glassdoor report, the UK, Switzerland, and Ireland are among the least generous in dispensing benefits in Europe.

To compare specific benefits of a Deloitte consulting career between Deloitte UK and Deloitte US, read a summary here: Deloitte US and Deloitte UK.

Overall, Deloitte offers better-than-average benefits compared to most other UK companies. This is something to keep in mind when evaluating your projected Deloitte starting salary or senior consulting salary in the UK. For more of what Deloitte UK employees say about their benefits package—the good and the bad—check out Glassdoor.

Big Ben or The Big Apple: Cost of Living Difference

Of course, it’s hard to compare one country with another as the cost of living can vary widely between countries. That’s also true for specific cities where Deloitte offices are located. For example, both New York City and London are notoriously expensive, though overall the cost of living in NYC is about 20% cheaper than living in London. The exception is in apartment rentals. The average two-bedroom apartment in NYC will cost you about $1000 more than in London. But your NYC Deloitte salary would be considerably higher, enabling you to pay for that pricey pad.

So, if you’re considering either NYC or London, do the math on where you’ll come out financially ahead. On the other hand, Cardiff, Wales is 36% cheaper than London. And a lot less crowded! For some, the idea of a rugged coastline, beautiful beaches and not understanding any of your friendly neighbors due to their lyrical, but thick Celtic Welsh accent just … well, tickles their fancy.

Summary

Salary matters. As do benefits, bonuses, and perks. But so do a whole lot of other factors when considering a Deloitte consulting career. If you’re early in your career, our advice is to take the job for the branding and professional development it provides. The skills you’ll gain from working at Deloitte will continue to pay dividends long into your future. Wherever you’ll come in on the Deloitte career path, our expert team can help you get there. Work with us on resume edits and case interview prep.

For full consultant salary data on 80+ consulting firms, see our consulting salaries report.

Additional Reading:

• Best Consulting Firms for Undergrad Salary
• Companies Hiring Near Me: Recession Proof Jobs Available Now
• Consulting Resume: Complete Guide
• Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide