Author: Taylor Warfield, Former Bain Manager and interviewer

Last Updated: September 5, 2026

 

EY consulting salary runs from about $108,000 in total compensation for entry-level consultants to roughly $261,000 for senior managers in the United States, with partners averaging close to $277,000 and top packages clearing $500,000. This guide breaks down EY pay at every level using verified 2026 data, then shows how your practice, city, and entry path change the number on your offer letter.

 

Before reading on:

 

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Key Takeaways

 

EY consulting pay is base salary plus a cash bonus with no equity at any pre-partner level, and the single biggest driver of your number is which practice you join rather than which firm you pick.

 

• Total compensation averages $108,539 at Consultant, $158,941 at Senior Consultant, $213,355 at Manager, and $260,912 at Senior Manager in the US

 

• Reported stock compensation is $0 at every level below partner because EY is a private partnership

 

• EY-Parthenon pays roughly 20% to 35% more than core EY Consulting for the same seniority

 

• Reported bonuses come in far below the 10% to 15% of base that recruiters quote, averaging under $2,000 at the entry level

 

• Core EY trails McKinsey, BCG, and Bain by 20% to 60% on total pay, though the gap narrows sharply on an hourly basis

 

• Getting slotted one level higher is worth more than any base negotiation you will win

 

How Much Does EY Consulting Pay?

 

EY consulting salary in the United States averages $108,539 in total compensation at the Consultant level, $158,941 at Senior Consultant, $213,355 at Manager, and $260,912 at Senior Manager, according to Levels.fyi data updated in August 2026. Partners average roughly $277,000, with reported packages reaching $506,000.

 

The table below shows the full picture, including the split between base and bonus. Every figure covers the management consultant track in the US.

 

EY level	Base salary	Bonus	Stock	Total	Reported range
Consultant	$106,554	$1,985	$0	$108,539	$85K to $175K
Senior Consultant	$154,289	$4,652	$0	$158,941	$130K to $197K
Manager	$197,855	$15,500	$0	$213,355	$164K to $290K
Senior Manager	$246,824	$14,088	$0	$260,912	$200K to $315K
Partner	Profit share	Profit share	Equity	~$276,809	$208K to $507K

 

Sources: Levels.fyi US management consultant data updated August 21, 2026, and Glassdoor partner estimates from August 2026 based on 71 reported packages.

 

One caveat before you anchor on these numbers. Salary sites map their own level names onto EY titles, and the fit is imperfect. Levels.fyi reports that people in its Consultant band typically have one to two years of experience, while its Senior Consultant band skews to five to seven years, which is closer to EY's Senior 3 or Senior 4 than to a fresh post-MBA hire.

 

What Is the EY Consulting Salary at Each Level?

 

EY runs six client-serving levels in consulting: Staff or Consultant, Senior Consultant, Manager, Senior Manager, Senior Manager-Director, and Partner or Principal. Each rung adds 25% to 40% in total pay when you promote on schedule.

 

How much does an EY consultant make?

 

An entry-level EY consultant averages $108,539 in total compensation, built from $106,554 in base and less than $2,000 in reported bonus. Packages run from roughly $85,000 in smaller markets to $175,000 for specialized technology and financial services roles.

 

Glassdoor puts the average higher at $127,266 across 1,345 reports as of July 2026, with a middle range of $95,547 to $171,078. The two sources disagree because Glassdoor pools everyone who holds the Consultant title, including people three or four years into the level, while Levels.fyi separates the bands.

 

How much does an EY senior consultant make?

 

EY senior consultants average $158,941 in total compensation, with base salary accounting for $154,289 of that and reported bonus adding $4,652. The reported range spans $130,000 to $197,000.

 

This is where EY's internal numbering matters. Senior Consultant is not one level but a band that people sit in for anywhere from three to five years, tracked internally as Senior 1, Senior 2, Senior 3, and occasionally beyond. A Senior 1 and a Senior 4 in the same office can be $30,000 apart on base with the same job title on their business card.

 

How much does an EY manager make?

 

EY managers average $213,355 in total compensation, made up of $197,855 in base and $15,500 in bonus. Reported packages run from $164,000 to $290,000.

 

Manager is the first level where bonus becomes a meaningful share of pay rather than a rounding error. It is also the first level where sales expectations enter your review, which is why the jump from Senior Consultant to Manager is the hardest promotion on the early ladder.

 

How much does an EY senior manager make?

 

EY senior managers average $260,912 in total compensation, with $246,824 in base and $14,088 in bonus. The reported range runs from $200,000 to $315,000.

 

Above this sits Senior Manager-Director, a level unique to EY among the Big 4. It carries broader practice ownership than Senior Manager without full partner equity, and it functions either as a permanent senior specialist track or as a two to four year waiting room before a partner vote.

 

How much does an EY partner make?

 

EY partners average about $276,809 per year according to Glassdoor estimates from August 2026, based on 71 reported packages. The middle of the range sits between $207,607 and $387,533, and the top decile reaches roughly $506,561.

 

Treat partner numbers with more skepticism than any other figure on this page. Partner pay is a profit share funded by a capital buy-in, not a salary, so it swings with firm performance and the size of the client book. Seventy-one self-reported data points is a thin sample for a population of thousands.

 

How much do EY consulting interns get paid?

 

EY interns earn about $35 per hour on average, with most reports falling between $26 and $48 per hour, based on 668 Glassdoor submissions as of July 2026. Job posting data puts the average slightly higher at $36.48 per hour.

 

Over a standard 10-week summer at 40 hours per week, $35 per hour works out to roughly $14,000 before any completion bonus. That sits in line with the broader consulting intern salary range for Big 4 firms and below what MBB summer analysts take home.

 

What Does an EY Consulting Pay Package Include?

 

An EY offer has four cash components: base salary, an annual performance bonus, a one-time signing bonus, and in most cases a relocation allowance. There is no fifth component, because there is no stock.

 

That absence is the most misunderstood part of EY compensation. EY is a private partnership rather than a listed company, so reported stock grants sit at exactly $0 from Consultant through Senior Manager. Candidates coming from tech offers routinely compare a headline EY number against a tech package that includes four-year vesting equity and reach the wrong conclusion about which offer is bigger.

 

Signing bonuses at EY typically land between $5,000 and $10,000 for campus hires and rise well above that for advanced degree hires. The size of a consulting signing bonus varies more by practice and hiring cycle than by level, which makes it the most flexible line in your offer.

 

Beyond cash, EY adds a 401(k) with an employer match, medical and dental coverage, paid parental leave, and a fully funded Tech MBA through a partner business school for high performers. A consulting relocation bonus is standard for hires moving offices and usually arrives as a lump sum rather than a reimbursement.

 

Why is the reported EY bonus so much smaller than the target?

 

Recruiters and salary guides describe EY bonuses as 10% to 15% of base at junior levels. The reported data says otherwise. Levels.fyi shows an average bonus of $1,985 at Consultant and $4,652 at Senior Consultant, which works out to 1.9% and 3.0% of base respectively.

 

Three things explain the gap. Target bonus is what you earn at a top performance rating in a strong year, not what an average performer receives. Bonus pools also shrink in soft years across professional services, and prorated first-year bonuses drag the average down for anyone who joined mid-cycle.

 

Having coached hundreds of candidates through offer decisions, this is the number one place people overestimate an offer. Plan your finances against base salary and treat the bonus as upside. If a recruiter quotes you a target bonus, ask what percentage of the practice actually hit target last year.

 

How Much More Does EY-Parthenon Pay Than Core EY Consulting?

 

EY-Parthenon pays roughly 20% to 35% more than core EY Consulting at equivalent seniority. The median EY-Parthenon management consultant reported $195,500 in total compensation as of June 2026, against a $175,000 median across core EY roles, and that 12% median gap understates the level-for-level difference because the two samples carry different seniority mixes.

 

EY-Parthenon is the brand under which EY delivers strategy and transactions work, and it now covers more than 25,000 professionals across 150 countries after the practice was unified in 2025. It recruits separately, runs its own interview process, and pays on its own scale. A full EY-Parthenon salary breakdown shows entry-level associates at $109,000 to $131,000 and partners clearing $650,000.

 

Here is the original analysis I have not seen anywhere else, and it explains the premium better than any recruiting brochure. EY's own FY25 results show core Consulting generating $16.4 billion in revenue across 124,238 people, or roughly $132,000 per head. Strategy and Transactions generated $6.2 billion across 25,036 people, or roughly $249,000 per head.

 

That is 1.9 times the revenue per person. Pay premiums in professional services track billing economics almost mechanically, so a practice that bills nearly double per consultant can afford to pay a third more and still hold its margin. The premium is not a recruiting gimmick, it is arithmetic.

 

Does Your Practice Change What You Earn at EY?

 

Yes, and it changes your number more than your city or your negotiation ever will. EY consulting is not one pay band but four, and two candidates with identical resumes can start $40,000 apart depending on which door they walk through.

 

• EY-Parthenon: strategy and transactions work, the highest band, competes directly with MBB for the same MBA talent

 

• Financial Services Organization: a parallel structure serving banks and insurers, pays a modest premium over general consulting in New York and Charlotte

 

• Technology Consulting: cybersecurity, data, and ERP work, where specialized skills push the top of the range past $175,000 at junior levels

 

• Business Consulting: transformation, supply chain, and risk work, the broadest practice and the lowest band

 

The practical implication is blunt. If compensation is your priority, apply to EY-Parthenon first and treat core consulting as your fallback rather than the reverse. The EY case interview is a real screen, and the strategy practice runs a harder version of it than the general consulting track.

 

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How Much Does EY Pay by Entry Path?

 

Your starting level depends on the door you come through, and your starting level determines your pay band. EY hires through five main tracks.

 

1. Undergraduate: enters as Staff or Consultant, the $85,000 to $175,000 band depending on practice and city
   
   
2. Master's degree: enters as Consultant, usually at the upper end of that same band rather than a level above
   
   
3. MBA: enters as Senior Consultant at core EY or as a Consultant at EY-Parthenon, where the premium is largest
   
   
4. PhD or JD: enters at the same band as MBA hires, most often into analytics, cybersecurity, or life sciences teams
   
   
5. Experienced hire: level depends on years and prior firm, with MBB laterals often landing at Manager or Senior Manager

 

The MBA path carries the widest spread of any entry route. An MBA consulting salary at core EY starts in the $150,000s, while the same degree at EY-Parthenon starts closer to $200,000 and the same degree at an MBB firm starts north of $260,000.

 

Experienced hires have the most room to move. EY does not publish level-to-title mappings, so a candidate with six years of industry strategy experience might be offered Senior Consultant or Manager depending entirely on how the recruiter reads the resume. That ambiguity is negotiable in a way that campus offers never are.

 

How Does EY Consulting Salary Vary by City?

 

EY adjusts pay by market, unlike MBB firms which pay the same base in every domestic office. The spread between a top-tier and a mid-tier US market runs 15% to 25% at the same level.

 

Market	Level	Average total compensation
United States	All levels, median	$175,000
New York City area	Consultant	$119,291
New York City area	Senior Manager	$253,039
Washington DC area	Senior Manager	$248,714
Greater Dallas	All levels, median	$138,400

 

Source: Levels.fyi US management consultant data, accessed August 2026.

 

New York consultants earn about 10% more than the national average at the same level, which sounds generous until you price a one-bedroom apartment. Dallas, Atlanta, and Charlotte pay less on paper and more in practice once rent and state income tax enter the math. Texas has no state income tax, which is worth roughly 5% of gross pay compared with a New York City offer.

 

How Does EY Consulting Salary Compare to MBB?

 

Core EY Consulting pays 20% to 60% less than McKinsey, BCG, and Bain at comparable levels, with the widest gap at the post-MBA entry point. EY-Parthenon closes most of that gap but does not eliminate it.

 

Career stage	Core EY	EY-Parthenon	MBB
Undergraduate entry	~$108,500	$109K to $131K	$130K to $135K
Post-MBA entry	~$159,000	$130K to $200K	$260K to $285K
Manager equivalent	~$213,000	$200K to $285K	~$290,000
Partner	~$277,000	$650,000+	$1,000,000+

 

Those headline gaps understate what EY offers, because they compare dollars without comparing hours. Take an illustrative case: an EY senior consultant on $158,941 working 50 hours a week for 48 weeks clears about $66 per hour, while an MBB post-MBA hire on $260,000 working 65 hours over the same 48 weeks clears about $83 per hour.

 

The total compensation gap is 64%. The hourly gap is 26%. That reframing is why so many candidates I coach who hold both offers still take the Big 4 role, and it is the honest version of the trade that MBB salaries guides rarely spell out.

 

What MBB genuinely buys you is optionality later. Consulting exit opportunities into private equity and Fortune 500 strategy roles skew heavily toward McKinsey, BCG, and Bain alumni, and that advantage compounds over a decade in a way a first-year salary difference does not.

 

How Does EY Compare to Deloitte, PwC, and KPMG?

 

At the same level doing the same kind of work, the four firms cluster within roughly 10% of each other. Deloitte and PwC generally edge out EY at junior levels, and KPMG sits at the bottom of the group.

 

Firm	Reported median total	Data updated	Strategy arm median
EY	$175,000	August 2026	$195,500
PwC	$192,000	2026	$238,000
Deloitte	$130,000	August 2026	Not reported
KPMG	$102,000	May 2026	Not reported

 

Read that table carefully, because it is the most commonly misused data in Big 4 salary comparisons. A firm-wide median tells you about the seniority mix of who filled out the survey, not about what the firm pays. EY's median looks higher than Deloitte's mainly because EY's reported sample skews toward manager and senior manager submissions.

 

Compare like for like instead. A Deloitte consulting salary at the analyst level starts at $75,000 to $95,000 in base, which sits right on top of EY's entry band rather than above it.

 

The same holds against a PwC consulting salary at equivalent seniority. Both firms pay a few thousand dollars more than EY at the campus level and the difference closes as you climb.

 

A KPMG consulting salary is the one that consistently trails the group, with entry-level total compensation of $80,000 to $100,000 where EY campus hires more often land in the $90,000 to $110,000 range.

 

Across the Big 4 consulting firms, the practice you join is a far better predictor of your pay than the logo on your business card. An EY-Parthenon associate out-earns a Deloitte core consulting analyst by a wide margin, and nobody would tell you that from a firm-level ranking.

 

How Much Does EY Consulting Pay Outside the US?

 

EY operates in more than 150 countries and pays in local currency with wide regional variation. The UK is the largest non-US consulting market and the one with the most reliable public data.

 

UK level	Average estimate	Typical range
Graduate, London	£42,352	£28,516 to £65,865
Senior Consultant, UK	£57,938	£44,313 to £77,797
Senior Consultant, London	£60,247	£46,916 to £79,403
Senior Manager, London	Not reported	£76,215 to £122,122

 

Source: Glassdoor UK estimates as of June 2026, drawn from 1,860 senior consultant reports and 301 senior manager reports.

 

A London senior consultant on £58,000 earns roughly 45% of the dollar figure a US senior consultant earns at the same level. Some of that closes on tax and healthcare costs, but not all of it, and UK consultants consistently rate EY compensation lower than their US counterparts do.

 

Continental Europe generally runs below UK levels outside Switzerland, and Middle East offices in Dubai and Riyadh often deliver stronger take-home pay because of local tax treatment. India and Latin America pay a fraction of US rates in dollar terms with meaningfully different local purchasing power.

 

How Long Does It Take to Move Up the EY Pay Ladder?

 

Reaching partner at EY takes roughly 13 to 16 years from an undergraduate start and 11 to 14 years from a post-MBA start. Each promotion carries a 25% to 40% raise, which matters more to your lifetime earnings than any starting salary negotiation.

 

Level	Typical time at level	Cumulative years
Staff or Consultant	2 to 3 years	0 to 3
Senior Consultant	3 to 4 years	3 to 7
Manager	3 to 4 years	7 to 11
Senior Manager	3 to 5 years	11 to 16
Partner or Principal	Until retirement	16+

 

Those timelines assume promotions land on schedule, and plenty do not. EY runs a softer up-or-out culture than MBB, which cuts both ways: you are less likely to be pushed out for a slow year, and you are more likely to sit at Senior 3 or Senior 4 waiting for a slot to open. The consulting promotion timeline at Big 4 firms stretches noticeably when utilization is soft.

 

A stalled promotion is expensive. Two extra years at Senior Consultant instead of Manager costs roughly $109,000 in forgone earnings using the level averages above. That is why the strongest performers at EY treat the business development transition at Manager as the thing to prepare for years in advance.

 

What Does an EY Consulting Career Earn Over 10 Years?

 

An EY consultant who joins from undergrad and promotes on schedule earns roughly $1.6 million in total compensation over their first 10 years. The same person at EY-Parthenon clears $1.9 million to $2.2 million over the same span.

 

Here is the arithmetic, using the level averages from earlier in this article. Treat it as an illustrative model rather than a forecast, since it assumes flat pay bands and on-time promotions.

 

• Years 1 to 3, Consultant: $108,539 per year, or $325,617

 

• Years 4 to 7, Senior Consultant: $158,941 per year, or $635,764

 

• Years 8 to 10, Manager: $213,355 per year, or $640,065

 

• 10-year total: roughly $1.6 million before raises within each band

 

Two things stand out in that model. The Senior Consultant band contributes the largest single chunk of decade-one earnings simply because you sit in it longest, which is why a stalled promotion at that stage is so costly.

 

The second is that the model ignores what happens after you leave, and most people do leave. The consulting career path at Big 4 firms produces industry exits at manager level into corporate strategy and operations roles that often pay comparably with better hours.

 

Candidates who use EY as a launchpad rather than a destination frequently do better on lifetime earnings than those who grind toward partner and stall at Senior Manager. That calculus looks different if you are weighing an MBB versus Big 4 decision, where the brand premium on exits is real and measurable.

 

How Do You Get a Higher EY Consulting Offer?

 

Most candidates negotiate the wrong variable. Here are the five levers that actually move an EY number, ranked by how much each one is worth.

 

Tip #1: Fight for the level, not the base

 

One rung on the EY ladder is worth $40,000 to $50,000 in total compensation. A base negotiation inside a band is usually worth $5,000 to $10,000.

 

If you have any argument for a higher level, whether that is a prior consulting role, a graduate degree, or deep industry experience, make it before the offer is drafted. Once the level is in writing, it is close to fixed.

 

Tip #2: Apply to EY-Parthenon separately

 

EY-Parthenon runs its own application, its own interviews, and its own pay scale. Applying to core consulting does not put you in that pool.

 

The bar is higher and the process is longer, but the difference is worth 20% to 35% every year for your entire tenure. Candidates who could clear that bar and never apply are leaving the largest single sum on the table.

 

Tip #3: Get the band in writing before your final round

 

Many US states now require employers to disclose pay ranges on job postings, and EY complies. Read the posting for your exact role and city rather than relying on a national average.

 

Walking into a compensation conversation already knowing the published band changes the conversation from a guess to a position. Recruiters respond very differently to a candidate who cites the range for the specific requisition.

 

Tip #4: Push on the signing bonus first

 

Base salary sits inside a band that a recruiter often cannot exceed without approval. Signing bonuses come from a different budget and carry more discretion.

 

Knowing how to negotiate a consulting offer means asking for the flexible line rather than the rigid one. A competing offer makes this conversation dramatically easier, which is the strongest reason to run more than one process at a time.

 

Tip #5: Choose your practice before your office

 

Candidates agonize over city and accept whatever practice has an opening. That is backwards, because practice moves your pay by 30% and city moves it by 15%.

 

Technology Consulting and EY-Parthenon pay at the top of the range, and both offer cleaner exit paths than general transformation work. If two offers arrive at the same level, the practice should decide it.

 

Your EY consulting salary is set by three decisions made before you ever see an offer letter: which practice you target, which level you are slotted into, and whether you have a competing offer in hand. Focus your energy on landing the EY-Parthenon interview rather than on squeezing $5,000 out of a core consulting base, because that single choice is worth more than every other negotiation combined.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

How much does an EY consultant make per year?

 

An entry-level EY consultant in the United States averages $108,539 in total compensation, made up of $106,554 in base salary and $1,985 in reported bonus, according to Levels.fyi data updated in August 2026. Reported packages at that level run from roughly $85,000 to $175,000 depending on practice and city. Glassdoor, which pools a wider mix of tenures under the Consultant title, puts the average closer to $127,266.

 

Does EY pay more than Deloitte or PwC?

 

At the same level and in the same kind of work, no. EY, Deloitte, PwC, and KPMG cluster within roughly 10% of each other in core consulting, and Deloitte and PwC generally edge out EY at junior levels. The firm-wide medians reported on salary sites are not comparable because each firm's sample skews toward a different seniority mix.

 

How much more does EY-Parthenon pay than core EY consulting?

 

EY-Parthenon pays roughly 20% to 35% more than core EY Consulting at equivalent levels. The median EY-Parthenon management consultant reported $195,500 in total compensation as of June 2026, against a $175,000 median across core EY management consulting roles. The gap is widest at the post-MBA and manager levels.

 

Does EY give stock or equity to consultants?

 

No. EY is a private partnership rather than a listed company, so there are no restricted stock units or options at any consulting level. Reported stock compensation is $0 from Consultant all the way through Senior Manager. Ownership arrives only at the partner and principal tier, and it takes the form of a profit share funded by a capital buy-in.

 

How much does an EY partner make?

 

EY partners average about $276,809 per year according to Glassdoor estimates from August 2026, based on 71 reported packages. The middle of the range sits between $207,607 and $387,533, and the top decile reaches roughly $506,561. Partner pay is a profit share rather than a salary, so it swings with firm performance and the size of the client book.

 

Is an EY consulting salary negotiable?

 

Base salary is only partly negotiable because EY sets pay bands by level, practice, and city. The level you are slotted into is the real lever, since one rung is worth $40,000 to $50,000 while a base negotiation inside a band is usually worth $5,000 to $10,000. Signing bonuses and start dates carry more flexibility than base pay.

 

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