What the 2026 National Accountancy Salary Guide tells us about the sector

Written by First Intuition

First Intuition’s National Accountancy Salary Guide 2026, based on responses from 175 employers across England, provides salary benchmarks by region, sector and career stage, alongside insights into recruitment, retention, apprenticeships, workplace skills, rewards and benefits.

Key findings of the report are summarised below.

Accountancy employers continue to operate in a competitive and changing labour market. Although recruitment pressures have eased slightly, many organisations still find it difficult to secure experienced professionals. Pay, progression, flexibility and development all remain important to attracting and retaining talent.

Accountancy salaries continue to rise

The average salary across all levels of accountancy in England has reached £33,525, an increase of 2.2 per cent since 2025. School leavers earn an average of £20,480, graduates £26,254, newly qualified AAT employees £28,601, newly qualified ACCA, CIMA or ICAEW professionals £42,065, and employees three years after qualifying £50,227.

One of the most notable trends is at entry level. School-leaver salaries have risen by 5.9 per cent and graduate salaries by 4.2 per cent, both ahead of the overall increase.

Newly qualified AAT employees also earn 8.6 per cent more on average than graduates. By this stage, someone who entered accountancy after school may be a similar age to a new graduate but already have several years of workplace experience, demonstrating the strength of the school-leaver route into the profession.

London remains the highest-paying region, with an average salary of £41,762. Sector also makes a significant difference: employees in industry earn an average of £40,059 across all levels, 22.8 per cent more than those working in practice.

Employers should therefore consider location, sector, qualification and experience when benchmarking salaries.

School-leaver recruitment is growing

The growing importance of school and college leavers is also reflected in recruitment behaviour. 38 per cent of employers have increased their school and college-leaver intake, while more actively pursue school leavers than graduates, at 40 per cent compared with 29 per cent. Only 25 per cent of employers now do not engage with schools at all, compared to 30 per cent in 2025.

Apprenticeships remain central to early-careers recruitment, with 67 per cent of employers actively pursuing apprenticeship programmes and 74 per cent paying apprentices the same as non-apprentice trainees at the same level.

For employers struggling to recruit experienced professionals, investing in people earlier can help build a more sustainable long-term talent pipeline.

Recruitment remains a challenge, particularly at senior levels

Almost half of employers (47 per cent) have experienced difficulties recruiting staff. Although this has fallen from 54 per cent in 2025, recruitment remains a much bigger challenge than retention, with only 16 per cent reporting difficulties keeping staff.

The pressure is particularly evident further up the career ladder. Senior managers are now the most difficult level to recruit, with 42 per cent of employers reporting difficulties, while first-year trainees are comparatively easy to find.

This suggests that employers need to think beyond filling immediate vacancies and focus on succession planning and developing future managers internally.

Despite these challenges, demand remains strong. 44 per cent of employers increased the number of accountants they recruited during the previous year, compared with only 25 per cent who had expected to do so. Looking ahead, 52 per cent expect recruitment levels to remain unchanged and 29 per cent expect them to increase. Only 18 per cent expect recruitment over the next year to decrease showing strong optimism about the immediate future of the sector.

Employers are also planning recruitment further ahead. Fewer now begin the process just one to three months before a role starts, with 48 per cent aiming to start their recruitment process for new intakes 4-6 months before their start date. For organisations competing for school leavers, this suggests that waiting until a vacancy arises may mean missing candidates who are already considering their options.

There is an interesting gap between employers’ growing interest in school and college leavers and the channels they use to reach them, Instagram and TikTok feature relatively little in their recruitment activity. With 38 per cent of employers increasing their school and college-leaver intake, these platforms could be worth more attention as part of a wider approach to reaching young people early.

Pay is only one part of a competitive offer

Salary remains important, but the findings show that employees value a wider package. Flexible or hybrid working is offered by 85 per cent of employers, followed by study leave at 75 per cent, social activities at 74 per cent, flexible working hours at 68 per cent and development opportunities at 67 per cent.

Professional development and training are the most popular ways to motivate staff, offered by 79 per cent of employers. Increased responsibility is also the most commonly used retention measure, cited by 84 per cent, ahead of increased salary and enhanced benefits.

This reinforces the importance of giving employees a clear sense of progression. That becomes particularly relevant after qualification, when the structured milestones of professional study can disappear. Employers that provide greater responsibility, career conversations and visible routes into specialisms or management may be better placed to retain ambitious people.

The skills accountants need are changing

Critical thinking and problem solving and commercial awareness are the most commonly reported skills gaps, each identified by 40 per cent of employers, followed by business advisory and consultancy skills at 34 per cent.

At entry level, business etiquette and written communication are among the areas employers most frequently say need improvement.

These findings are particularly relevant as AI, automation and data tools take on more routine work. Technical knowledge remains essential, including the ability to question and validate technology-generated outputs, but accountants will increasingly create value through judgement, commercial understanding, problem solving and communication.

91 per cent of employers believe staff could benefit from or require additional leadership and management training, while 94 per cent say the same about digital, data analytics and AI skills, indicating the scale of development needed within the sector. Employers therefore need to develop human and commercial capabilities alongside technical and digital expertise.

Supporting progression is essential

Exam difficulty and pass rates are the biggest challenge preventing learners from progressing, cited by 51 per cent of employers. Balancing work and study and a lack of confidence or motivation were each identified by 42 per cent.

Supporting trainees with manageable workloads, study support and clear progression pathways is therefore not only important for individual development; it can also help employers address future skills shortages. The trainees supported today are the experienced professionals and managers the sector currently finds hardest to recruit.

What does this mean for employers?

Overall, the findings show a profession where demand for talent remains resilient, but where the pressures are changing. Recruitment is becoming easier at some levels, while experienced managers remain difficult to find. Entry-level salaries are rising faster than the overall market, school-leaver pathways are becoming more important, and technology is increasing demand for human and commercial skills.

Employers that benchmark pay carefully, recruit and engage talent earlier, invest in apprenticeships and early-careers pathways, and continue developing people beyond qualification will be best placed to respond to these changes.

The full report contains detailed salary benchmarks by region, career stage and sector. Alongside further findings covering recruitment, retention, apprenticeships, skills, rewards and benefits.