Learn the latest salaries for a range of Accountancy roles this year. Salary guides provided by Abacus.
If you are looking for a new Accountancy role then take a look at the salary you could earn for an Accountancy job in Northern Ireland. We look at industry based accountancy salaries and professional practices, comparing the salaries with the Big 4 with SME accountancy firms. We also look at salaries for support and non-qualifed accountancy roles. Since 2022 accountancy salaries have increased on average by 17%.
Salary guides for a range of Accountancy roles
Industry Based Qualified Accountants
If you are a Qualified Accountant and want to work in the Finance Department in any industry from manufacturing to retailing then the table below shows how much Industry Trained Qualified accounts could earn in Northern Ireland, we have listed the salary band for each role. Salaries for industry-based qualified accountants have increased by 13% on average from 2022 to 2023.
| Industry based: Qualified Accountants Industry Trained | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Newly Qualified | £38,000 |
| 3-5 years PQE (Senior Accountant) | £48,000 |
| 6+ years PQE (Financial Controller) | £65,000 |
| 10+ years PQE (Financial Director) | £95,000 |
Industry Based – Transactional Finance
Next we are comparing the salaries of Industry based Transactional Finance roles such as Head of Department, Manager of Department, Team Lead and Finance Support and Administration roles. These transactional finance roles have seen an average rise of 3% year on year.
| Industry based: Transactional Finance | Salary |
|---|---|
| Head of Department | £65,000 |
| Manager of Department | £52,000 |
| Team Lead/Supervisor | £39,000 |
| Senior Assistant | £30,000 |
| Support/Admin | £26,000 |
Industry Based – Part Qualified Accountants
If you are a part-qualified and want to find out how much you can earn in Belfast as you progress through your training have a look at the table below. If you’ve completed your Foundation Level your salary could be up to £25,000 going up to £28,000 for Intermediate Level and £34,000 when you are Exam Qualified. Salaries for Part-Qualified Accountants have increased by 2% since 2022!
| Industry based: Part-Qualified Accountants | Salary |
|---|---|
| Foundation Level Complete | £23,000 – £25,000 |
| Intermediate Level Complete | £25,000 – £28,000 |
| Exam Qualified | £31,000 – £34,000 |
| Qualified Accounting Technician | £25,000 – £30,000 |
Industry Based – Support Staff
Are you interested in finding out how much your salary would be as an Accounts Clerk, Accounts Assistant or in Credit Control have a look at this table. These salaries are shown by the size of the company you work for SME (Small/Medium Enterprises) or Top 100 or large companies. Larger companies tend to offer a higher salary. In the last year Industry based support staff salaries went up by 12% on average.
| Industry based: Support Staff | SME | Top 100/Corporate |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts Clerk AR/AP | £23,000 – £26,000 | £25,000 – £28,000 |
| Accounts Assistant | £25,000 – £28,000 | £28,000 – £30,000 |
| Credit Control | £25,000 – £28,000 | £26,000 – £30,000 |
| Graduate Entry | £21,000 – £24,000 | £23,000 – £27,000 |
Professional Practice – Tax, Audit, Insolvency, Consulting
This section looks at the salaries of Accountants who work for companies who specialise in Tax Accountancy, Auditing, Insolvency and Consultancy. This group is split into Mid-Tier Firms and the Big 4 Accountancy firms who are Deloitte, Ernst & Young, PWC and KPMG all of whom have offices in Belfast.
Equity Partners or Directors in the Big 4 earn 50% more than their equivalent in a mid-tier firm but the salaries for the other roles, Director, Senior Manager, Manager or Assistant Manager are fairly equitable.
On average salaries have gone up in the last year by 12% for the Big 4 and 5% for the Mid-Tier Firms.
| Professional Practice: Tax/Audit/Insolvency/Consulting | Big 4 | Mid-Tier Firm |
|---|---|---|
| Equity Partner/Director | £150,000 + | £100,000 + |
| Director (non-equity) | £90,000 + | £75,000 + |
| Senior Manager | £60,000 – £80,000 | £50,000 – £55,000 |
| Manager | £45,000 – £55,000 | £40,000 – £48,000 |
| Assistant Manager | £40,000 – £45,000 | £38,000 – £40,000 |
Professional Practice – Audit & Assurance
The last section in the Accountancy Salary Guide is for Professional Practice Audit & Assurance, which is again spit by the Big 4 and Mid-Tier firms. As a newly qualified ACCA or ACA you could earn £37,500 on average and as a Qualified Accounting Technician £27,500 on average. Average salaries in this sector have risen by 9% in the last year.
| Professional Practice: Audit & Assurance | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Newly Qualified ACCA/ACA | £37,500 |
| Qualified Accounting Technician | £27,500 |
| Semi-Senior | £26,000 |
| Unqualified Senior | £29,000 |
Find more salary guides on the nijobfinder blog.