That all is well known, but what is a Big 4 accounting firm’s salary like? The Big 4 firms in management consulting are Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Deloitte), KPMG International (KPMG), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), and Ernst & Young (EY).As of 2020, they are the four largest consulting firms in terms of revenue. Revenue: $35.4 billion 3. Among them, Deloitte, EY and PwC have already acquired boutique consulting firms with prestige in high-level problem-solving, to augment their traditional consulting arms which focus more on the implementation side. Now let’s discuss about these firms as well as how one can get in there. On a side note: among the top 8 consulting firms discussed here (MBB, Big 4 and Accenture), Accenture is the only public company – all others are privately-owned. Accenture is a multinational professional services network / consulting firm which focuses on strategy and technology. Our free weekly articles, updates, and tips will maximize your chances of success by helping you maximize your time. In terms of employee and office numbers, the Big 4 firms also outdo MBB firms by 5-10 times – each has somewhere around 600-800 offices and 200,000-300,000 employees. MBB projects normally entail high-level strategy consulting, while Big 4 consulting services lean towards implementation and highly-specific problems in areas such as accounting, tax, risk or legal advice. Let’s face it – a big reason we want the best jobs in the world is for the compensation. The greater number of Big 4 consulting projects, as well as higher level of involvement compared to their MBB counterparts demand more manpower. The Big 4 are PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ernst & … I recently decided to go into the big 4 audit for a few years, get my MBA, and hopefully transition to consulting. The Big 4 firms are much larger than MBB, in terms of revenue and employee number. 4,822 Big 4 Consulting jobs available on Indeed.com. And then in 2002, with the Enron scandal, Arthur Andersen met its demise and its practices were split between the remaining firms, now called “the Big 4”. 1. “Tier-2” is a common term denoting top consulting firms outside MBB and the Big 4. On the other hand, there are differences in the way they handle management consulting with the use of technology. The firm also operates in strategy consulting, as with virtually all top consulting firms. The firm’s principals boast an impressive 90 combined years’ experience and have a combined 50 years of experience with Big Four firms. Join today for free help from the experts - why wouldn't you? KPMG LLP: KPMG is one of the Big Four auditors which also has a management consulting group. It also possesses a strategy branch called Monitor Deloitte (created from the 2013 acquisition of the consulting firm Monitor Group). MBB consultants work with their clients in shorter terms – usually 2-4 months, while Big 4 consultants can be engaged with one client company for 6-8 months or even year-long, providing oversight and helping the client put their solutions into practice. I would also advise you to not depend on this tier system due to its vague and generic nature, and its tendency to bury the attractiveness of the so-called Tier-2/3/4 firms. 20 years after these splits, however, the Big 4 firms have regained their positions within the consulting industry – as the four largest consulting firms globally. EY also has a dedicated strategy division called EY-Parthenon, created from its acquisition of the consultancy The Parthenon Group. KPMG offers consulting positions in four main areas: management (which in the firm’s term, include operations, technology, human capital, data and service), deal, risks and strategy. Overall, Big 4 projects aim at a more massed market, resulting in higher “unit sales” (number of projects), but lower prices. This will usually hold true across all Big 4 accounting firms. Although MBB firms virtually get all the attention, the Big 4 firms also offer attractive career opportunities for prospective consultants. Differences in Designations: MBB vs Big 4 . As we already mentioned, the Big 4 absolutely dominate the accounting field. To first discuss compensation for the Big 4, we first need to know who these firms are. Kick start your consulting prep with our Prospective Candidate Starter PackOver 50 tips and tricks, 12 sample tests, a framework dictionary and an example from our premium Case Interview End-to-End Secrets Program, Unsubscribe at any time – MConsultingPrep’s Privacy Policy. For applicants who wish to specialize in IT consulting, Accenture also offers attractive careers, with salary on the same level as the Big 4. In addition, the sheer geographical scale of Big 4 operations make their jobs more available. However, the Big 4 wasn’t always the Big 4 – for most of the 20th century, the accounting industry was dominated by the “Big 8” firms – Deloitte Haskins & Sells, Touche Ross, Ernst & Whinney, Arthur Young, Peat Marwick Mitchell, Price Waterhouse, Coopers & Lybrand, and Arthur Andersen. Before that, however, the firm had a consulting division, called “Andersen Consulting” – internal conflicts, however, led the division to spin off in 2000. Details: Navigant Consulting, Inc. Nonetheless, Big 4 firms are also respectable career launching pads – offering the same kind of exit opportunities as MBB, although the quantity and quality (pay) are usually lower. PwC Associate Salary(Undergraduate/Entry-Level), PwC Senior Associate Salary(MBA/Experienced-Level). All of the Big 4 firms originate from the accounting industry – in fact, they are usually referred to as “Big 4 accounting firms”. The big four consulting firms have faced, or are facing, a range of court actions over their auditing and advisory work. The problem is when audit firms earn so much from non-auditing services provided to the same clients, there is an incentive to ignore the holes in the clients’ financial statements, to build long-term relationships and sell other services. Number of employees: 208,109Deloitte is just a fraction smaller than PwC. Big 4 usually refers to the major accounting firms: Deloitte, PwC, EY, and KPMG. The last time we left off with Arthur Andersen, it was facing demise following the Enron scandal. KPMG Salaries trends. But where did this giant come from? The four networks are often grouped together for a number of reasons; they are each comparable in size relative to the rest of the market, both in terms of revenue and workforce; they are each considered equal in their ability to provide a wide scope of professional services to their clients; a This creates what I call an “exit culture”, where a majority of consultants view the firms as launching pads for their careers. The big four accounting firms, most commonly referred to as “The Big 4,” are the world’s largest and most prestigious audit, tax, and professional service companies. MBB consultants have better learning opportunities, prestige and exit options. Working for one of The Big Four Accounting Firms is a prestigious honor and a goal for many accountants. EY offers consulting positions in six main areas: strategy, technology, service, risks, finance and analytics. Audit and tax are considered to be two different types of accounting, while consulting focuses on helping businesses with a wide a range of business problems. This is true both because of the function and location of the first individual. Click on the links to find out about each product, or subscribe to our Youtube Channel and newsletter to receive more consulting news and free materials. Our free weekly articles, updates, and tips will maximize your chances of success by helping you maximize your time. The same thing applies to the rest of the Big 5 – consulting, along with legal and tax advisory, was providing the majority of their revenue. They are not allowed to rank their own firm. Below we’ve outlined the 7 steps to become a big 4 accountant. The Big Four accounting firms refer to Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), KPMG, and Ernst & Young. Big 4 Accounting firms & Services Offered Deloitte offers consulting positions in three main focus areas: strategy & operations (S&O), human capital, and technology. The Big Four is the nickname used to refer collectively to the four largest professional services networks in the world, consisting of the global accounting networks Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PwC. Unless stated otherwise, I’ll mostly talk about the traditional consulting arms. The Big 4 firms – Deloitte, KPMG, PwC and EY – are the four largest professional service networks in the world, offering services in various business areas, most prominent among which are: auditing and accounting; advisory and consulting; tax, risk and legal advice. THE BIG FOUR – Personalberatung für Experten aus dem Big4 Umfeld. Notable firms in the “Tier-2” include Accenture, LEK, AT Kearney, Roland Berger, Booz Allen Hamilton, Oliver Wyman to name a few. KPMG Analyst Salary(Undergraduate/Entry-Level), KPMG Consultant Salary(MBA/Experienced-Level). © 2020 Management Consulting Prep | Intelectual Property protected by DMCA, MBB firms also have more extensive support departments, Comprehensive consulting salary report for 2020, largest consulting firm by employee number, regained their positions within the consulting industry, MBB firms enjoy all the prestige and attention, come into contact with high-level executives, salaries comparable to McKinsey or Deloitte, Retirement: 25% match for the first 6% of individual contributions in 401k, Base: $160,000 (Toronto: C$105,000) (Calgary: C$100,000) (Mexico City: MXN700,000), Performance Bonus: up to $41,000 (Mexico City: up to MXN35,000), Retirement: 25% match of first 6% into 401k (a total of 1.5%), Signing Bonus: $30,000 ($20,000 contingent on signing early) (Canada: C$15,000), Performance Bonus: up to $18,000 (20% of base), Retirement: 25% match up to 6%; 1% immediate separate contribution, Signing Bonus: $30,000 (paid at start of work), Performance Bonus: up to $9,000 (10% of base), Retirement: Match 50% (2.5%) if deposit 5% + pension contribution, Performance Bonus: up to $26,000 (30% of base), Retirement: 6% match for 401k after 1st year, Base: $155,000 (Canada: C$135,000) (UK: £83,000), Performance Bonus: $30,000 + $15,000 for top performers (UK: £10,000), Signing Bonus: $35,000 + $17,500 early sign on for returning interns (Canada: C$25,000) (UK: £31,500). So today, let’s find out about these firms, the jobs they offer and how they might be different from McKinsey, BCG or Bain. Since the 1990s, the Big 4 (or more appropriately, the Big 5) have been deeply engaged in management consulting – in fact when Enron collapsed in 2002, Arthur Andersen was earning more from consulting services provided to that company than from auditing services. They say “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” – MBB candidates have to fight harder to get more out of their job. As of 2020, they are the four largest consulting firms in terms of revenue. They employ thousands of employees around the world across practice areas including consulting, audit, tax, and more. For reference, however, you can expect to make somewhere between $250,000 and $5 million a year. Read more: Comprehensive consulting salary report for 2020. These firms are the four largest professional services firms in the world that provide audit, transaction advisory, taxation, consulting, risk advisory, and actuarial services. EY Associate Salary (Undergraduate/Entry-Level), EY Senior Associate Salary(MBA/Experienced-Level). JSI provides financial, management, regulatory, business development, marketing/public relations and strategic consulting services to community based telecom providers. Given that the Big 4 accounting firms provide essentially identical salaries to employees, you will find below compensation figures based on level, location, and practice rather than the details for each firm. Of late, the Big 4 consulting & accounting firms are hiring huge number of accounting graduates for their Indian as well as off shore functions in varied fields. Apply to Recruiting Coordinator, Technical Consultant, Investment Banking Analyst and more! Join today for free help from, McKinsey PEI: Personal Experience Interview. They have revenues, costs, and will disappear sooner rather than later if they don’t mind their own bottom line. Think about the people you enjoyed speaking most with and made you feel the most comfortable or inspired. Don't miss your chance to land a consulting offer! They include: Each firm pays very close attention to what each pay but only slightly raise salaries over time. ​ ​ Actualmente las Big Four están integradas por las firmas que se mencionan en el siguiente cuadro en el que se muestran los datos publicados correspondientes al ejercicio 2016: Big Four (or Big Five, Big Six, Big Eight): The largest accounting firms in the United States as measured by revenue. It gets significantly less of its revenue from audit services and more from consulting. Consultants from McKinsey, BCG and Bain are not paid much more than their Big 4 fellows – as far as base salaries are concerned. And because all consulting firms look for the same qualities in their candidates, you can do consulting prep for both groups at the same time. A large part of partner compensation is tied to equity. In 1910, the “Big Four” were still made up of eight smaller accounting firms: Arthur Andersen, Coopers and Lybrand, Ernst & Whinney, Deloitte Haskins & Sells, Peat Marwick Mitchell, Price Waterhouse Touche Ross, and Arthur Young. The Big 4 do offer strategy consulting, such as Strategy& at PwC and Monitor at Deloitte, but this is a much smaller percentage of their total revenue. Revenue: $35.2 billion 3. Work on a 1-week virtual consulting project, We've been there - breaking into consulting is hard. By comparison, the most far-reaching MBB firm – McKinsey – is the only one to possess over 100 offices (+130), and 27,000 employees. MBB consultants, on the other hand, can expect 60-80 hours per week. Bain, also called the “Big 3” of consulting) by a fair margin – the smallest of the Big 4 (KPMG) has 40% more revenue than the largest of MBB (McKinsey). Join 60,000+ on the #1 consulting prep channel! Prestige-wise, MBB firms have been standing head-and-shoulders above the rest of the consulting industry, including the Big 4. The consulting work at the Big Four accounting firms tends to focus on implementation, such as helping a company set up a new process or technology or helping a company implement recommendations that were previously made by other management consulting firms. Now, however, the original firms have merged and consolidated into four professional service conglomerates: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), and KPMG. The Big Three or MBB refers to the name colloquially given to the world's three largest strategy consulting firms by revenue.They are considered to be the most prestigious firms in the management consulting industry. Unsere Spezialisierung ist die Vermittlung von Kandidaten aus der Steuerberatung, Wirtschaftsprüfung, Unternehmens- und Rechtsberatung . At McKinsey, an undergrad is given the job title of “business analyst.” At BCG, an undergrad is an “associate,” and at Bain an “associate consultant.” In the United States, junior consultants in both groups are paid $70,000-$90,000 per year as base, while that of senior consultants fluctuate around the $140,000 mark. What is the definition of Big 4 Consulting?Big 4 are offering an extensive range of financial auditing services, including audit, taxation, business and management consultancy, and risk assessment, mainly to Fortune 500 clients. A consulting firm is a business, just like your organization. Right! These firms are global or regional, and often specialized to a degree. Like all top consulting firms, Accenture also use case interviews in their recruitment process – I’ve written a guide on their case interviews, which you should also check out by clicking on the link. Due to the high-level nature of their projects, MBB consultants frequently come into contact with high-level executives on the client side, while Big 4 consultants – especially the junior ones – mostly work with the middle managers. But that doesn’t mean that you have to sell the farm to hire them, though. However, with bonuses and profit sharing, the gap between MBB and Big 4 firms widens (see the charts below). MBB: McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, Bain. In terms of perks, MBB consultants have it much better. To help increase your chance, I offer you comprehensive consulting prep materials covering every step of the consulting recruitment process – from resume-writing, to test prep (McKinsey PST and BCG Potential Test), and finally the case interview. The rest comes from assurance (audit), advisory, and consulting – the last of which is our main topic. Not the only reason, but most people would be lying if they said that money wasn’t a consideration at all. Overall, the Big 4’s consulting practices finished in the top 16, which is pretty good given the glut of competition they face year in and year out. This lowers the barrier and allows each candidate a better chance at a consulting career.