EY Partner Payouts Hit Record £870,000 After Partnership Cuts

EY will pay its partners a record average of £870,000 each this year, up £83,000, or about 10%, from £787,000 last year, after the Big Four firm shrank its partnership. The increase, the sharpest in five years, came even as fee income rose just 2% to £3.86bn. Average employee pay grew 5.2%. EY dismissed around 30 partners this year and moved others into salaried roles without a share of firm-wide profits, following a payout slump in 2024 after pandemic over-hiring. Managing partner Anna Anthony called the results "solid" in a challenging market. Consulting sales fell, offset by gains in tax and audit. EY's payout remains the smallest among the Big Four; Deloitte paid partners more than £1.1m on average, and PwC £935,000. Separately, the firms have won over £1.5bn in UK government contracts this year, the most since 2020.