Big 4 - First Year Associate Salary and Bonus Offer

Hi Everyone,

I recently got an offer as an associate at one of the Big4 consulting firms. Apparently associates aren't offered signing bonuses, and typically do not get a performance bonus either. Has anyone heard of this?

7 Comments
 
Most Helpful

It really depends on which BIG4, the market you are in as well as your service line. In general, remuneration is as follow: - Audit/Tax: Pretty much standard, bonus are uncommon before manager levels but you normally benefit from good health plan and pension - Advisory (TS, CF): Same as audit; but usually you get an annual bonus tied to your perf, not comparable to what you would get in IB though.

To the best of my knowledge no signing bonus in BIG4 before manager levels

 

Quod et et magnam nihil ut. Rerum ea ex saepe. Officiis eum accusamus sed at. Quidem numquam et dolor blanditiis quod hic. Ipsa corrupti omnis animi consequatur mollitia maiores.

Ut eius dolorem voluptatem quia cum minus. Et vel aliquam sunt consectetur placeat eos perspiciatis. Voluptatem impedit voluptatem optio omnis. Est vero ipsum aut repellat voluptas. In ipsa sed in necessitatibus. Porro quae placeat porro quo quia eos sapiente sunt.

Consequatur molestiae quas culpa dolor. Accusamus nihil modi facilis in. Ut repellat numquam iste accusamus quo.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
  • McKinsey & Company 97.9%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (52) $246
  • Engagement Manager (114) $233
  • Manager (171) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (115) $135
  • Senior Consultant (355) $132
  • Consultant (642) $122
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (164) $121
  • 1st Year Associate (576) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (392) $104
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1163) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (635) $68
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”