COMPENSATION GUIDE FOR ANTI-FRAUD PROFESSIONALS 2015/2016 GLOBAL SALARY STUDY ACCOUNTING
Table of Contents Letter from the President and CEO... 3 Accounting... 4 Accounting Median Total Compensation... 4 CPA/CA or Equivalent... 5 Forensic Accountant... 6 Controller... 7 Management Accountant... 8 Other Accounting / Finance... 9 Compensation Ranges for Accounting Job Functions... 10 Respondent Geographic Profile... 12 Survey Methodology... 14 About the ACFE... 15 2 ACFE.com/CompGuide
Letter from the President and CEO We often say that there is much more to earning the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential than simply adding three new letters after your name. It s what those letters mean to you, your employers and your colleagues that make the accomplishment so profound. So, what exactly do those letters, CFE, mean? They could mean hard work, expertise, drive, commitment, knowledge, insight the list could go on and on. And, as we have found in our 2015/2016 Compensation Guide for Anti-Fraud Professionals, they also mean a 23 percent salary premium. It s a unique opportunity for us to see the tangible and intangible benefits of earning the CFE credential. Because satisfaction and career development are intangible items, we often don t have a specific way to measure the true impact earning the credential has on someone s life, both professionally and personally. But with our new Compensation Guide, we can capture what it looks and feels like to not only increase your salary, but your worth. I hope you find the information in this Compensation Guide as interesting and enlightening as I do. Most importantly, thank you to all who submitted data for this study this guide would not have been possible without you. James D. Ratley, CFE President and CEO, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners ACCOUNTING 3
Accounting The field of Accounting consists of five individually selected job functions: CPA/CA or equivalent, Forensic Accountant, Controller, Management Accountant and Other Accounting/ Finance. This field includes three of the top 10 job functions (Forensic Accountant, CPA/CA or equivalent and Other Accounting/Finance). Figure 1: Accounting Median Total Compensation CFE $92,505 Non-CFE $75,246 $0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000 4 ACFE.com/CompGuide
Figure 2: Compensation Ranges for CPAs/CAs or Equivalent Median Total Compensation CFE Non-CFE Level of Responsibility Executive $139,400 N/A Partner/Principal $150,000 $130,000 Director $138,000 $114,000 Supervisor/Senior Consultant $77,500 $65,000 Manager $90,000 $80,000 Staff/Consultant/Analyst $68,400 $60,264 Primary Industry of Focus Education N/A $46,107 Financial Institutions $96,500 $116,643 Government $92,000 $83,500 Health Care $95,000 N/A Insurance $120,000 N/A Law/Legal Services $90,000 N/A Management Consultants $95,538 N/A Manufacturing $116,400 $94,500 Non-Profit $92,405 N/A Public/Chartered Accounting $109,200 $75,000 Real Estate $128,242 N/A Services $108,476 $62,209 Years of Experience 0-2 years N/A $53,040 3-4 years $60,000 $45,500 5-9 years $72,000 $75,000 10-19 years $109,200 $107,500 20+ years $123,000 $106,000 ACCOUNTING 5
Figure 3: Compensation Ranges for Forensic Accountants Median Total Compensation CFE Non-CFE Level of Responsibility Executive $140,000 N/A Partner/Principal $270,000 $200,000 Vice President $140,000 N/A Director $160,000 $166,500 Supervisor/Senior Consultant $91,500 $85,000 Manager $110,000 $103,950 Staff/Consultant/Analyst $85,575 $78,000 Primary Industry of Focus Financial Institutions $112,000 $75,000 Government $92,330 $89,000 Health Care $126,375 N/A Insurance $119,500 $90,000 Law Enforcement $95,762 $85,000 Law/Legal Services $128,000 $182,000 Management Consultants $131,086 $95,000 Manufacturing $142,500 N/A Public/Chartered Accounting $127,500 $74,721 Services $113,987 $96,889 Years of Experience 0-2 years N/A $53,040 3-4 years $60,000 $45,500 5-9 years $72,000 $75,000 10-19 years $109,200 $107,500 20+ years $123,000 $106,000 6 ACFE.com/CompGuide
Figure 4: Compensation Ranges for Controllers Median Total Compensation CFE Non-CFE Level of Responsibility Executive $126,379 N/A Vice President $120,000 N/A Director $112,486 $93,500 Supervisor/Senior Consultant $76,500 $85,000 Manager $89,040 $90,594 Staff/Consultant/Analyst $73,529 N/A Primary Industry of Focus Education $100,000 N/A Financial Institutions $80,931 $89,000 Government $90,000 $82,500 Health Care $90,000 N/A Manufacturing $97,462 $94,000 Non-Profit $89,040 $55,000 Services $94,000 $92,500 Years of Experience 5-9 years $84,000 N/A 10-19 years $93,200 $82,500 20+ years $114,000 $96,102 ACCOUNTING 7
Figure 5: Compensation Ranges for Management Accountants Median Total Compensation CFE Non-CFE Level of Responsibility Supervisor/Senior Consultant $70,710 $52,229 Manager $80,000 $60,000 Staff/Consultant/Analyst $72,800 $51,979 Primary Industry of Focus Education $75,000 N/A Financial Institutions $100,000 N/A Government $80,496 $70,262 Health Care $80,000 N/A Manufacturing $61,755 N/A Non-Profit $75,000 $60,000 Years of Experience 5-9 years $70,710 $50,600 10-19 years $78,523 $60,000 20+ years $89,301 $77,000 8 ACFE.com/CompGuide
Figure 6: Compensation Ranges for Other Accounting/Finance Median Total Compensation CFE Non-CFE Level of Responsibility Executive $143,000 N/A Partner/Principal $178,000 N/A Vice President N/A $160,000 Director $138,307 $89,000 Supervisor/Senior Consultant $72,500 $60,000 Manager $91,963 $55,000 Staff/Consultant/Analyst $64,840 $50,000 Primary Industry of Focus Education $77,000 $50,500 Financial Institutions $64,000 $53,032 Government $85,000 $51,750 Health Care $70,000 N/A Insurance $85,000 N/A Management Consultants $80,800 N/A Manufacturing $70,000 $53,000 Non-Profit $70,000 $68,299 Public/Chartered Accounting $60,500 $43,000 Services $60,264 $60,000 Years of Experience 0-2 years N/A $50,000 3-4 years $56,000 N/A 5-9 years $69,497 $46,078 10-19 years $82,400 $50,000 20+ years $88,387 $78,625 ACCOUNTING 9
Figure 7: Compensation Ranges for Accounting Job Functions $200,000 $175,000 $150,000 $125,000 $100,000 $75,000 $50,000 $150,000 $155,000 75 th 75 th $142,304 $143,000 75 th 75 th $120,000 $113,072 $102,000 50 th 50 th 75 th $105,000 75 th $90,634 $97,000 $90,594 $80,000 50th 50th 25 $75,000 $72,000 th 50 $71,600 25 th $65,840 $84,370 50 th 25 th $52,000 25 th 25 th 25 th $114,000 75 th $96,660 $90,200 75 th 75 $78,523 $80,000 $81,744 th 75 th th 50 50th $60,000 25 th $56,000 $55,000 $64,427 50 th 25 th 50 th $41,752 $38,724 25 th 25 th $25,000 $0 CPA/CA or Equivalent Forensic Accountant Controller Management Accountant Other Accounting /Finance Compensation ranges reflect 25th, 50th (median) and 75th percentile. CFE Non-CFE 10 ACFE.com/CompGuide
I look back on my childhood and realize that I showed the signs that I should be a CFE and CPA, but just didn t know it at the time. My mother likes to joke about how I apparently always walked around with a clipboard. People think I am crazy for saying this, but I am very lucky to have found my true calling. Public perception is that we are boring, stuffy accountants but that is the furthest from the truth. I have never been bored in my career and cannot ever see myself being bored. Danielle Supkis Cheek, CFE, CPA, CVA Founder, D. Supkis Cheek, PLLC ACCOUNTING 11
Respondent Geographic Profile Twenty-nine percent of the overall respondents indicated their primary location was outside the U.S., the highest in the history of the survey. The table below illustrates the total cash compensation by geographic region for all respondents, classified by CFEs and non-cfes. Figure 8: Overall Geographic Representation: By Region By Geographic Region Africa/Middle East CFE 25th percentile Median 75th percentile Non-CFE 25th percentile Median 75th percentile CFE Premium Based on median $24,089 $48,775 $90,686 $17,000 $34,135 $67,945 42.9% Asia $22,500 $61,512 $114,149 $16,437 $34,245 $70,286 79.6% Australia and New Zealand $67,373 $91,759 $136,083 $70,763 $87,498 $121,775 4.9% Canada $67,496 $81,156 $100,440 $57,452 $72,317 $100,440 12.2% Europe $62,645 $100,912 $148,000 $47,596 $80,113 $124,246 26.0% Latin America $45,922 $83,145 $125,257 $32,352 $47,060 $92,000 76.7% Other Countries Not Listed $45,620 $65,000 $90,600 $22,575 $42,000 $52,000 54.8% United States $72,000 $96,000 $131,000 $60,000 $82,142 $117,500 16.9% 12 ACFE.com/CompGuide
Figure 9: CFE Premium By Region Canada Asia 12.2% Europe United States 16.9% 26.0% 79.6% 76.7% 42.9% Africa/Middle East Australia and New Zealand 4.9% Latin America 54.8% Other Countries Not Listed ACCOUNTING 13
Survey Methodology In order to ensure the confidentiality of the data, the ACFE contracted an objective, third-party research company, Western Management Group, to collect and compile the results. An email with a link to an online questionnaire was sent to approximately 62,000 ACFE members in early February 2015. A total of 10,436 completed and useable responses were received by the end of February in time for processing, representing a 17% response rate. Based on 10,436 presumably random responses and 62,000 for the total population, this study has a +/- 0.87% margin of error (MOE) at a 95% level of confidence. In other words, we can be 95% certain that for a question with 10,436 responses, the survey s figure would be within +/- 0.87% percentage points of the actual universe s response. A margin of error of +/- 5% is typically accepted as the standard in association research, so this study s +/- 0.87% figure indicates a stronger than typical level of statistical integrity. Visit ACFE.com/ CompGuide to access the salary calculator and create your individual report. All data were checked both manually and by a specially designed computer editing procedure. Strict confidence of survey responses was maintained throughout the course of the project. 14 ACFE.com/CompGuide
About the ACFE The ACFE is the world s largest anti-fraud organization and the premier provider of anti-fraud training and education. Together with more than 75,000 members, the ACFE is reducing the incidence of fraud and white-collar crime worldwide and inspiring public confidence in the integrity and objectivity within the profession. Members of the ACFE include CPAs, auditors, lawyers, investigators, law enforcement officers, security professionals, executives, managers and anyone whose job involves preventing, detecting or deterring fraud. Certified Fraud Examiners (CFEs) The ACFE established and administers the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential. Globally preferred by employers, the CFE credential denotes proven expertise in fraud prevention, detection, deterrence and investigation. CERTIFIED FRAUD EXAMINER For more information about the ACFE and Certified Fraud Examiners, visit ACFE.com. ACCOUNTING 15
ACCOUNTING GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS THE GREGOR BUILDING 716 West Avenue Austin, TX 78701-2727 USA Phone: (800) 245-3321 / +1 (512) 478-9000 info@acfe.com ACFE.com Share this guide: 2015 Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Inc. ACFE, CFE, Certified Fraud Examiner, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the ACFE Seal, the ACFE Logo and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Inc., and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world.