Salary study: audit and expertise 2026

Update March 2026 - Financial firms and departments that recruit in audit, consulting and accounting have a simple problem: the grids inherited from 2024 or 2025 are no longer always enough to attract the right profiles. As of March 29, 2026, the most usable public sources remain those of Apec, supplemented by general data from Insee. We must therefore read the 2026 salaries as market ranges to be updated according to portfolio, technical expertise and region, and not as a single rate.

The audit/accounting family remains tense

The market combines:

• ▸shortage of confirmed profiles;
• ▸rise of digital tools;
• ▸increased expectations regarding customer advice;
• ▸competition between firms, companies and outsourced service providers.

Apec landmark

The accountant's Apec job profile indicates that 80% of the remuneration proposed in the offers is between €33,000 and €65,000, for an average of €48,000. This data must be read with caution: it aggregates different contexts and levels of experience.

To find out more, also consult our article on junior salaries in audit and expertise, our guide on senior and manager salaries and our file on accountant by sector of activity.

• ▸the technicality of the position;
• ▸the level of autonomy;
• ▸customer exposure;
• ▸sectoral specialization;
• ▸the location and level of competition;
• ▸the ability to produce advice.

Hayot Expertise Advice: to recruit correctly in 2026, do not only compare fixed salaries. Compare the complete package: teleworking, workload, portfolio, training, tools and management.

A healthy salary policy must be linked to your production, your customer portfolio and your supervisory capacity.

👉 Discover our social support and management

In 2026, the study of salaries in auditing, consulting and accounting must be read as a positioning tool, not as a fixed table. Public data shows a market still under tension, where remuneration depends as much on technical level as on autonomy and the value created.

📞 Do you want to review your salary scale or calibrate a recruitment offer? Our firm can help you build a positioning consistent with your margin, your businesses and the market. Make an appointment with an expert

(Official sources: Apec - executive salary study, Apec - chartered accountant, Apec - external auditor, Insee - salary statistics)