More than one in two chartered accountants in the Leinster region got a pay-rise in the last three years, a new survey shows, with the average salary for a recently qualified accountant now standing at just over €49,500. Benefits such as company cars however, continue to be curtailed.

The survey, conducted by the Chartered Accountants Leinster Society, finds that average salaries for chartered accountants are on the rise at both senior and entry levels of the profession.

The average total salary for a managing director jumped by 4 per cent in the past year and now stands at €176,200, while remuneration for more junior positions is also on the rise. Salaries in non-Big 4 practices are also increasing, with some now on a par with their Big 4 counterparts.

A third of accountants enjoyed salary increases of more than 10 per cent over the last three years, with respondents working in financial services reporting the highest salaries.

Some 16 per cent of respondents saw their salaries slide in the past three years, although this is down on the 26 per cent that did so in last year’s survey. A quarter of respondents said their salary has remained unchanged.

A total of 1,344 chartered accountants based in the Leinster area responded to the 2013 survey.