CFO Salary UK: What Chief Financial Officers Earn in 2026

A UK CFO's pay depends less on the title than on the company behind it, which means its size, who owns it and where it is based. According to the Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide, a chief financial officer in the United Kingdom earns between £132,500 and £220,500, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, with a median of £176,500. The spread is wide because the same title covers the finance lead of an owner-managed business and the CFO of a listed group, two very different jobs.

This guide sets out what CFOs earn in the UK and in London and how pay rises in listed and private equity-backed companies. It then looks at what moves a finance leader from one band to the next. Every figure is given with its source and year. The focus is UK pay, so for a comparison with other European cities see our guide to finance salaries across London, Paris, Milan and Madrid.

CFO Salary in the UK at a Glance

The table brings together the published benchmarks for UK and London CFO pay and for the equivalent finance director role in listed companies. Base salary and total earnings are different measures, so they are kept in separate columns and never combined.

Figures checked October 2026.

What Decides Where a CFO Sits in the Range

The width of the range in the table above is the real story. Four things move a CFO within it. The first is company size and complexity, because a larger business with more entities, more funding and more regulation asks more of its finance leader. The second is ownership, since an owner-managed company, a private equity-backed business and a listed group reward the role differently. The third is sector, and the Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide notes that CFOs in financial services sit slightly higher than the all-sector figures. The fourth is location, which is clear enough from the gap between the UK and London benchmarks below.

CFO Salary in London

London pay runs clearly above the national figures. The Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide places the London CFO median at £240,000, against a UK median of £176,500, with the London range running from £180,250 at the 25th percentile to £300,000 at the 75th. The premium reflects the concentration of larger, investor-backed and head-office roles in the capital.

A second source frames London pay by experience in the role. The Morgan McKinley 2026 Salary Guide gives an overall London range of £140,000 to £250,000, rising from £120,000 to £200,000 in the first three years, to £140,000 to £250,000 at three to five years and to £160,000 to £300,000 and above beyond five years. The two guides use different methods, so the figures are best read side by side, not merged into one number.

Beyond Base Salary: Bonus and Long-Term Incentives

In listed companies, base salary is only part of the package. The KPMG Guide to Directors' Remuneration (February 2026) reports a FTSE 100 median basic salary of £600,000 for the finance director, which is the CFO role on the board, alongside median total earnings of £2,144,000. In the FTSE 250 the same guide reports a median basic salary of £439,000 and median total earnings of £1,155,000.

The gap between basic salary and total earnings is the point. Most of a listed-company CFO's pay is variable, delivered through annual bonus and long-term share plans that depend on performance over several years. That design ties the CFO's reward to the value the company creates and to the decisions the role is accountable for, which we set out in our guide on what a CFO does. Base salary and total earnings are different measures, and they should never be compared as if they were the same thing.

CFO Pay in Private Equity-Backed Companies

Private equity-backed companies pay their CFOs differently again. Base salary and bonus matter, but the defining feature is equity, a stake that pays out when the investor sells the business. That ties a large part of the CFO's reward to the value created over the life of the investment, and it can make the total outcome very different from a salary benchmark, in either direction, depending on the exit. For how sponsor ownership shapes the role and its incentives, see our explainer on what private equity is.

CFO vs Finance Director vs Financial Controller Pay

Pay broadly follows seniority across the finance ladder. The financial controller, who protects the numbers, sits below the finance director, who leads the finance function, who in turn sits below the CFO where a company has all three. As an anchor, the Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide puts the UK CFO median at £176,500, with controller and finance director medians below that. The roles themselves, and where the titles overlap, are compared in our guide on how the CFO, finance director and financial controller roles differ.

What Moves a Finance Leader Into the Higher Bands

The better-paid CFO roles are the ones that carry the widest financial responsibility, which means capital allocation, funding, transactions and dialogue with investors and the board. Pay rises as the role moves from running the finance function to deciding where the company's capital goes and defending that judgement to the people who provide it. That is also why reaching the higher bands depends less on more reporting experience and more on depth in the finance disciplines behind those decisions, a theme we cover in our guide on how to become a CFO in the UK.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average CFO salary in the UK?

Published guides give a range, not a single average. The Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide puts the UK CFO median at £176,500, with the 25th to 75th percentile running from £132,500 to £220,500. Where a CFO sits in that range depends mainly on company size, ownership, sector and location.

How much does a CFO earn in London?

The Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide places the London CFO median at £240,000, with a range from £180,250 to £300,000 across the 25th to 75th percentiles. The Morgan McKinley 2026 Salary Guide gives an overall London range of £140,000 to £250,000, rising with experience in the role.

How much do FTSE 100 CFOs earn?

The KPMG Guide to Directors' Remuneration (February 2026) reports a FTSE 100 median basic salary of £600,000 for the finance director on the board, alongside median total earnings of £2,144,000. Most of the difference is variable pay through bonus and long-term share plans.

Do CFOs in private equity-backed companies earn more?

Not always in base salary, but the structure is different. A private equity-backed CFO usually holds equity that pays out on exit, so a large part of the reward depends on the value created over the life of the investment. The total outcome can be well above or below a salary benchmark, depending on the sale.

Is a CFO paid more than a finance director?

In a company that has both, yes, because the CFO is the more senior role and the finance director reports to it. Where the finance director is the most senior finance person, the pay reflects that top position and the two are effectively the same level.

References

• Robert Half, 2026 Salary Guide, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), United Kingdom. roberthalf.com. Accessed 4 October 2026.
• Robert Half, 2026 Salary Guide, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), London. roberthalf.com. Accessed 4 October 2026.
• Morgan McKinley, 2026 Salary Guide, Chief Financial Officer, London. morganmckinley.com. Accessed October 2026.
• KPMG, Guide to Directors' Remuneration, February 2026, summary findings. kpmg.com. Accessed October 2026.