Big 4 · 126 UK mandates
Alternatives to Ernst & Young LLP
Ernst & Young LLP charges a median £25,658, +129% against the market in its revenue bands. 12 firms audit the same cities and sectors; 10 of them at a lower median fee.
Ernst & Young LLP's fee against the market, size for size
| Revenue band | Clients with a fee | Ernst & Young LLP median | Market median | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under £1m | 22 | £31,222 | £12,075 | +159% |
| £1–5m | 12 | £9,855 | £11,100 | -11% |
| £10–25m | 6 | £38,650 | £15,600 | +148% |
| £50–100m | 6 | £69,930 | £22,000 | +218% |
What the tier is worth
Median UK audit fee by auditor tier and revenue band
At £10–25m of revenue a Big 4 audit costs 2.4× a challenger firm's.
Firms that audit the same cities and sectors
Ranked by how many of Ernst & Young LLP's top cities and sectors they also work in. Median fee is across all their clients; open a firm for its fee by revenue band.
| Firm | Tier | Mandates | Median fee | vs Ernst & Young LLP | Fee change | Overlap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Thornton | Challenger firm | 73 | £17,028 | -34% | +5.3% | 6 |
| Johnston Carmichael LLP | Challenger firm | 322 | £17,850 | -30% | +5.1% | 6 |
| Consilium Audit Limited | Independent firm | 92 | £20,400 | -20% | +5.0% | 6 |
| Blick Rothenberg Audit LLP | Challenger firm | 224 | £26,062 | +2% | +4.5% | 6 |
| CLA Evelyn Partners Limited | Challenger firm | 81 | £26,215 | +2% | — | 6 |
| Buzzacott Audit LLP | Challenger firm | 153 | £2,000 | -92% | 0.0% | 5 |
| UHY Hacker Young | Challenger firm | 368 | £14,150 | -45% | +5.2% | 5 |
| Shaw Gibbs (Audit) Limited | Independent firm | 167 | £15,000 | -42% | +6.3% | 5 |
| Azets Audit Services | Challenger firm | 1,529 | £17,378 | -32% | +6.1% | 5 |
| Nortons Assurance Limited | Independent firm | 37 | £17,800 | -31% | +7.7% | 5 |
| Grant Thornton UK LLP | Challenger firm | 102 | £17,819 | -31% | — | 5 |
| Anderson Anderson & Brown Audit LLP | Independent firm | 68 | £18,500 | -28% | +8.8% | 5 |
Questions people ask
Is Ernst & Young LLP more expensive than other auditors?
On the filed fees of its clients, Ernst & Young LLP's median is +129% against the market median in the revenue bands where it has five or more clients disclosing a fee. The comparison is by band, so it is size-adjusted.
Which firms audit the same kind of companies as Ernst & Young LLP?
Grant Thornton (73 mandates, median £17,028); Johnston Carmichael LLP (322 mandates, median £17,850); Consilium Audit Limited (92 mandates, median £20,400); Blick Rothenberg Audit LLP (224 mandates, median £26,062); CLA Evelyn Partners Limited (81 mandates, median £26,215).
How much do Ernst & Young LLP's fees rise each year?
Across 28 clients with two years of fees on file, the median change was +4.3%, and 25% saw a rise of more than 20%.
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Comparison of fees as filed by these firms' clients at Companies House. No affiliation with any firm named is implied, and no firm is recommended over another; the figures are theirs.