The top 30 accountancy firms for 2017 revealed
Research by CA magazine has revealed the top 30 UK and Scottish accountancy firms, and the top 10 global firms, in 2017.
The Big Four accountancy firms continue to dominate the UK and global markets, this year reporting particular growth in the 'digital transformation' sector, collectively controlling 21% of the £17.4bn business.
Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG and BDO are the top five global firms by revenue, while Grant Thornton, RSM, Crowe Horwath International, Baker Tilly International and Nexia round out the top 10.
Global Accountancy Top 10 in 2017
| FIRMS | REVENUE ($BN) |
|---|---|
| Deloitte | 38.8 |
| PwC | 37.7 |
| EY | 31.4 |
| KPMG | 25.4 |
| BDO | 7.6 |
| Grant Thornton | 4.8 |
| RSM | 4.64 |
| Crowe Horwath International | 3.7 |
| Baker Tilly International | 3.23 |
| Nexia | 3.2 |
Top 30 UK Accountancy Firms ranked by revenue
Despite dropping to second place globally, PwC has retained the top spot in this year's UK rankings after a record-breaking performance last year. The firm has refocused on technology solutions and will concentrate on attracting new talent in the coming months with plans to hire 1,200 graduates and 140 apprentices.
UK firms have been faced with the additional challenge of Brexit implications and planning for business in a divided Europe. Deloitte, which has seen revenue growth of over 60% in the UK, has announced the creation of Deloitte North West Europe to integrate British services into a wider European offering.
EY and KPMG are yet to report on 2016/17 earnings but can be expected to have continued on a similar trajectory to the other Big Four firms.
| FIRM NAME | PARTNERS / PARTNER EQUIVALENT | YEAR END | UK REVENUE (£M) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PwC | 926 | 30/06/17 | 3,598 |
| Deloitte | 1,115 | 31/05/17 | 3,380 |
| EY | 717 | 01/07/16 | 2,150 |
| KPMG | 595 | 30/09/16 | 2,068 |
| Grant Thornton UK | 185 | 30/06/16 | 533.8 |
| BDO | 259 | 30/06/17 | 456 |
| RSM | 341 | 31/03/17 | 319 |
| Smith & Williamson | 135 | 30/06/17 | 242 |
| Moore Stephens UK | 178 | 31/12/16 | 181.38 |
| Mazars | 134 | 31/08/17 | 160 |
| PKF | 198 | 31/05/17 | 150.18 |
| Saffery Champness | 73 | 31/03/17 | 78 |
| Haines Watts Group | 100 | 31/03/17 | 74.5 |
| Crowe Clark Whitehill | 73 | 31/03/17 | 67.2 |
| UHY Hacker Young | 110 | 30/04/17 | 58.2 |
| MHA MacIntyre Hudson | 42 | 31/03/17 | 56.1 |
| Begbies Traynor | 49 | 30/04/17 | 49.7 |
| Wilkins Kennedy | 74 | 30/04/17 | 47.7 |
| Kingston Smith | 62 | 30/04/17 | 46.12 |
| Menzies | 41 | 30/06/17 | 40.34 |
| FRP Advisory | 41 | 30/04/17 | 40.15 |
| TaxAssist Accountants | 206 | 31/12/16 | 37.26 |
| Buzzacott | 32 | 30/09/16 | 34.5 |
| Kreston Reeves | 52 | 31/05/17 | 33.11 |
| HW Fisher & Co | 31 | 30/04/17 | 29.6 |
| Price Bailey | 29 | 31/03/17 | 26.5 |
| Haysmacintyre | 32 | 31/03/17 | 26.1 |
| Hazlewoods | 29 | 31/04/17 | 23.66 |
| SJD Accountancy | 3 | 31/10/16 | 22.86 |
| Bishop Fleming | 29 | 28/05/17 | 22.32 |
Top 30 Accountancy Firms (Scotland) ranked by fee earners
In Scotland, KPMG has moved up to the top spot after falling behind the rest of the Big Four in terms of fee earners last year. EY has also risen to number two, while Deloitte has slipped to fourth place and Johnston Carmichael remains steady at number five.
Campbell Dallas, Scott-Moncrieff, Anderson Anderson & Brown, French Duncan and RSM also feature in the Scottish top 10 by fee earners.
| FIRM NAME | PARTNERS / PARTNER EQUIVALENT | FEE EARNERS | STAFF IN TOTAL | SCOTLAND REVENUE (£M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KPMG | 56 | 831 | 948 | n/d |
| EY | 35 | 771 | 914 | n/d |
| PwC | 27 | 723 | 769 | n/d |
| Deloitte | 35 | 671 | 699 | n/d |
| Johnston Carmichael | 57 | 501 | 620 | 43.6 |
| Campbell Dallas | 22 | 219 | 239 | 14 |
| Scott-Moncrieff | 19 | 210 | 230 | 13.49 |
| Anderson Anderson & Brown | 13 | 205 | 248 | 19.5 |
| French Duncan | 16 | 172 | 198 | 11 |
| RSM | 24 | 171 | 186 | n/d |
| Grant Thornton | 6 | 164 | 195 | n/d |
| BDO | 10 | 148 | 165 | 14 |
| Mazars | 9 | 130 | 142 | 10.3 |
| Henderson Loggie | 20 | 129 | 168 | 10.5 |
| Chiene & Tait | 10 | 117 | 130 | 6.5 |
| EQ Accountants | 15 | 101 | 107 | 6.8 |
| Wylie & Bisset | 11 | 97 | 115 | 6.9 |
| Saffery Champness | 10 | 80 | 78 | 6.5 |
| Condies | 8 | 71 | 75 | 6 |
| Ritsons | 7 | 67 | 63 | n/d |
| Milne Craig | 7 | 65 | 72 | 5.5 |
| Thomson Cooper | 9 | 61 | 63 | 4.6 |
| Geoghegans | 7 | 56 | 53 | 3.6 |
| Whitelaw Wells | 7 | 56 | 56 | 3.1 |
| Martin Aitken & Co | 8 | 52 | 63 | 4.6 |
| William Duncan & Co | 9 | 50 | 59 | 4.7 |
| Alexander Sloan | 9 | 44 | 37 | n/d |
| Hall Morrice | 5 | 42 | 46 | 3.4 |
| Hardie Caldwell | 5 | 38 | 40 | n/d |
| Springfords | 5 | 35 | 35 | 2-3 |
Find out more
This research was undertaken by CA magazine. Read the full report in the November 2017 issue of CA magazine.