Offers get weird in recruiting season. Someone on a forum quotes a number with no office, no sign-on, and no tax. Someone else "heard" MBA total comp. You need a band, not a rumour.
These are public-range anchors for 2026 recruiting, pulled together so you can smell a package. They move by office, currency, and year. Confirm with the recruiter. Do not use this page as a negotiation exhibit.
How to read an offer
Add these, then stop:
- Base salary
- Signing / relocation (one-time)
- Target performance bonus (not the max poster)
- Retirement match, if it is real
- Overtime / London weighting / city differential, if named
Ignore: "total rewards" slides, gym, fruit, and "exit opportunities".
Divide signing by three if you want a boring annualised view. Do not annualise a one-time cheque and call yourself richer than the person next to you.
US, first year, USD
Bands, not promises. Major offices (NYC, SF, Chicago, Boston, DC) sit toward the top. Smaller offices sit lower.
| Path | MBB | Strong tier-2 / boutiques | Big 4 strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undergrad / analyst | Base often ~$110k–$125k. All-in year 1 commonly $125k–$160k+ with signing and bonus | Base often ~$90k–$110k. All-in commonly $100k–$135k | Base often ~$85k–$105k. All-in commonly $90k–$125k |
| MBA / experienced hire | Base often ~$175k–$195k. All-in year 1 commonly $220k–$280k+ | Base often ~$160k–$180k. All-in commonly $175k–$230k | Base often ~$150k–$175k. All-in commonly $160k–$210k |
MBB in a cheap city is not the same cheque as MBB in Manhattan. Tax is not optional.
UK and EU, first year
Quoted in local currency because converting everything to USD is how people lie to themselves.
| Path | London MBB (indicative) | Other EU hubs (indicative) |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst / BA | Base often £50k–£70k plus bonus. Signing exists, smaller than US | Base often lower than London for the same firm. Bonus and tax differ a lot |
| MBA | Base often £90k–£110k plus bonus and a signing cheque | Wide spread. Ask for base, bonus target, and signing in writing |
A London package that looks "low" vs NYC can still be the right office. Cost of living is not a personality.
What "below MBB" usually means
Tier-2 and Big 4 strategy are not a failure path. They are often 15–40% below MBB all-in in the same city, with different hours, staffing, and visa stories. If the work is the work you want, do not pick a firm because a forum said $10k more.
Questions to send recruiting
- Base, target bonus, historical bonus payout for my class
- Signing, relocation, and whether signing is clawed back if I leave in year 1
- Overtime, London weighting, or city differential
- When the first bonus hits
- How promotions work in year 2, in one sentence, not a framework
If they will not put numbers in writing, you do not have an offer. You have a vibe.
Do not do this
- Compare your US all-in to a London base
- Treat a LinkedIn humblebrag as data
- Negotiate signing before you have the written offer
- Ask Ned to invent a number so you can feel ready
When the package is real, sanity-check it here, then go back to cases. Compensation is not the interview.