Risk & Compliance Manager Salary UK (2026)
A Risk & Compliance Manager in a UK law firm typically earns £60,000 – £105,000, rising to £75,000 – £120,000 in London and US firms.
Drawn from our placement records and annual salary survey of UK legal risk and compliance professionals.
What the role pays
Figures are base salary, excluding bonus and benefits. Ranges reflect UK law firms; in-house and financial services sit outside this dataset.
| Level | Typical base salary |
|---|---|
| Entry / early career | £60,000 – £75,750 |
| Experienced | £75,750 – £93,750 |
| Senior / lead | £93,750 – £105,000 |
| London & US firms | £75,000 – £120,000 |
What moves the number
Three things account for most of the spread within the band.
Breadth of the compliance remit
Managers covering AML, conflicts and regulatory compliance together earn more than single-discipline managers. The role is converging, and pay follows breadth.
Named-role responsibility
Holding or deputising for MLCO or COLP duties moves a manager up the band — firms pay for the personal regulatory exposure those roles carry.
Firm tier and PQE
London and US-firm roles top the range, and legally qualified managers carry a premium at every tier.
The data behind the band
From 145 responses to our salary questionnaire alongside placement records, last reviewed August 2026.
How Risk & Compliance Manager compares across the function
Base salary range by role, UK law firms. This role highlighted; every other bar links to its own guide.
What experience is worth
Median base salary by years in the function. Measured across all legal risk and compliance roles, not this one alone — per-role samples at this granularity are too small to publish.
Beyond base salary
What the wider package typically includes, across all survey respondents.
Salary guides for every role we place
Common questions
What does a Risk & Compliance Manager earn in the UK?
A Risk & Compliance Manager in a UK law firm typically earns £60,000 to £105,000. Drawn from our placement records and annual salary survey of UK legal risk and compliance professionals.
Do Risk & Compliance Manager roles pay more in London?
Yes. London and US-firm roles sit at the top of the range, typically £75,000 to £120,000, against £60,000 to £105,000 nationally.
How do I move into a Risk & Compliance Manager role?
We map the route in our Risk & Compliance Manager career pathway, covering the skills firms screen for, typical entry points and where the role leads next.
Next steps
The Risk & Compliance Manager career pathway
Skills firms screen for, typical entry points, and where the role leads next.
View the pathway →Live Risk & Compliance Manager roles
Current vacancies across UK and international law firms.
Browse jobs →Benchmark your own salary
Check any role by level and location in about thirty seconds.
Open the calculator →The full salary guide
Role-by-role benchmarks across the whole legal risk and compliance function.
Download the guide →