AFP Survey Reveals Financial Professionals Saw 3.7% Base Salary Increase in 2025

New survey highlights compensation trends, resource challenges and AI ambivalence

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) released the 2026 AFP Compensation and Benefits Survey Report, providing a comprehensive analysis of salary and benefits benchmarks and operational trends for financial professionals in the U.S.

Key takeaways

• Modest salary growth trends: Average base salaries for financial professionals increased by 3.7% in 2025, representing a slight decline from the 3.9% gain observed in 2024.
• Common use of cash bonuses: In 2025, 66% of organizations awarded bonus incentives to their employees, with the most common incentive being cash bonuses (88%), followed by stock-based incentives (36%).
• Resource limitations: The most frequently cited challenge (41%) for financial professionals is limited resources, which include financial, personnel and managerial constraints.

Why it matters
Amid slowing economic growth in the second half of 2025, wage gains softened. However, the continued use of bonus incentives suggests that organizations are leaning on one-time payouts to bolster retention without increasing fixed payroll costs. But compensation is only one factor in retention. If organizations fail to address the resource limitations highlighted by their teams, they risk burnout and reduced effectiveness in the very functions necessary for organizational stability.

Ambivalence toward AI's impact on career opportunities
Nearly half (48%) of survey respondents were significantly uncertain or ambivalent about AI's potential to create treasury and finance career opportunities, citing, among other reasons:

• Anticipated reduction in new and entry-level roles as AI automates foundational tasks and reduces the need for human intervention in repetitive processes.
• Skepticism regarding AI's long-term value and its ability to truly enhance treasury and finance functions.
• Concerns about AI removing opportunities for employees to learn the fundamentals necessary for career advancement.

Key quote
"To retain treasury and finance talent, organizations must address resource constraints and concerns about AI's impact on career progression. By clarifying how AI can augment — rather than replace — human expertise, organizations can alleviate pressure caused by limited resources and help their teams feel empowered by their tools," said Mariam Lamech, Director of Survey Research at AFP.

Survey methodology
The 2026 AFP Compensation and Benefits Survey was conducted in February 2026 among 929 financial professionals who provided salary information for 3,601 incumbents. The survey collected data on total compensation earned during calendar year 2025, as well as base salaries in effect as of January 1, 2026. The financial professionals were from U.S. organizations of varying sizes and industries.

Download the survey report
Full survey findings are available in the 2026 AFP Compensation and Benefits Survey Report.

FAQs
What is the average salary increase for financial professionals?
The average base salary for financial professionals rose 3.7% in 2025.

What is the greatest challenge financial professionals face?
Limited resources — including financial, personnel and managerial constraints — were cited by 41% of financial professionals as their primary challenge.

About AFP^®
Headquartered outside of Washington, D.C., and located regionally in Singapore, the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) is the professional society committed to advancing the success of treasury and finance members and their organizations. Established and administered by AFP, the Certified Treasury Professional and Certified Corporate FP&A Professional credentials set standards of excellence in treasury and finance. Each year, AFP hosts the largest networking conference worldwide for about 7,000 corporate financial professionals.

Media contact
Joe Hodanich
Senior Director, Digital Strategy & Content
Association for Financial Professionals
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Association for Financial Professionals