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Average Accounting Head Salary in Bulgaria for 2026

An accounting head in Bulgaria earns about 53,320 BGN a year. That's 38% above the national average of 38,700 BGN.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Bulgaria sit around 23,700 BGN a year, while the very top stretches to 86,420 BGN. Everything on this page is in Bulgarian lev (BGN, symbol лв), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Bulgaria, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.


How much does an accounting head make in Bulgaria?

Average salary
53,320 BGN
4,443 BGN per month
Lowest reported
23,700 BGN
1,975 BGN per month
Highest reported
86,420 BGN
7,201 BGN per month

A typical accounting head working in Bulgaria brings home around 4,443 BGN a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 23,700 BGN, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 86,420 BGN for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior accounting head working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.


How accounting head pay ranges in Bulgaria

A good way to think about salary in Bulgaria is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all accounting heads in Bulgaria earn less than 57,860 BGN a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 36,020 BGN (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 79,260 BGN (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of accounting heads sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 23,700 BGN. The highest stretch to 86,420 BGN, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

23,700
Low
57,860
Median
86,420
High
36,020
25th
79,260
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in BGN

Accounting head pay by experience in Bulgaria

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an accounting head in Bulgaria, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical accounting head salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    26,860 BGN
  • 2-5 Years
    +42% from previous
    38,060 BGN
  • 5-10 Years
    +51% from previous
    57,320 BGN
  • 10-15 Years
    +21% from previous
    69,580 BGN
  • 15-20 Years
    +9% from previous
    75,500 BGN
  • 20+ Years
    +7% from previous
    80,840 BGN

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 51%. That is the point at which a accounting head typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.


Accounting head pay by education in Bulgaria

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving accounting head pay in Bulgaria. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average accounting head salary in Bulgaria broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    34,360 BGN
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +20% from previous
    41,180 BGN
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +49% from previous
    61,180 BGN
  • Master's Degree
    +31% from previous
    80,180 BGN

Accounting head gender pay gap in Bulgaria

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Bulgaria is no exception. Male accounting heads in Bulgaria earn an average of 57,900 BGN a year, while female accounting heads earn around 53,860 BGN. That works out to a 8% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Accounting Head gender pay gap

7%

Men earn this much more than women on average in Bulgaria.

Men 57,900 BGN
Women 53,860 BGN

Pay raises for an accounting head in Bulgaria

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in Bulgaria sees a raise of about 11% every 20 months, which works out to roughly 7% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in Bulgaria, the national average raise is around 7% every 20 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in Bulgaria:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Accounting head bonus rates in Bulgaria

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

82%

82% of accounting heads in Bulgaria reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an accounting head a high-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary. The remaining 18% of accounting heads reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in Bulgaria

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Accounting head: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in Bulgaria is about 2% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

2%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Bulgaria on average.

Public sector 40,040 BGN
Private sector 39,160 BGN

Accounting head salary by city in Bulgaria

Accounting head pay is not even across Bulgaria. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Sofia
  • Plovdiv
  • Varna
  • Rousse
  • Burgas
  • Stara Zagora
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
SofiaCity62,060 BGN62,460 BGN32,020-96,600 BGN
PlovdivCity61,760 BGN68,900 BGN27,560-100,280 BGN
VarnaCity57,440 BGN58,440 BGN30,220-90,540 BGN
RousseCity56,460 BGN61,840 BGN27,300-93,120 BGN
BurgasCity55,940 BGN55,320 BGN26,780-86,760 BGN
Stara ZagoraCity53,380 BGN50,520 BGN27,620-81,880 BGN


Accounting Head in Bulgaria: FAQs

  • How much does an accounting head make per month in Bulgaria?

    An accounting head in Bulgaria earns about 4,443 BGN a month before tax, based on an annual average of 53,320 BGN.

  • What's the salary range for an accounting head in Bulgaria?

    Entry-level accounting heads in Bulgaria start near 23,700 BGN. Top-end pay reaches around 86,420 BGN. The middle 50% of earners sit between 36,020 and 79,260 BGN.

  • Is the median accounting head salary in Bulgaria higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 57,860 BGN, higher than the average of 53,320 BGN. Half of accounting heads in Bulgaria earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for accounting heads in Bulgaria?

    Men working as an accounting head in Bulgaria earn around 8% more than women on average (57,900 vs 53,860 BGN a year).

  • Do accounting heads in Bulgaria get bonuses?

    About 82% of accounting heads in Bulgaria reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary.

  • Do accounting heads earn more in the public or private sector in Bulgaria?

    In Bulgaria, the public sector pays an accounting head about 2% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do accounting heads in Bulgaria get a pay raise?

    An accounting head in Bulgaria sees a raise of around 11% every 20 months, equivalent to roughly 7% a year.