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Average Chief Financial Officer Salary in Bulgaria for 2026

A chief financial officer in Bulgaria earns about 81,180 BGN a year. That's 110% 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 42,040 BGN a year, while the very top stretches to 129,000 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 a chief financial officer make in Bulgaria?

Average salary
81,180 BGN
6,765 BGN per month
Lowest reported
42,040 BGN
3,503 BGN per month
Highest reported
129,000 BGN
10,750 BGN per month

A typical chief financial officer working in Bulgaria brings home around 6,765 BGN a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 42,040 BGN, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 129,000 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 chief financial officer 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 chief financial officer 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 chief financial officers in Bulgaria earn less than 85,940 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 54,560 BGN (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 106,820 BGN (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of chief financial officers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 42,040 BGN. The highest stretch to 129,000 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.

42,040
Low
85,940
Median
129,000
High
54,560
25th
106,820
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in BGN

Chief financial officer pay by experience in Bulgaria

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a chief financial officer 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 chief financial officer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    47,400 BGN
  • 2-5 Years
    +34% from previous
    63,380 BGN
  • 5-10 Years
    +34% from previous
    84,800 BGN
  • 10-15 Years
    +22% from previous
    103,580 BGN
  • 15-20 Years
    +11% from previous
    114,940 BGN
  • 20+ Years
    +4% from previous
    119,700 BGN

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 34%. That is the point at which a chief financial officer 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.


Chief financial officer pay by education in Bulgaria

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving chief financial officer 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 chief financial officer salary in Bulgaria broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    61,400 BGN
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +9% from previous
    66,960 BGN
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +39% from previous
    93,340 BGN
  • Master's Degree
    +24% from previous
    115,620 BGN

Chief financial officer gender pay gap in Bulgaria

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Bulgaria is no exception. Male chief financial officers in Bulgaria earn an average of 83,640 BGN a year, while female chief financial officers earn around 79,000 BGN. That works out to a 6% 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.

Chief Financial Officer gender pay gap

6%

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

Men 83,640 BGN
Women 79,000 BGN

Pay raises for a chief financial officer 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 13% every 20 months, which works out to roughly 8% 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

Chief financial officer 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.

81%

81% of chief financial officers in Bulgaria reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a chief financial officer 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 19% of chief financial officers 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

Chief financial officer: 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

Chief financial officer salary by city in Bulgaria

Chief financial officer 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
  • Burgas
  • Varna
  • Rousse
  • Stara Zagora
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
SofiaCity88,240 BGN88,240 BGN43,080-136,200 BGN
PlovdivCity87,640 BGN89,340 BGN45,060-138,200 BGN
BurgasCity84,780 BGN89,800 BGN40,420-130,400 BGN
VarnaCity82,160 BGN84,800 BGN40,560-129,000 BGN
RousseCity79,600 BGN83,060 BGN34,380-125,100 BGN
Stara ZagoraCity78,480 BGN73,820 BGN43,220-117,600 BGN


Chief Financial Officer in Bulgaria: FAQs

  • How much does a chief financial officer make per month in Bulgaria?

    A chief financial officer in Bulgaria earns about 6,765 BGN a month before tax, based on an annual average of 81,180 BGN.

  • What's the salary range for a chief financial officer in Bulgaria?

    Entry-level chief financial officers in Bulgaria start near 42,040 BGN. Top-end pay reaches around 129,000 BGN. The middle 50% of earners sit between 54,560 and 106,820 BGN.

  • Is the median chief financial officer salary in Bulgaria higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 85,940 BGN, higher than the average of 81,180 BGN. Half of chief financial officers in Bulgaria earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for chief financial officers in Bulgaria?

    Men working as a chief financial officer in Bulgaria earn around 6% more than women on average (83,640 vs 79,000 BGN a year).

  • Do chief financial officers in Bulgaria get bonuses?

    About 81% of chief financial officers in Bulgaria reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary.

  • Do chief financial officers earn more in the public or private sector in Bulgaria?

    In Bulgaria, the public sector pays a chief financial officer about 2% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do chief financial officers in Bulgaria get a pay raise?

    A chief financial officer in Bulgaria sees a raise of around 13% every 20 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.