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Compliance salaries rose 10–15% last year. Does that mean compliance staff were happy? No.

An experienced compliance officer, with around six years' experience, can now command an annual average salary of £64.6k according to this year's salary survey from compliance recruiters PSD Group.

The best paid compliance types are fixed income product specialists, who earn an average salary of £76.7k after six years' slogging away in the role. The worst paid are 'compliance managers' – generalists who with six years' experience can command £58.6k. Money laundering specialists aren't doing too badly for themselves: average salaries for around six years' in the business are around £74.5k.

But while salaries are rising, bonuses in compliance aren't likely to stretch to a private yacht any time soon. The average bonus in 2006 was somewhere in the region of 5% to 26%. Even heads of compliance only received bonuses averaging 33% to 50% of their basic salary last year, taking their total package to an average of between £175k and £210k.

Unsurprisingly perhaps – given last year's big payouts for the front office) – indications are that compliance staff aren't very happy with their lot. Only 23% are under the impression that their bonus is in line with the market, and 44% said there was dissatisfaction with bonuses in their department.

PSD's results are based on a survey of 2,500 compliance staff.

Average compliance salaries

Compliance assistant
One to three years: £34.1k
Three to five years: £45k

Compliance manager
Three to four years: £51k
Four to five years: £54.5k
Five to six years: £58.6k

Product specialist, fixed income
Three to four years: £77.9k
Five to seven years: £81k
Seven to nine years: £97k

Product specialist, equities
Three to four years: £65k
Five to seven years: £76.7k
Seven to nine years: £90k

Money laundering reporting officer
Five to seven years: £74.5k
Seven to nine years: £82k
Ten years plus: £103k

• Source: PSD Group