COMPENSATION GUIDEF O R A N T I - F R A U D P R O F E S S I O N A L S

2015/2016 GLOBAL SALARY STUDY

LAW

EN

FOR

CE

ME

NT

/SP

EC

IAL A

GE

NT

2 | ACFE.com/CompGuide

Table of Contents

Letter from the President and CEO ............................................................................. 3

Law Enforcement/Special Agent ................................................................................ 4

Law Enforcement/Special Agent Median Total Compensation ���������������������������������������������� 4

Law Enforcement/Special Agent ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5

Compensation Ranges for Law Enforcement/Special Agent Job Functions �������������������������� 6

Respondent Geographic Profile .................................................................................. 8

Survey Methodology ................................................................................................. 10

About the ACFE ......................................................................................................... 11

LAW ENFORCEMENT/SPECIAL AGENT | 3

Letter from the President and CEOWe often say that there is much more to earning the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) cre-

dential than simply adding three new letters after your name� It’s what those letters mean

to you, your employers and your colleagues that make the accomplishment so profound�

So, what exactly do those letters, CFE, mean? They could mean hard work, expertise, drive,

commitment, knowledge, insight — the list could go on and on. And, as we have found in

our 2015/2016 Compensation Guide for Anti-Fraud Professionals, they also mean a 23 percent

salary premium�

It’s a unique opportunity for us to see the tangible and intangible benefits of earning the CFE

credential. Because satisfaction and career development are intangible items, we often don’t

have a specific way to measure the true impact earning the credential has on someone’s life,

both professionally and personally�

But with our new Compensation Guide, we can capture what it looks and feels like to not

only increase your salary, but your worth�

I hope you find the information in this Compensation Guide as interesting and enlightening as

I do� Most importantly, thank you to all who submitted data for this study — this guide would

not have been possible without you.

James D� Ratley, CFE

President and CEO, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners

4 | ACFE.com/CompGuide

Figure 1: Law Enforcement/Special Agent Median Total Compensation

Law Enforcement/Special AgentLaw Enforcement/Special Agent was the seventh highest-rated job function with respondents.

$0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000 $120,000

Non-CFE

CFE $104,666

$84,370

LAW ENFORCEMENT/SPECIAL AGENT | 5

Median Total Compensation

CFE Non-CFE

Level of Responsibility

Executive $162,000 $129,000

Director $121,000 N/A

Supervisor/Senior Consultant $104,666 $85,538

Manager $102,000 $67,946

Staff/Consultant/Analyst $81,000 $67,737

Primary Industry of Focus

Financial Institutions $104,000 N/A

Government $109,066 $83,566

Law Enforcement $105,000 $85,173

Years of Experience

5-9 years $69,000 $59,500

10-19 years $91,190 $65,500

20+ years $120,000 $102,134

Figure 2: Compensation Ranges for Law Enforcement/Special Agent

6 | ACFE.com/CompGuide

Figure 3: Compensation Ranges for Law Enforcement/Special Agent Job Functions

$0

$25,000

$50,000

$75,000

$100,000

$125,000

$150,000

$175,000

$200,000

Law Enforcement/Special Agent

$145,000$135,000

$84,370

$61,000

$104,666

$70,000

CFE Non-CFE

75th

75th

50th

50th

25th

25th

Compensation ranges reflect 25th, 50th (median) and 75th percentile.

LAW ENFORCEMENT/SPECIAL AGENT | 7

I worked with a CFE on my first job with the Washington State Department of

Revenue. As my mentor, he gave me the opportunity to work tax evasion cases

and introduced me to fraud investigations. He encouraged me to become a CFE

and find a career where I could investigate fraud full time. The credential grants me

instant recognition as a subject matter expert throughout the Department of the Navy

and the federal investigative community.”

Denise R. Harding, CFE, CPASpecial Agent, Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), Washington Navy Yard

“

8 | ACFE.com/CompGuide

Respondent Geographic ProfileTwenty-nine percent of the overall respondents indicated their primary location was outside

the U.S., the highest in the history of the survey.

The table below illustrates the total cash compensation by geographic region for all respon-

dents, classified by CFEs and non-CFEs.

Figure 4: Overall Geographic Representation: By Region

By Geographic Region

CFE Non-CFECFE Premium

25th percentile

Median75th percentile

25th percentile

Median75th percentile

Based on median

Africa/Middle East

$24,089 $48,775 $90,686 $17,000 $34,135 $67,945 42.9%

Asia $22,500 $61,512 $114,149 $16,437 $34,245 $70,286 79.6%

Australia and New Zealand

$67,373 $91,759 $136,083 $70,763 $87,498 $121,775 4.9%

Canada $67,496 $81,156 $100,440 $57,452 $72,317 $100,440 12.2%

Europe $62,645 $100,912 $148,000 $47,596 $80,113 $124,246 26.0%

Latin America $45,922 $83,145 $125,257 $32,352 $47,060 $92,000 76.7%

Other Countries Not Listed

$45,620 $65,000 $90,600 $22,575 $42,000 $52,000 54.8%

United States $72,000 $96,000 $131,000 $60,000 $82,142 $117,500 16.9%

LAW ENFORCEMENT/SPECIAL AGENT | 9

Figure 5: CFE Premium By Region

4.9%

42.9%

54.8%

79.6%

76.7%

16.9%

12.2%

26.0%

Africa/Middle East

Other Countries Not Listed

Europe

Latin America

United States

Canada Asia

Australia and New Zealand

10 | ACFE.com/CompGuide

Survey MethodologyIn order to ensure the confidentiality of the data, the

ACFE contracted an objective, third-party research

company, Western Management Group, to collect and

compile the results� An email with a link to an online

questionnaire was sent to approximately 62,000 ACFE

members in early February 2015� A total of 10,436 com-

pleted and useable responses were received by the end

of February in time for processing, representing a 17%

response rate� Based on 10,436 presumably random

responses and 62,000 for the total population, this study

has a +/- 0.87% margin of error (MOE) at a 95% level

of confidence. In other words, we can be 95% certain

that for a question with 10,436 responses, the survey’s

figure would be within +/- 0.87% percentage points of

the actual universe’s response. A margin of error of +/-

5% is typically accepted as the “standard” in association

research, so this study’s +/- 0.87% figure indicates a

stronger than typical level of statistical integrity.

All data were checked both manually and by a specially

designed computer editing procedure. Strict confidence

of survey responses was maintained throughout the

course of the project.

Visit ACFE.com/CompGuide to access the salary

calculator and create

your individual report.

LAW ENFORCEMENT/SPECIAL AGENT | 11

About the ACFE The ACFE is the world’s largest anti-fraud organization and the premier provider of anti-fraud

training and education� Together with more than 75,000 members, the ACFE is reducing the

incidence of fraud and white-collar crime worldwide and inspiring public confidence in the

integrity and objectivity within the profession.

Members of the ACFE include CPAs, auditors, lawyers, investigators, law enforcement offi-

cers, security professionals, executives, managers and anyone whose job involves prevent-

ing, detecting or deterring fraud�

Certified Fraud Examiners (CFEs) The ACFE established and administers the Certified Fraud Ex-

aminer (CFE) credential. Globally preferred by employers, the

CFE credential denotes proven expertise in fraud prevention,

detection, deterrence and investigation.

For more information about the ACFE and Certified Fraud Examiners, visit ACFE.com�

CERTIFIED FRAUDEXAMINER

© 2015 Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Inc. “ACFE,” “CFE,” “Cer-tified Fraud Examiner,” “Association of Certified Fraud Examiners,” the ACFE Seal, the ACFE Logo and related trademarks, names and logos are the prop-erty of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Inc., and are registered and/or used in the U�S� and countries around the world�

GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS • THE GREGOR BUILDING716 West Avenue • Austin, TX 78701-2727 • USAPhone: (800) 245-3321 / +1 (512) 478-9000info@ACFE.com • ACFE.com

Share this guide:

LAW

EN

FOR

CE

ME

NT

/SP

EC

IAL A

GE

NT