Financial Survey FAQ

When you’re done entering your data into the online survey, click Submit and your data will be submitted to our Survey Team. After submitting, you'll have access to a copy of your responses. We'll also send an email to confirm that we’ve received the submission.

If you've already received the survey link:
The personal link emailed to you by PSMJSurveys@psmj.com allows you to access the survey, save your progress, and return (via the link in your email) to complete it at your own pace.

If you don't have your survey link:
Go to our participation page, provide your contact info, and we’ll email you secure links to the surveys you select. You'll be able to access the surveys, save your progress, and return (via the links in your email from PSMJSurveys@psmj.com) to complete them at your own pace.

Yes, our online surveys are saved and submitted to our Survey Team when you’re finished entering data.

Yes! You'll have access to a pdf copy of your responses directly after submitting your data. And in a few months when the survey results are published, we’ll also send your firm’s Primary Survey Contact an Excel version of your results that you can use to plug your data into your free benchmarking tool.

Yes! Click the “Continue and Save” buttons as you move through each page, and your progress will be saved. If you need to close your browser before finishing and submitting the survey, you can use the survey link we email you to return to the spot where you left off.

Yes! If you need to close your browser before finishing and submitting the survey, you can use the survey link we email you to return to the spot where you left off. Click the “Continue and Save” buttons as you move through the survey, and your progress will be saved.

We hope you’ll love our online surveys, but if you prefer the Excel version, please contact us at PSMJSurveys@psmj.com.

If you’d like an Excel file for reference, or for pasting data into the online survey, please let us know and we’ll be happy to send you a copy.

Instructions and definitions are included in pop-up notes that can be seen by hovering your cursor over items marked with ⓘ.

Please read these notes to ensure consistency across participating firms.

You can print the instructions here if you prefer.

Yes, you can print a copy of the survey here.
When you’ve completed data entry and submitted your survey, you’ll also have the option to download a pdf of your completed survey with your firm’s responses.

Yes, you can print the instructions here.

These are included in the pop-up comments (marked as ⓘ) within the survey.

Yes, answers should reflect your firm's fiscal year-end 2025.

No, unaudited, internally-generated data is sufficient for the survey.

Some items may be requested in a different format from what you are used to. We ask that you re-cast your figures into our format so we have consistent data. For example, if dollars are asked for, do not use percent and vice versa. If you do not have exact figures, a close approximation or estimate is fine.

No, percentages should be entered as just the raw number – for example, 3% should be entered as 3 or 3.00, not 0.03.

Yes, for Questions 1 and 2, include part-time staff, seasonal help, and paid interns as full-time equivalents in the appropriate category of staff. To convert part-time staff, seasonal help, and paid interns to full-time people equivalents, use 2,080 hours (or 1,950 for Canadian firms working a 37.5 hour work week).

Full-time employees who work more than 2,080 hours should be counted as one employee in total staff count.

Please answer all appropriate questions. Many calculations throughout the survey are related to answers you've provided earlier in the survey, so it's essential that all fields from Questions 50-265 be complete -- intentionally skipping questions or entire sections may affect your eligibility for the Circle of Excellence.

Canadian firms should report all information in Canadian dollars. Some questions have different definitions for Canadian firms (or are not applicable for Canada). The Canadian equivalent terminology is contained in the pop-up notes for specific questions.

Do not report employee data for divisions of your firm that are not involved in providing professional services. If you have branches or subsidiaries, use consolidated figures. Exclude joint ventures except in the amount of revenue and expenses accruing to your firm from these efforts. If you are owned by a parent firm that owns several independent professional services firms, report only your results. If you are a partnership, treat partners as if they were employees of the firm.

There is NO COST to participate. In fact, participants receive a free Excel-based benchmarking tool with key metrics for participating. They also receive a 50% discount on the full results, if they choose to purchase.

Every firm is different, and it depends on how you have your data organized. For some firms it only takes a few hours or less, for others it could be a few days. The first year is more of a time investment as you organize your information to fit our data collection standards – but it’ll be well worth it! As a thank you for participating, we give you a free benchmarking tool with key metrics that’ll save you hours or even days on your benchmarking process. And you’ll receive 50% off the full results if you choose to purchase.

Yes! Our survey consultant partners have been completing A/E firms’ surveys for years and they’d be happy to set up a time to discuss details and rates. Please contact us and we’ll set up a consultation.

Participants receive a free Excel-based benchmarking model with key survey results and a 50% discount on the full results. Perks and production updates will be sent to the primary survey contact a few months after data collection.

View the table of contents, sample table, and screen shots of our products here: Samples, Tables of Contents, Excel-Based Benchmarking Model.

Participant pricing is $447 per report (vs. $897 per report).
This 50% participation savings is by far the best pricing we offer.
Please note: Participant pricing applies only to the specific survey title and year in which you participated and cannot be combined with any other offer or bundle. For example, 2026 Financial Performance Survey participants would receive participant pricing only for the 2026 Financial Performance Benchmark Report.

The Financial Survey Report is a 250+ page pdf that covers all data collected from the survey – it reports metrics in table form, by peer groups.

The Benchmarking Model is an Excel-based tool that presents survey results in a more interactive format, allowing you to pull up peer group data with the click of your mouse. It then compares your firm’s data on-screen to the peer groups you’ve selected. We have an abridged version that participants receive for free, and a full version that contains nearly all metrics from the survey results.

View the table of contents, sample table, and screen shots of our products here: Samples, Tables of Contents, Excel-Based Benchmarking Model.

After you submit your data, you’ll gain access to a pre-order page with the participant pricing ($447 vs. $897). We’ll also email reminders later in the season.

Participants receive a free version of the Excel-based Benchmarking Model with key metrics from the survey results.
You can also upgrade to the full version of the model with all metrics from the survey results for $447 (vs. $897) or purchase both the PDF Report & full Excel Model for $547 (vs. $1097).
After you submit your data, you’ll gain access to pre-order at the participant pricing. We’ll also email reminders later in the season.

The full pdf report ($447 for participants) will be available in June and your free Excel-based Benchmarking Model will be available about a week or two after.

PSMJ’s exclusive Circle of Excellence is designed to recognize firms that are successfully managed, based on 9 key performance metrics that demonstrate outstanding achievements in growth, efficiency, profitability, and more. The Circle of Excellence represents the top 20% of participants (on these 9 key metrics) in PSMJ’s annual A/E Financial Performance Benchmark Survey. Click here to learn more.

Participating in this Financial Performance Survey is the ONLY way to be considered for PSMJ's prestigious COE, the year's most successful firms based on 9 key survey metrics. By participating, your firm is automatically eligible for this award. There is no cost to enter. Click here to learn more.

There is NO COST to enter your firm for consideration in the COE.

COE firms will be notified and announced in June. PSMJ obtains permission from each COE firm before publishing any firm names in our press release or publicity materials.