Danmarks Statistik has no pay data for the title key account manager, but the occupations KAMs fall under had a median of about DKK 54,800-73,700 a month in 2025, including pension and bonus. In technical sales (DISCO 2433), where many B2B KAMs belong, the median was about DKK 71,800 and the average DKK 75,439.
Where an account executive hunts new customers, a key account manager keeps and grows the largest ones. That shapes both the pay level and how the bonus is built. This guide covers the numbers, which occupation fits your KAM, and what a typical bonus on retention, growth, NRR and margin looks like in kroner.
How we did this: Pay data comes from Danmarks Statistik, table LONS20, for 2025 (all sectors, men and women). Key account manager and account manager are job titles, not occupations in the statistics, so we show the three occupations the role usually falls under. There are no published Danish figures for KAM bonuses, so the bonus structure is described as a model and the worked example is illustrative. Sources are listed at the end.
What does a key account manager earn in Denmark?
Danmarks Statistik reports pay by occupation (DISCO-08, the Danish version of ISCO-08), not by job title. The employer reports the occupation, and for KAMs it mostly depends on what they sell. The figures are standardized monthly earnings for 2025: base pay, pension, benefits and irregular payments such as bonuses, but not overtime.
| Measure (2025) | Technical and medical sales (2433) | ICT sales (2434) | Sales representatives (3322) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | about DKK 57,200 | about DKK 54,400 | about DKK 43,700 |
| Median | about DKK 71,800 | about DKK 73,700 | about DKK 54,800 |
| Average | DKK 75,439 | DKK 79,337 | DKK 58,892 |
| Upper quartile | about DKK 89,300 | about DKK 98,800 | about DKK 70,300 |
| Average per year (x 12) | DKK 905,268 | DKK 952,044 | DKK 706,704 |
| Full-time employees covered | about 5,400 | about 4,100 | about 30,000 |
The median and quartiles are converted from Danmarks Statistik's hourly figures using the agency's own factor (160.33 hours a month) and rounded to the nearest DKK 100. For comparison, all employees in Denmark averaged DKK 52,846 a month in 2025.
Which occupation fits your KAM?
- Technical and medical sales (2433): KAMs selling technical products, industrial goods, equipment or medical devices to businesses and hospitals. This is the most common group for B2B KAMs outside IT.
- ICT sales (2434): KAMs and account managers in software, SaaS, IT services and telecoms.
- Commercial sales representatives (3322): KAMs selling goods or services that don't require technical knowledge, for example to retail chains or other businesses. The group is broad and also includes many sales consultants.
If your KAM manages a team of account managers, the role may also be reported as sales and marketing management (DISCO 1221). That group averaged DKK 91,244 a month in 2025. See our guide to sales manager salary and bonus.
So there is no single correct code for a KAM. Use the group that matches what your KAM sells, and read the figures as a range.
Account manager vs key account manager: same figures
A key account manager usually has a few large, strategically important customers. An account manager usually has more and smaller ones. The difference is real day to day, but the statistics can't see it: both titles sit in the same occupations. The answer to "what does an account manager earn" is the same range as above. Seniority and the size of the book decide where in the range a person lands.
What the numbers don't show
- No figures for the title. The statistics don't separate KAMs from account managers, account executives or sales consultants.
- Actual pay, not target pay. The figures show what was paid, including whatever bonus was actually earned that year.
- Pension is included. Contract salaries in Denmark are usually quoted without pension, so they look lower than the statistics.
- Nothing on seniority or book size. Danmarks Statistik doesn't break these occupations down by experience, so we don't show such figures.
- The smallest companies are left out. The statistics cover the public sector and private companies with at least 10 full-time employees.
How KAM pay is structured
A KAM usually has a larger fixed share than a rep who hunts new business. Much of the revenue in a large account comes back year after year, and it takes time to move it. The variable part is therefore often a bonus on targets for the whole book rather than commission on every order.
There is no published Danish survey of KAM pay mix. The Alexander Group found in 2022 that pay mix for account managers varied by 5% or less across 12 major economies, so differences between countries are smaller than many assume. Indicative ranges for account managers by type are in commission rates by role.
A typical KAM bonus and commission structure
Most KAM plans combine two to four of these components:
| Component | What it measures | Typical design |
|---|---|---|
| Retention | How much of the customers' revenue or ARR is left after cancellations and downgrades (GRR) | Bonus in tiers by retention rate, or renewal commission on renewed contracts |
| Growth | Upsell, cross-sell and new departments at existing customers | Commission as a percentage of new revenue or new ARR |
| NRR | Net change in the whole book, including losses and upsell | Bonus at an NRR target, for example 105% |
| Margin | Gross margin or discount level on the customer's contracts | Bonus if the margin target is met, or commission on gross margin |
| Strategic goals | For example a longer contract, a new business unit at the customer or an account plan | Smaller fixed amount (MBO) |
NRR is (revenue at the start of the period minus losses and downgrades plus upsell) divided by revenue at the start of the period. Above 100% means the book grows even after lost customers are subtracted.
Three design choices that matter most
- Gross or net growth. If you pay commission on all upsell, a KAM can earn well on growth in a year when a large customer leaves. Paying on net growth, or adding an NRR condition, ties growth and retention together.
- Revenue or margin. KAMs often negotiate price and discounts with the largest customers. With pure revenue commission, a discount costs the company but not the KAM. A margin component or gross margin commission fixes that.
- Period. Renewals often cluster at certain times of year. An annual target with quarterly advance payments smooths pay, but needs a clear true-up rule at year end.
Worked example: a KAM with ten key accounts
Example (illustrative, not a benchmark): a KAM has ten customers with total ARR of DKK 10 million at the start of the year. OTE is DKK 750,000 a year with an 80/20 pay mix.
| Item | Rule | Amount at 100% |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | Fixed | DKK 600,000 (DKK 50,000 a month) |
| Retention (40%) | GRR below 85%: DKK 0. 85-91.9%: DKK 30,000. 92-95.9%: DKK 60,000. 96% or more: DKK 75,000. | DKK 60,000 |
| Growth (40%) | 6% of upsell ARR. Target: DKK 1 million. | DKK 60,000 |
| Margin (20%) | Gross margin of 35% or more: DKK 30,000. 33-34.9%: DKK 15,000. Below 33%: DKK 0. | DKK 30,000 |
| OTE | DKK 750,000 (DKK 62,500 a month) |
| Outcome | A: Good year | B: A large customer leaves |
|---|---|---|
| Losses and downgrades | DKK 500,000 | DKK 1,400,000 |
| GRR | 95.0% | 86.0% |
| Upsell | DKK 1,300,000 | DKK 1,200,000 |
| NRR | 108.0% | 98.0% |
| Gross margin | 36% | 34% |
| Retention bonus | DKK 60,000 | DKK 30,000 |
| Growth commission (6%) | DKK 78,000 | DKK 72,000 |
| Margin bonus | DKK 30,000 | DKK 15,000 |
| Total variable pay | DKK 168,000 | DKK 117,000 |
| Total annual pay | DKK 768,000 | DKK 717,000 |
| Per month | DKK 64,000 | DKK 59,750 |
In year A, NRR is (10,000,000 - 500,000 + 1,300,000) / 10,000,000 = 108%. In year B, it is (10,000,000 - 1,400,000 + 1,200,000) / 10,000,000 = 98%, so the book shrank. Even so, the KAM earns DKK 72,000 on growth in year B, because growth is paid gross.
If you pay growth commission on net growth instead (upsell minus losses), net growth in year B is minus DKK 200,000 and the growth component is DKK 0. Variable pay drops to DKK 45,000 and annual pay to DKK 645,000. Which model is right depends on whether the KAM can actually influence the losses in the book.
The amounts exclude pension. The example sits below the median for technical sales (about DKK 71,800 a month including pension), but it is a calculation example, not a pay level.
What affects KAM pay?
- What is sold: The median was about DKK 73,700 in ICT sales and about DKK 71,800 in technical sales, but about DKK 54,800 for commercial sales representatives.
- The book: The larger and more complex the customer base, the higher pay tends to be.
- Line management: A KAM who manages others may be reported as a sales manager (DISCO 1221), with a higher pay level.
- Bonus rules: Gross or net growth, margin conditions and retention tiers can move variable pay by tens of thousands of kroner on the same book, as the example shows.
How Prowi helps
Prowi calculates KAM bonuses live from CRM and finance data, such as HubSpot, Salesforce or e-conomic, with retention, upsell, NRR and margin set up as rules in the plan. KAMs follow their earnings per component in the app, and you send one approved file to payroll. Book a demo to see it on your own plan.
FAQ
What is the average key account manager salary in Denmark?
There are no official figures for the title. The occupations KAMs fall under had a median of about DKK 54,800-73,700 a month in 2025, including pension and bonus. In technical sales (DISCO 2433), the average was DKK 75,439 and the median about DKK 71,800 (Danmarks Statistik).
What does an account manager earn in Denmark?
Account managers sit in the same occupations as key account managers, so the figures are the same: for example a median of about DKK 73,700 in ICT sales and about DKK 54,800 for commercial sales representatives in 2025. Account managers with a smaller book usually sit lower in the range than KAMs.
Do account managers get commission?
Often, but rarely commission alone. Most account manager and KAM plans combine a high base salary with a bonus on retention and commission on upsell, sometimes with a margin condition. Pure commission on every order is less common, because much of the revenue comes back each year.
How is a KAM bonus on NRR calculated?
NRR is revenue at the start of the period minus losses and downgrades plus upsell, divided by starting revenue. The bonus is usually paid in tiers, for example part at 100% and the full bonus at 105%. With DKK 10 million at the start, DKK 500,000 in losses and DKK 1.3 million in upsell, NRR is 108%.
What is the difference between a key account manager and an account manager?
A key account manager looks after a few large, strategically important customers, while an account manager usually has more and smaller ones. KAM plans often tie more of the bonus to retention and margin. The pay statistics don't separate the two titles.
Sources
- Danmarks Statistik, StatBank table LONS20, standardized monthly earnings by occupation (DISCO 1221, 2433, 2434, 3322 and all employees), 2025. statistikbanken.dk/LONS20
- Danmarks Statistik, definition of standardized monthly earnings. dst.dk
- Alexander Group, Global Sales Compensation Practices: Four Myths and One Truth (2022). alexandergroup.com