United Kingdom · Security test engineer · Senior (5+ years)
Senior security test engineer in the United Kingdom: GBP 95,473 a year,
Total employer cost as of , dataset v1.0.
Hiring a senior security test engineer as an employee in the United Kingdom costs a median of GBP 95,473 a year (USD 126,068), with scenarios from GBP 88,146 to GBP 113,357.
Base salary is GBP 75,369; employer contributions (social security and payroll taxes the employer pays on top of salary), equipment, recruiting and ramp add 27%.
Breakdown
Each row applies formula v1.0 to sourced inputs. The p25 and p75 columns apply the formula to the low and high ends of each input; they are scenarios, not percentiles of the total. Footnote numbers point to the sources below. USD figures use 0.7573 GBP per USD on 7 October 2026[26].
| Component | p25 | Median | p75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary[1][2] 2 sources, spread 13% | GBP 70,738USD 93,406 | GBP 75,369USD 99,521 | GBP 88,125USD 116,365 |
| Employer contributions[3][4][5][6] | GBP 11,182USD 14,765 | GBP 11,876USD 15,682 | GBP 13,790USD 18,209 |
| Mandatory benefits (none in statute)[7][8] None in statute: the statutory sources list no payment beyond 12 monthly salaries; paid leave is counted in productive hours | GBP 0USD 0 | GBP 0USD 0 | GBP 0USD 0 |
| Voluntary benefits | Not estimated: fewer than two sources for this country; the total leaves it out | ||
| Equipment and tooling[9][10][11][12][13][14][15] | GBP 722USD 954 | GBP 856USD 1,130 | GBP 1,062USD 1,403 |
| Recruiting, amortised over 2.5 years[16][17][18] Agency fee 15% to 25% of base salary | GBP 4,244USD 5,604 | GBP 6,030USD 7,962 | GBP 8,813USD 11,637 |
| Onboarding ramp, amortised over 2.5 years (formula default)[1][2][3][4][5][6] 4 weeks at 50% productivity | GBP 1,260USD 1,664 | GBP 1,342USD 1,772 | GBP 1,568USD 2,070 |
| Total annual cost | GBP 88,146USD 116,394 | GBP 95,473USD 126,068 | GBP 113,357USD 149,683 |
| First-year cost (recruiting and ramp not amortised) | GBP 96,403USD 127,296 | GBP 106,531USD 140,669 | GBP 128,928USD 170,244 |
| Monthly cost | GBP 7,346USD 9,699 | GBP 7,956USD 10,506 | GBP 9,446USD 12,474 |
| Hourly equivalent[7][8] | GBP 51USD 68 | GBP 56USD 73 | GBP 66USD 87 |
Hourly figures divide the annual cost by 1,716 productive hours a year (1,700 + 8 x 2, for 28 working days of statutory leave and public holidays against the 30 days that the 1,700-hour year allows for, as this site reads the formula: 28 days of leave, with the 8 bank holidays (public holidays) counted inside the 28-day entitlement, as the statute allows, so they add no days off)[7][8].
- Base salary 78.9%
- Employer contributions 12.4%
- Equipment and tooling 0.9%
- Recruiting, amortised over 2.5 years 6.3%
- Onboarding ramp, amortised over 2.5 years 1.4%
Employer contributions and mandatory benefits in the United Kingdom
| Item | Type | Rate, cap or amount | At this salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer National Insurance (Class 1 secondary)[3][4] | Employer contributions | 15%, on earnings above GBP 5,000 a year | Applied |
| Workplace pension, employer minimum (automatic enrolment)[5][6] | Employer contributions | 3%, capped at GBP 50,270 a year, on earnings above GBP 6,240 a year | Applied |
Full statutory structure with caps and notes: United Kingdom country page.
What changes the number
- First year versus later years: the first year carries the full recruiting fee and ramp, GBP 106,531 at the median against GBP 95,473 in an average year.
- Voluntary benefits (private health insurance, pension top-ups, meal cards) are not in the total: fewer than two sources for the United Kingdom. Where an employer offers them, the total is higher.
- City: no city in the United Kingdom has enough data for this role and level; the figure is national.
- Industry: no industry factor meets the two-source rule, so no industry adjustment is applied. See not published.
- Level: no other level of this role is published for the United Kingdom.
Employee, contractor and outsourced
The same role and level under each hiring model, annual, GBP, median. Each model includes different items, listed under its name. A model without enough sources reads “not published” with the reason; see not published.
| Hiring model | Employee, total | This model, total | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer of record Includes base salary, employer contributions, mandatory benefits, EOR fee, equipment, recruiting and onboarding ramp. Not included: voluntary benefits; office space; management time; and bonuses and equity. Salary, contributions and mandatory benefits pass through the EOR at statutory rates. | GBP 95,473 | GBP 101,371[19][20][21][22] | +GBP 5,898 |
| Contractor Not published: no contractor hourly rate for this role in the Western Europe region meets the two-source rule. | GBP 95,473 | not published | n/a |
| Outsourced Not published: no QA vendor rate for the security test engineer role in the Western Europe region meets the threshold (three vendor pages, or a rate survey plus two vendor pages); in this region the threshold is met for manual QA engineer and test automation engineer. | GBP 95,473 | not published | n/a |
Time to hire
Sources put time to hire at 34 to 44 days, median 38 days[23][24][25]. The figure is not specific to QA roles.
Sources
Salary confidence B from 2 sources; employer contributions confidence A. How grades work.
- HM Revenue & Customs (GOV.UK). Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries. United Kingdom - Individual - Other taxes
- Department for Work and Pensions (GOV.UK). Review of the Automatic Enrolment Earnings Trigger and Qualifying Earnings Band for 2026/27
- GOV.UK. Holiday entitlement
- GOV.UK. UK bank holidays
- Apple. Buy MacBook Air
- Apple. Buy MacBook Pro
- Testing tool list price (vendor not named)
- Testing tool list price (vendor not named)
- Linear. Linear pricing
- Manatal. Recruitment fees (agency fee guide)
- Apollo Technical. What is a placement fee for engineering hiring
- HeroHunt.ai. True Cost to Hire an AI Engineer in 2026
- Deel. Deel pricing
- Remote. Remote pricing
- Oyster HR. Oyster pricing
- Multiplier. Multiplier pricing
- Manatal (citing JoinGenius). Average Time to Hire by Industry: 2026 Benchmarks
- European Central Bank. Euro foreign exchange reference rates
Formula
Formula v1.0How each component is computed
version: 1.0
total_annual_cost =
base_salary
+ employer_contributions # statutory rates applied to base with caps; per country
+ mandatory_benefits # 13th or 14th salary, paid leave value above base, mandatory insurance; per country
+ voluntary_benefits # health, pension top-up, meal and transport; market survey medians per country and level; shown as a separate line
+ equipment_and_tooling # laptop amortised over 3 years, licences, test devices for mobile roles; per level and role
+ recruiting_cost_amortised # recruiting cost / expected tenure years; per country, role and model
+ onboarding_ramp # ramp_weeks x weekly cost x (1 - productivity_factor); per level
first_year_cost = total_annual_cost - recruiting_cost_amortised + recruiting_cost - onboarding_ramp_amortised + onboarding_ramp
monthly_cost = total_annual_cost / 12
hourly_equivalent = total_annual_cost / productive_hours
# Defaults (overridable per country in data with a source)
expected_tenure_years: 2.5
productive_hours: 1,700 per year, adjusted by statutory paid leave per country
ramp_weeks: junior 10, mid 6, senior 4
productivity_factor_during_ramp: 0.5
equipment_amortisation_years: 3
# Hiring models
employee: full formula
contractor: contractor_rate x hours + platform_or_eor_fee; no employer_contributions, no mandatory_benefits unless the EOR passes them through (sourced); recruiting as for employee; ramp as for employee
outsourced: published vendor monthly or hourly rate per role and region; no recruiting, no ramp, no equipment; show typical minimum engagement from sources
# Output per combination
p25, median, p75 for each component and for the totals, in local currency and USD at fx.json date; confidence grade; source ids; computedOnFormula v1.0
version: 1.0
total_annual_cost =
base_salary
+ employer_contributions # statutory rates applied to base with caps; per country
+ mandatory_benefits # 13th or 14th salary, paid leave value above base, mandatory insurance; per country
+ voluntary_benefits # health, pension top-up, meal and transport; market survey medians per country and level; shown as a separate line
+ equipment_and_tooling # laptop amortised over 3 years, licences, test devices for mobile roles; per level and role
+ recruiting_cost_amortised # recruiting cost / expected tenure years; per country, role and model
+ onboarding_ramp # ramp_weeks x weekly cost x (1 - productivity_factor); per level
first_year_cost = total_annual_cost - recruiting_cost_amortised + recruiting_cost - onboarding_ramp_amortised + onboarding_ramp
monthly_cost = total_annual_cost / 12
hourly_equivalent = total_annual_cost / productive_hours
# Defaults (overridable per country in data with a source)
expected_tenure_years: 2.5
productive_hours: 1,700 per year, adjusted by statutory paid leave per country
ramp_weeks: junior 10, mid 6, senior 4
productivity_factor_during_ramp: 0.5
equipment_amortisation_years: 3
# Hiring models
employee: full formula
contractor: contractor_rate x hours + platform_or_eor_fee; no employer_contributions, no mandatory_benefits unless the EOR passes them through (sourced); recruiting as for employee; ramp as for employee
outsourced: published vendor monthly or hourly rate per role and region; no recruiting, no ramp, no equipment; show typical minimum engagement from sources
# Output per combination
p25, median, p75 for each component and for the totals, in local currency and USD at fx.json date; confidence grade; source ids; computedOnQuestions
- How much does it cost to hire a senior security test engineer in the United Kingdom?
- The median total annual employer cost is GBP 95,473 (USD 126,068), computed on 17 October 2026. The low and high scenarios are GBP 88,146 and GBP 113,357.
- How much is added on top of the salary?
- At the median, 27% is added to a base salary of GBP 75,369: employer contributions of GBP 11,876 plus equipment, recruiting and ramp as listed in the table.
- What does the first year cost?
- GBP 106,531 at the median, because the full recruiting fee and the full onboarding ramp fall in the first year instead of being spread over the 2.5-year expected tenure.
- How long does it take to hire?
- Sources put time to hire at 34 to 44 days, median 38 days. This figure is not specific to this role and level.
- Are contractor and outsourced figures published?
- Employer of record: GBP 101,371 a year at the median. Contractor is not published: no contractor hourly rate for this role in the Western Europe region meets the two-source rule. Outsourced is not published: no QA vendor rate for the security test engineer role in the Western Europe region meets the threshold (three vendor pages, or a rate survey plus two vendor pages); in this region the threshold is met for manual QA engineer and test automation engineer.