How much does it cost to hire a QA engineer
The employer cost of a QA hire is salary plus contributions, benefits, equipment, recruiting and ramp. One dataset combination worked through line by line.
Figures from dataset v1.0, computed . Updated .
The cost of hiring a QA engineer (quality assurance engineer, the person who tests software before release) is the base salary plus every cost the employer carries on top of it. This site adds employer contributions, mandatory benefits, voluntary benefits, equipment and tooling, recruiting and onboarding ramp to the salary, then reports an annual total, a monthly figure and a first-year figure. The worked example below shows each line for one published combination.
What the total includes
The published formula has seven lines. Each has its own source class and its own row on every breakdown page.
- Base salary: the gross annual pay, aggregated from at least two salary sources for the country, role and level.
- Employer contributions: social security and payroll taxes the employer pays on top of salary, at the statutory rates and caps for the country.
- Mandatory benefits: items the law requires, such as a 13th month of salary or required insurance.
- Voluntary benefits: health cover, pension top-ups, meal and transport allowances, from market surveys. Where no survey supports a figure, the line shows "not estimated".
- Equipment and tooling: a laptop spread over 3 years, licences, and test devices for mobile roles.
- Recruiting: the agency fee, spread over an expected tenure of 2.5 years.
- Onboarding ramp: the output lost while a new hire works below full productivity, also spread over 2.5 years.
The exact formula, with its version number, is on the formula page.
Worked example
Worked example: a mid-level manual QA engineer in the United States. Base salary is USD 88,678. The fully loaded annual cost is USD 107,256, so the loading factor (total divided by salary) is 1.21.
| Component | Annual |
|---|---|
| Base salary | USD 88,678 |
| Employer contributions | USD 8,121 |
| Mandatory benefits | USD 0 |
| Voluntary benefits | not estimated |
| Equipment and tooling | USD 1,130 |
| Recruiting, amortised over 2.5 years | USD 7,094 |
| Onboarding ramp, amortised over 2.5 years | USD 2,234 |
| Total annual cost | USD 107,256 |
| First-year cost | USD 121,248 |
Confidence grade (A, B or C, from the number and agreement of the sources): mid-level manual QA engineer in the United StatesConfidence B.
Sources: in the source list on this page, and next to each figure on the linked breakdown page.
The loading factor in the example is the total divided by the salary. It varies by country because contribution rates, caps and mandatory benefits vary. It also varies by level, because contribution caps cut in at different salaries and ramp length depends on seniority.
The same figures as budget lines
A budget sheet usually needs an annual figure, a monthly figure and a first-year figure. The table below lists each line at the median, with the three totals underneath.
Budget lines for a mid-level manual QA engineer in the United States, median, USD:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Base salary | USD 88,678 |
| Employer contributions | USD 8,121 |
| Mandatory benefits | USD 0 |
| Voluntary benefits | not estimated |
| Equipment and tooling | USD 1,130 |
| Recruiting, amortised over 2.5 years | USD 7,094 |
| Onboarding ramp, amortised over 2.5 years | USD 2,234 |
| Annual | USD 107,256 |
| Monthly | USD 8,938 |
| First year | USD 121,248 |
Confidence grade (A, B or C, from the number and agreement of the sources): mid-level manual QA engineer in the United StatesConfidence B.
Sources: in the source list on this page, and next to each figure on the linked breakdown page.
The monthly figure is the annual total divided by 12. The first-year figure is higher than the annual figure because recruiting and ramp fall in full in the first year instead of being spread over the expected tenure. The first-year guide explains the difference.
The same role across countries
The table below shows the junior manual QA engineer, employee model, for every country where that combination meets the publication threshold. Figures are in USD at the dataset exchange rate so that rows can be compared.
| Country | Base salary | Total annual cost | First year | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines | USD 5,747 | USD 8,847 | USD 9,940 | Confidence B |
| Mexico | USD 11,114 | USD 17,402 | USD 19,590 | Confidence B |
| Argentina | USD 12,137 | USD 19,071 | USD 21,471 | Confidence B |
| Spain | USD 21,886 | USD 36,704 | USD 41,209 | Confidence B |
| Ireland | USD 41,077 | USD 52,576 | USD 60,181 | Confidence B |
| Germany | USD 49,088 | USD 67,322 | USD 76,672 | Confidence B |
| United States | USD 69,619 | USD 85,626 | USD 98,365 | Confidence B |
Sources: every row comes from a published record; its sources are in the source list on this page, and the manual QA engineer page links each country's breakdown.
A country missing from the table does not have enough sources for this role and level yet. The reason for each missing combination is listed on the not-published page.
Median, p25 and p75
Every breakdown page shows three scenarios. The median scenario applies the formula to the median of each input. 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. p25 is the value a quarter of the data falls below, and p75 the value three quarters fall below.
Confidence grades
Each combination carries a confidence grade of A, B or C. The grade reflects how many sources support the salary, how recent they are and how closely they agree. The rules are on the confidence page.
What this guide does not cover
The figures are employer costs. They are not compensation guidance for individuals and they are not tax or legal advice. Statutory rates change; the cited authority on each country page is the reference for a contract or filing.
Related pages
Sources
Sources of the figures in the examples and tables above, with the dates they were accessed and verified. Each linked breakdown page also footnotes them next to each figure.
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