IT Salary Guide 2026: What Tech Roles Pay and Why

Whether you're setting a budget for a new hire or deciding if it's time to ask for a raise, salary data helps. But a single number never tells the whole story. Two Java developers with the same years of experience can earn very different amounts depending on the stack, the industry, and how they work.

This guide shares the salary ranges our recruiters see across the roles we place most often, along with what pushes pay up or down.

How we put this guide together

The ranges below come from offers we've negotiated, conversations with hiring managers, and data from candidates we've spoken to over the past 12 months. They are base salaries, before bonuses and benefits. Contract rates are covered separately.

REPLACE WITH YOUR DATA The figures in the tables below are placeholders. Fill them in with your own placement data before publishing. Don't publish ranges you can't back up.

Salary ranges by role: India

Salary ranges by role: USA

What pushes pay up

• Production experience over certificates. A certification helps you get noticed. Shipping and running real systems is what moves the offer.
• In-demand pairings. Skills that combine well, like Python with cloud data platforms, or Kubernetes with security, are paid a premium because fewer people have both.
• Domain knowledge. Banking, healthcare, and payments roles often pay more because the rules are complex and mistakes are costly.
• Ownership. Engineers who have owned a service in production, including the on-call part, tend to receive stronger offers.

What holds pay back

• Long notice periods. In India, a 90-day notice period can mean a lower offer or a missed role. Employers often pay more for people who can join sooner.
• Outdated stacks without a bridge. Legacy skills still pay well in the right places, but adding one modern skill widens your options.
• Weak storytelling. If you can't explain the impact of your work, it's harder for an employer to justify a higher number.

For employers: setting a competitive offer

If your offers keep getting declined, check three things. Is the range in line with the market for that specific stack? Is your process quick enough, ideally under three weeks from first interview to offer? And are you clear about growth, flexibility, and the team the person will join? Pay matters, but candidates weigh the whole picture.

For tech professionals: using this data

Use these ranges as a starting point for a conversation, not a final answer. Look at your total package, including bonus, health cover, learning budget, and remote flexibility. And talk to a recruiter who knows your market. We're happy to tell you honestly where you stand.