Rates, 2026
What should a QA tester charge in a major city?
About $550 a day for a QA tester who is working and booked in a major city like Chicago, Atlanta, Miami or Austin. $400 in the first years, $700 when senior. A test cycle runs about $2,050.
Other markets: New York or LA · remote · a smaller market
First years
$400
a day · $50 an hour
Working, booked
$550
a day · $70 an hour
Senior, sought after
$700
a day · $90 an hour
The rate card, working level
- Day rate$550 per day
- Hourlyfor anything that does not fit a day$70 per hour
- A test cycle$2,050 per project
Sold by the hour, by the day, a project fee. The day is the unit; half days run 60%.
What to charge for each thing
Ranges for a major city like Chicago, Atlanta, Miami or Austin: the low end is the first years, the high end is senior. Working and booked sits in the middle.
- Manual test pass$425 to $1,700 each
- Automation suite$2,550 to $10,200 each
- Regression run$250 to $1,025 each
- Accessibility audit$850 to $2,975 each
How the number is made
QA testers at this level in this market day at about $550 ($400 to $900 in New York and LA). Put in the year you actually want on the perfect price page and the number moves with it.
A test cycle runs $800 to $4,000 and takes about 20 hours of your time; at your hourly that is $1,400. The number is the higher of the two, because the client is buying the outcome, not the hours.
Questions
- What is a fair day rate for a QA tester in a major city like Chicago, Atlanta, Miami or Austin?
- About $550 a day for someone working and booked, $400 in the first years, $700 when senior and sought after. Half days usually run 60% of the day.
- How much is a test cycle?
- $2,050 at a working level in this market. The client is buying the outcome, so the price is the higher of what the market pays for it and what your hours in it are worth.
- Are these rates a rule?
- No. They are US 2026 ranges for the role, placed by level and moved for the market. What a client actually paid you beats all of it. The tool has a box for that, and it wins.
Your number, in five seconds.
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