Entry2–3 yrs
₹8 LPA – ₹14 LPA
Median: ₹11 LPA
Junior SDET writing tests + small framework features.
SDET · 2026
SDET Salary Guide 2026
Software Development Engineers in Test (SDETs) sit at the top of the QA pay scale in 2026. The role blends framework design, infrastructure work, and developer-grade coding — and pay reflects that.
Last updated: January 2026
All figures are planning ranges for January 2026 and not a live market quote. Validate against your current Jobs Radar listings before negotiations.
SDET Salary Ranges
SDET pay is driven by framework ownership, system-design depth for test infra, and the ability to write production-grade tooling. The best-paid SDETs work side-by-side with developers on quality and release pipelines.
Mid3–6 yrs
₹14 LPA – ₹22 LPA
Median: ₹17 LPA
Owns framework modules and CI pipelines.
Senior6–9 yrs
₹22 LPA – ₹35 LPA
Median: ₹28 LPA
Senior SDET designing test infra across teams.
Lead9+ yrs
₹35 LPA – ₹60 LPA
Median: ₹45 LPA
Staff / Principal SDET owning quality engineering.
SDET Salary by Experience
Pay bands by experience for SDETs in India, with the highest-leverage growth move at each stage.
| Experience | Range | Growth move |
|---|---|---|
| 2–3 yrs | ₹8 LPA – ₹14 LPA | Strengthen DSA basics and contribute to framework code reviews. |
| 3–5 yrs | ₹14 LPA – ₹20 LPA | Own a CI pipeline and add observability to the test stack. |
| 5–7 yrs | ₹20 LPA – ₹28 LPA | Design test infra for parallelism, sharding, and flake control. |
| 7–10 yrs | ₹28 LPA – ₹40 LPA | Lead quality strategy across multiple services. |
| 10+ yrs | ₹40 LPA – ₹65 LPA | Drive org-wide quality engineering charters. |
Skills that Increase SDET Salary
The skills below have the strongest effect on SDET pay in 2026. Each links to targeted practice you can use immediately.
High impact
Java or Python
Production-grade coding is the price of entry.
Coding mock interviewHigh impact
Test framework design
The single biggest pay driver at senior+ levels.
Framework-design practiceHigh impact
API testing
Contract + integration testing is core to SDET work.
API testing practiceHigh impact
CI/CD
Pipelines, sharding, and retries are owned by the SDET.
CI/CD mock interviewHigh impact
Selenium / Playwright
Pick one deeply for UI coverage.
Playwright questionsGrowing impact
Docker + Kubernetes
Required for modern test infra and ephemeral environments.
Infra mock interviewHigh impact
SQL
Data validation and debugging across services.
SQL for QARecommended Interview Preparation
Use these resources to prepare for SDET interviews and negotiate confidently.
AI Mock Interview
Practice SDET coding + design rounds with structured feedback.
OpenAPI testing questions
Contracts, auth, idempotency, and negative cases.
OpenSQL for QA
Joins, window functions, and debugging patterns.
OpenSelenium questions
WebDriver internals and Page Object Model design.
OpenPlaywright questions
Tracing, parallelism, and TypeScript fixtures.
OpenResume Keywords for SDET
These are the keywords ATS systems scan for on SDET listings in 2026. Mirror the ones that match your real experience — don't keyword-stuff.
test automation frameworkAPI testingCI/CDJavaPythonSeleniumPlaywrightREST AssuredSQLdebuggingtest architectureDockerKubernetesobservabilityflake reduction
Run a free ATS reviewFind SDET roles that match your salary target
Live SDET listings filtered by stack, city, and pay band — updated in Jobs Radar.
SDET Salary FAQs
The questions SDET candidates most often ask in 1970.
Related salary guides and prep
Compare with adjacent QA roles and prepare your application.
Automation Tester salary
The most common path into SDET.
QA Lead salary
Alternative leadership path.
Performance Tester salary
Specialist SDET-adjacent role.
API Tester salary
Adjacent skill that lifts SDET pay.
Resume ATS Review
Make sure your SDET keywords land.
AI Mock Interview
Practice SDET coding + system-design rounds.