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As Web3 continues to expand, the salaries for Smart Contract Auditors are seeing a significant hike and with them, the open positions for blockchain auditor jobs. But exactly how much do they earn?
The collapse of several cryptocurrency giants and numerous hacks in Web3 have increased the demand for smart contract auditors.
Depending on various factors, these auditors can earn anywhere from $33K to $200K (~$20k per month, spread across a year).
In this article, we will explore the average smart contract auditor salary and understand how and why they could vary.
But before discussing finances, it's crucial to understand what Smart Contract Auditing is and why there is a huge need for auditors.
Decentralized applications, built on blockchain technology, are completely immutable and cannot be altered. This means that if there is a code vulnerability, users’ funds are at risk and there is no way to recover them.
Unfortunately, DeFi has already lost over $5 Billion to hack to date.
This is why we have smart contract auditing. A smart contract audit involves a detailed analysis of a protocol’s smart contract code to identify security vulnerabilities, poor coding practices, and inefficient code before identifying solutions to these issues.
During a smart contract audit, a team of blockchain security experts review the code, logic, architecture, and security measures of the application to identify any potential issues using both automated and manual processes.
They specifically look for any areas of code that could be vulnerable to malicious attacks, as well as any areas for improvement.
With the increasing number of smart contract hacks, there is a growing demand for smart contract auditors too.
Now that we have a better understanding of what smart contract auditing is and why there is an increased demand for it, let's understand how much they are getting paid and how the average blockchain auditor salary looks like.
The average global salary of a junior smart contract auditor is $105K per year. This can vary from $33K to over $200K annually.
But this is not the final answer. The salary of blockchain auditors are usually influenced by 4 major factors:
These factors significantly impact the salaries of smart contract auditors. To get a more nuanced understanding, let's break down how experience levels and regions can affect these earnings.
Salaries for smart contract auditors vary significantly depending on experience level. Auditors with more experience generally earn higher salaries than those who are new to the field.
For those starting their careers in smart contract auditing, the salary ranges typically fall between $50K - $80K per year. These individuals often have limited professional experience but may possess relevant certifications and academic qualifications
With a few years of experience, mid-level blockchain auditors can expect a salary range of $80K to $120K per year.
Senior auditors with extensive experience and expertise in the field can get salaries ranging from $120K to $200K per year or more. Their deep knowledge, track record of successful audits, and ability to lead audit teams make them highly sought after and well-compensated.
It's important to remember that these salary numbers are just estimates. They can change because of different factors like experience, where you work, and changes in the blockchain industry.
Experience isn't the only thing that affects how much an auditor can earn. Where you live and work matters too.
Smart Contract Auditor Salary is also dependent on the Region auditors are based on. Countries like the USA and Singapore may give higher salaries than other countries.
Average Salary: $130K
The US has the highest salaries for blockchain smart contract auditing with an average of $130K and can go more than $200K for the Senior Smart Contract Auditors.
Average Salary: $70K
In Europe, smart contract auditor's salaries range between $70K-$100K.
Average Salary: ₹10,00,000 or $12K
Entry-level smart contract auditors in India can earn up to ₹7,02,419 per year or $8.5K per year while senior smart contract auditors can earn up to ₹12L per year or $14K per year.
Different regions can result in a significant salary gap for smart contract auditors, ranging from $10K to $200K annually.
While a regular job can offer different salaries based on the auditor's experience and where they live, there are other ways for smart contract auditors to make money as well. These include:
Let's go into more detail and understand more about each of these options.
In competitive smart contract auditing, thousands of independent auditors work at the same time to check a smart contract's security and reliability. This competitive approach creates a positive setting where auditors can show off their skills.
Auditors aim to find weaknesses and inefficiencies in the code, and their goal is to produce a detailed report. Platforms like CodeHawks and CodeArena compensate auditors based on the issues they uncover.
The earnings from these competitive auditing depend mainly on the severity of the vulnerability the auditor finds.
In competitive auditing, how much auditors earn depends on how serious the vulnerabilities they find are and if the vulnerabilities are uniquely found by one or multiple auditors. These vulnerabilities are categorized as critical, high, medium, or low severity (sometimes even GAS and Q/A).
The pay for finding these issues can range from $0.1 to $500K.
Source: https://hackenproof.com/
Auditors who find critical or high-severity issues get paid a lot more than those who find medium or low-severity issues. So, the more serious the problem they find, the more money they can make.
CodeHawks is a top platform for competitive smart contract auditing, where auditors can participate and earn rewards. To date, multiple auditors have earned over $1000 through competitive auditing. But that's not the only way to earn. Many auditors choose to work independently, setting their own fees and terms.
Being a solo smart contract auditor offers another rewarding opportunity for professionals in this area. The earnings as a solo auditor depends on several important factors:
The more experienced an auditor is, the higher the fees they can charge. A senior auditor with a proven track record can easily charge premium rates for their services
If you want to become a smart contract auditor, you'll need specialized skills, such as proficiency in multiple programming languages or expertise in certain types of vulnerabilities, can also increase an auditor's earning potential.
Luckily, Cyfrin Updraft offers the ultimate smart contract security and auditing course, completely for free!
The more complex a smart contract is, the more time and effort it will take to audit. Auditors often charge higher fees for projects that require a deep level of analysis due to their complexity.
The timeframe for completing the audit can also impact earnings. Urgent audits that require quick turnarounds may command higher fees.
Source: Pashov
Earnings can differ widely among auditors. For example, a senior solo security auditor can easily make more than $10K per month.
Each auditor sets their own fees based on various factors like experience and skill set.
No matter the path — be it corporate employment, competitive auditing, or solo work, the opportunities in smart contract auditing are abundant.
In this article you've seen the average smart contract auditor salary, and what drives higher and lower salaries. Smart contract auditors are essential for making smart contracts secure and reliable. As blockchain technology gains more traction, the need for skilled auditors is only going to increase, offering a wealth of opportunities in the field.
If you have the right skills and dedication, you can earn a substantial income while also making a meaningful impact on the blockchain industry.
