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How much does a software tester earn in Sweden?

System testers and test managers. 6,800 people employed in Sweden.

49,000SEK

per month is the median salary for a software tester in Sweden in 2025. That is 28% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

+2.1% since 2024

≈ €4,350 / $5,050 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 37,857 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

≈ 283 SEK an hour · 588,000 SEK a year

The hourly figure is the monthly salary divided by 173.3 hours (40 hours a week × 52 weeks / 12 months); the yearly figure is twelve times the monthly salary.

In 2025, a software tester in Sweden earned an average of 49,200 SEK per month. The median salary is 49,000 SEK.

Figures are gross monthly salary before tax, converted to full time. Income tax in Sweden is roughly 30–34% for most earners, plus a national surtax on income above about 51,000 SEK a month.

Average pay
49,200 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Highest 10%
62,900 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
6,800
Statistics Sweden's occupational register 2024

Software and system tester starting salary

Statistics Sweden publishes no starting-salary figures. The closest proxies are what the youngest people in the job earn and where the lower end of the pay distribution sits.

The youngest in the job, aged 25–34, earn 43,400 SEK a month on average — roughly 34,100 SEK after tax in an average municipality.

Starting-salary proxies, before and after tax
Before tax After tax
Average, aged 25–34 43,400 SEK 34,087 SEK
Lowest 25% earn less than 41,300 SEK 32,673 SEK

These are proxies, not starting salaries. An age band holds both people who have just started and people ten years into the job, and the lowest paid are not always newcomers. The collective-agreement minimum and an individual offer can sit above or below.

Software and system tester pay in the private and public sector

What system testers and test managers earn depends a great deal on who the employer is.

Monthly salary by sector and gender
Sector Average pay Median pay Men Women
All sectors 49,200 SEK 49,000 SEK 50,000 SEK 46,800 SEK
Private sector 48,500 SEK 47,200 SEK 49,200 SEK 46,000 SEK
Public sector 51,800 SEK 51,400 SEK 52,000 SEK 50,200 SEK
Central government 51,800 SEK 51,400 SEK 52,000 SEK 50,200 SEK

Software and system tester salary after tax in Sweden

What system testers and test managers actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. The table shows what 49,000 SEK a month comes to after tax in a few of them.

That is roughly 37,857 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

49,000 SEK a month after tax, by municipality
Municipality Municipal and regional tax After tax
Average municipality 32.38% 37,857 SEK
Stockholm 30.55% 38,586 SEK
Göteborg 32.60% 37,782 SEK
Malmö 32.42% 37,843 SEK
Österåker (lowest tax) 28.93% 39,032 SEK
Dorotea (highest tax) 35.65% 36,743 SEK
  • The youngest in the job, aged 25–34 years, earn 43,400 SEK before tax — roughly 34,087 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 62,900 SEK, which is roughly 45,643 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a software tester

The figures assume an average municipality, no church fee and an age under 66. The calculator takes your own municipality into account.

And if the job goes? Work out unemployment benefit for a software tester

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 40,000 60,000 Median pay Number
Men 50,000 SEK 4,400
Women 46,800 SEK 2,400

Women's average salary is 93% of men's average salary in this job.

Statistics Sweden calculates the ratio on average monthly salary, while the table above shows median salaries, so the two do not line up exactly. The figure is also unadjusted: it does not account for differences in age, sector or position.

Software and system tester salary by age

Pay for system testers and test managers normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 40,000 60,000 Average pay Men Women Number
25–34 years 43,400 SEK 42,400 SEK 45,100 SEK –
35–44 years 49,400 SEK 50,100 SEK 48,200 SEK –
45–54 years 49,300 SEK 54,200 SEK – –
55–64 years 55,200 SEK 57,100 SEK 52,900 SEK 1,300

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 40,000 60,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 48,800 SEK 49,200 SEK – 370
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 48,200 SEK 47,400 SEK 50,000 SEK 780
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 48,400 SEK 48,200 SEK 48,800 SEK –
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 49,800 SEK 53,400 SEK 46,000 SEK –

Software and system tester salary by region

Statistics Sweden reports pay by job at the level of national areas (NUTS 2), not by county.

Monthly salary by region
Region 40,000 60,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 50,900 SEK 55,400 SEK – 2,500
East-Central Sweden 46,300 SEK 46,200 SEK 46,600 SEK 490
Småland and islands 43,300 SEK 43,100 SEK – –
South Sweden 47,700 SEK 48,100 SEK 46,900 SEK –
West Sweden 50,800 SEK 52,100 SEK 48,600 SEK 860
North-Central Sweden 50,400 SEK 50,800 SEK – 480
Central Norrland 49,300 SEK 49,900 SEK – 180

Software and system tester pay growth 2014–2025

Median salary per year. Years with no reported median are skipped. The dashed line marks the break between the older and the newer series at Statistics Sweden; comparisons across it should be made with care.

From 37,500 SEK in 2014 to 49,000 SEK in 2025, +31% in total. Nominal figures, not adjusted for inflation. The lighter part of the line, the years before 2023, comes from an older set of statistics at Statistics Sweden and is not fully comparable with the later years.

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Swedish job titles in this occupation

Statistics Sweden files the following Swedish job titles under SSYK 2514, “systemtestare och testledare”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Hårdvarutestare
  • Mjukvarutestare
  • Programvarutestare
  • Quality Assurance/Speltestare
  • Systemtestare
  • Systemtestare/Funktionstestare
  • Testledare, IT
  • Testledare/QA lead
  • Testutvecklare

Frequently asked questions

How much does a software tester earn in 2026?

The latest figures are Statistics Sweden's salary structure statistics for 2025, published on 16 June 2026. The median salary was then 49,000 SEK a month before tax, against 48,000 SEK the year before (2024) — +2.1%. Figures for 2026 are normally published in June 2027; until then the 2025 figures are the latest there are, and we do not project our own.

What is the median salary for a software tester in Sweden?

The median salary for a software tester in Sweden is 49,000 SEK per month before tax (2025). That means half earn less and half earn more. The median across all jobs in Sweden is 38,300 SEK, so system testers and test managers sit 28% higher than the typical job.

How much does a software tester earn after tax?

The median salary for a software tester is 49,000 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 37,900 SEK after tax. The exact figure depends on which municipality you live in — our salary-after-tax calculator works it out.

What is the difference between average and median pay for system testers and test managers?

The average (49,200 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (49,000 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what system testers and test managers typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a software tester in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: system testers and test managers aged 25–34 years earn 43,400 SEK per month on average. More in the section “Software and system tester starting salary” above.

How high can the salary go for system testers and test managers?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 62,900 SEK per month. Pay is shaped by sector, experience, level of education and where in the country you work.

Is there a gender pay gap among system testers and test managers in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 93% of men's in this job. The median salary is 50,000 SEK for men and 46,800 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a software tester earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where system testers and test managers earn 50,900 SEK per month on average.

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