QA / Software Test Engineer Salary in Sargodha, Pakistan (2026)
- Average: PKR 49,000 per month (PKR 588,000 per year).
- Range: PKR 32,000 to PKR 78,000 per month.
- Take-home at the average: about PKR 49,000 per month after FY 2026-27 income tax.
- Versus other cities: ranks #12 of 12 cities, 26% below the cross-city average.
- Versus other jobs in Sargodha: #15 of 52 professions tracked.
So, what does a QA / Software Test Engineer earn in Sargodha? Short answer: around PKR 49,000 a month, on average. Longer answer — it depends on who you work for, how much experience you bring, and a handful of other factors covered below.
Hiring activity for QA / Software Test Engineer roles in Sargodha is steady, neither oversaturated nor scarce.
Out of 12 cities compared for this role, Sargodha ranks #12, with average pay running about 26% below the cross-city average of PKR 65,916.
Sargodha has a smaller, agriculture-linked economy, and salaries for corporate and professional roles tend to be among the lower end of the cities we track.
QA / Software Test Engineer Salary by Experience Level in Sargodha
Pay for this role typically grows in stages as you gain experience. Here is roughly how QA / Software Test Engineer salaries in Sargodha break down by career stage. The senior band tops out at about 2.4 times the bottom of the entry-level band, which shows how much career progression can be worth in this field.
| Experience Level | Typical Monthly Salary | Approx. Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-Level (0–2 years) | PKR 32,000 – PKR 37,000 | PKR 384,000 – PKR 444,000 |
| Mid-Level (3–6 years) | PKR 37,000 – PKR 59,000 | PKR 444,000 – PKR 708,000 |
| Senior-Level (7+ years) | PKR 59,000 – PKR 78,000 | PKR 708,000 – PKR 936,000 |
Take-Home Pay for a QA / Software Test Engineer in Sargodha (FY 2026-27 Tax)
Gross salary is not what lands in your bank account. Salaried individuals pay progressive income tax, which is withheld by the employer every month. Under the slabs that took effect on 1 July 2026, annual income up to Rs 600,000 (Rs 50,000 a month) is tax-free, and rates then rise in eight steps from 1% to 35%. At the Sargodha average of PKR 49,000, an estimated PKR 0 a month goes to income tax, which is an effective rate of 0.0%.
| Level | Gross / month | Income tax / month | Take-home / month | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry-level (typical) | PKR 34,500 | PKR 0 | PKR 34,500 | 0.0% |
| Mid-level (typical) | PKR 48,000 | PKR 0 | PKR 48,000 | 0.0% |
| Senior-level (typical) | PKR 68,500 | PKR 185 | PKR 68,315 | 0.3% |
| City average | PKR 49,000 | PKR 0 | PKR 49,000 | 0.0% |
These figures cover federal income tax only. Your payslip may also show provident fund, EOBI, insurance or loan deductions. Use the calculator below to test your own number, or open the full salary tax calculator for slab details and examples.
Annual Gross:
Annual Tax:
Monthly Tax:
Monthly Take-Home:
About the QA / Software Test Engineer Role
What does a QA / Software Test Engineer do?
A QA or software test engineer makes sure software works before users find the problems. Duties include writing test plans and cases, running manual and automated tests, reporting and tracking bugs, and checking releases for regressions. As teams release faster, QA has shifted from clicking through screens to building automation and testing APIs.
What drives QA / Software Test Engineer pay?
The gap between manual-only testers and automation engineers is large. Automation, performance and security testing skills, along with ownership of release quality, drive pay. Companies serving overseas clients usually pay more for testers who can also communicate well in English.
The Sargodha Job Market for QA / Software Test Engineer Roles
Sargodha is a mid-sized city in central Punjab famous for its citrus orchards, particularly kinnow, and for a large air-force base and a growing university. The local economy combines agriculture and agro-processing, small industry, stone crushing, trade, education and public services. Salaries for office-based and professional roles are generally modest compared with big cities, but living costs are low, and local employment in government and education provides stability. Many young people use digital skills, freelancing and remote work to earn more, while others relocate to Lahore or Islamabad after gaining experience. Citrus processing and export create seasonal opportunities in packing, logistics and quality control.
See the full salary guide for Sargodha for every profession we track in the city.
What Affects QA / Software Test Engineer Salary in Sargodha?
For QA / Software Test Engineer roles, the biggest swing factors are the specific tech stack you know, whether you've worked with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), and whether you're working for a local company or a foreign/remote-paying client — the latter often pays substantially more.
Technology Careers: What Employers Pay For
Technology is the most globally portable career field in Pakistan. Software houses, product companies, banks, telecoms and fintech firms all compete for engineers, and many professionals also sell their skills directly to clients abroad. That outside market sets a ceiling above what purely local employers can pay, which is why experienced developers often see offers jump when they change jobs.
What employers pay for
Salaries follow demonstrable skill rather than degree alone. Hands-on experience with in-demand stacks (cloud, mobile, data, security, modern web frameworks), proven delivery on real products and strong English communication consistently raise pay. Companies that earn in dollars, venture-backed startups and multinationals pay the highest bands, while service-only firms serving small local clients pay less.
How to negotiate
Come with a portfolio, GitHub profile or case studies, and quantify your results: performance improvements, users served, revenue supported. Compare the full package, including annual increments, bonuses, medical cover, provident fund, remote or hybrid options and learning budgets. In this field, a competing offer is the strongest negotiating tool.
Where growth comes from
Move toward ownership: lead features, mentor juniors, take responsibility for production systems and learn adjacent skills such as cloud and security. Decide early whether you want the technical track (architect, principal engineer) or the management track, and build the matching evidence. Continuous learning is not optional, because tools change quickly.
How to Increase Your Salary as a QA / Software Test Engineer in Sargodha
To move up the pay scale as a QA / Software Test Engineer in Sargodha, focus on building a public portfolio (GitHub, personal projects), picking up in-demand skills like cloud infrastructure or AI tooling, and — where possible — targeting remote roles with foreign clients who typically pay in USD.
As with any salary data, treat these numbers as a starting reference point rather than a guarantee. Run your own number through the calculator below to estimate your actual take-home pay in Sargodha.
QA / Software Test Engineer Salary: Sargodha vs Other Pakistani Cities
Location changes pay noticeably. Across the 12 cities we track, the average QA / Software Test Engineer salary runs from PKR 49,000 to PKR 94,000 per month. Sargodha is highlighted below. Higher pay in larger cities is partly offset by higher rent and transport costs, so compare take-home pay against your living costs rather than the headline number.
| City | Average / month | Compared with Sargodha |
|---|---|---|
| Karachi | PKR 94,000 | +92% |
| Islamabad | PKR 92,000 | +88% |
| Lahore | PKR 85,000 | +73% |
| Rawalpindi | PKR 77,000 | +57% |
| Sialkot | PKR 61,000 | +24% |
| Gujranwala | PKR 60,000 | +22% |
| Faisalabad | PKR 58,000 | +18% |
| Hyderabad | PKR 56,000 | +14% |
| Peshawar | PKR 55,000 | +12% |
| Multan | PKR 53,000 | +8% |
| Quetta | PKR 51,000 | +4% |
| Sargodha | PKR 49,000 | This page |
How QA / Software Test Engineer Pay Compares With Other Technology Roles in Sargodha
In Sargodha, QA / Software Test Engineer ranks #15 out of 52 professions in our data. Here is how it sits against related roles in the same field, which is useful if you are considering a move within technology.
| Role | Average / month | Difference from QA / Software Test Engineer |
|---|---|---|
| DevOps Engineer | PKR 93,000 | +90% |
| Software Engineer | PKR 81,000 | +65% |
| Mobile App Developer | PKR 64,000 | +31% |
| Data Analyst | PKR 58,000 | +18% |
| UI/UX Designer | PKR 55,000 | +12% |
| Web Developer | PKR 52,000 | +6% |
| Network Administrator | PKR 44,000 | -10% |
| IT Support Specialist | PKR 32,000 | -35% |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average QA / Software Test Engineer salary in Sargodha?
The average QA / Software Test Engineer salary in Sargodha is around PKR 49,000 per month, based on current market observation. Actual pay depends on experience, employer, and negotiation.
What is the salary range for a QA / Software Test Engineer in Sargodha?
QA / Software Test Engineer salaries in Sargodha generally range from PKR 32,000 to PKR 78,000 per month, depending on experience level, company size, and specific skill set.
What is the entry-level QA / Software Test Engineer salary in Sargodha?
Entry-level QA / Software Test Engineer professionals in Sargodha typically start around PKR 32,000 to PKR 37,000 per month, rising as they gain experience and take on more responsibility.
Is Sargodha a good city for QA / Software Test Engineer jobs?
Sargodha offers a reasonably steady job market for QA / Software Test Engineer roles — neither oversaturated nor scarce, with consistent opportunities across different employers.
How does QA / Software Test Engineer salary in Sargodha compare to other cities in Pakistan?
Among the 12 cities tracked here, Sargodha ranks #12 for QA / Software Test Engineer pay, running roughly 26% below the cross-city average of PKR 65,916 per month.
What is the take-home salary of a QA / Software Test Engineer in Sargodha?
At the average of PKR 49,000 per month, the estimated federal income tax under the FY 2026-27 slabs is about PKR 0 a month, leaving roughly PKR 49,000 in take-home pay, an effective tax rate of 0.0%. Provident fund, EOBI and other deductions are not included.
What is the senior QA / Software Test Engineer salary in Sargodha?
Senior QA / Software Test Engineer professionals in Sargodha (typically 7+ years) are generally in the PKR 59,000 to PKR 78,000 per month band, about 2.4 times the bottom of the entry-level range, with the highest pay going to people who combine technical depth with leadership or specialist skills.
Which city pays the most for QA / Software Test Engineer in Pakistan?
In our data, Karachi pays the most for QA / Software Test Engineer at about PKR 94,000 per month on average, while Sargodha is at PKR 49,000. City pay differs mainly because of employer concentration, cost of living and the share of export-oriented or multinational firms.
Is the QA / Software Test Engineer salary in Sargodha above the minimum wage?
Yes. The average of PKR 49,000 is above the FY 2026-27 minimum wage announced for Punjab (PKR 40,000). The legal minimum is a floor for unskilled work, not a market rate for skilled roles.
How can I increase my QA / Software Test Engineer salary in Sargodha?
The most reliable levers are specialised skills that employers struggle to find, recognised certifications, a documented record of results, and moving to employers that pay above the local average. Compare at least two offers before negotiating, and negotiate on total compensation including benefits, not only base pay.
QA / Software Test Engineer Salary in Other Cities
Compare how this role pays across the cities we track.
Other Jobs in Sargodha
Browse salaries for other professions in the same city.