Salary · Cybersecurity
Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) salary: what it pays (2026)
Indicative pay ranges for roles that commonly value OSCP - broken down by role and by market. These are orientation figures, not a salary survey, so use them to compare and plan, then verify for your own city and year.
Indicative ranges for orientation only - not surveyed data, and not financial or career advice.
What OSCP tends to pay
US penetration testers and offensive-security specialists who hold OSCP commonly report indicative pay around ~$90k-150k, with senior roles higher. OSCP is a hands-on, well-respected credential and tends to sit at the upper end of pentest pay.
Pay by role (indicative)
| Penetration Tester | ~$90k-135k |
|---|---|
| Senior Penetration Tester | ~$120k-160k |
| Red Team Operator | ~$130k-175k |
| Offensive Security Engineer | ~$130k-180k+ |
Bands are indicative US figures unless stated. Actual pay depends on experience, employer, city and year.
Other markets (indicative)
| United Kingdom | ~£45k-85k |
|---|---|
| Germany | ~€55k-85k |
Jobs that often ask for it
- Penetration Tester
- Red Team Operator
- Offensive Security Engineer
- Security Consultant
- Application Security Engineer
Weigh the pay against the cost
Salary is only half the picture. Before you commit, check what OSCP actually costs to sit and maintain, and where it can take you over a career.
- See the full fee breakdown in the OSCP cost and overview (exam fee, retake, materials and renewal).
- Estimate your total spend, including a possible retake, with our exam cost calculator.