Optiver is one of the highest-paying market makers in the world, but "Optiver salary" is a genuinely messy question because the firm runs three major trading hubs — Amsterdam, Chicago and Sydney — with different currencies, tax regimes and local pay norms. A single global average (the kind aggregator sites publish) tells you almost nothing. Here is what candidate-reported data actually shows as of mid-2026, with all the usual caveats: these are self-reported figures, not official numbers, and Optiver does not publish comp bands.
How Optiver pay is structured
Like most proprietary trading firms, Optiver pays a moderate base salary plus a profit-share bonus that dominates total compensation from year one. There is no equity or deferred stock in the typical package — the upside comes from the firm's trading P&L, shared down to desks and individuals. Two consequences follow:
- Comp is volatile. A great year for the firm (high volatility, wide spreads) can push even junior trader pay well above the reported medians; a quiet year compresses it.
- Reported ranges are wide. Blind data for Optiver in the US, for example, spans roughly $215K at the 25th percentile to $470K at the 90th percentile in total compensation — and both numbers are "correct" for someone.
Keep that in mind for everything below. For how Optiver stacks up against pod shops and other prop firms, our quant salary guide covers the full industry landscape.
New grad trader compensation (US)
For graduate traders in Chicago and Austin, candidate reports on Wall Street Oasis and prep-site aggregations put first-year total compensation in roughly the $300K–$400K range, typically built from a base around $150K–$200K, a signing bonus, and a first profit-share payout. Glassdoor's US dataset (536 salaries as of June 2026) shows senior traders reporting up to roughly $755K, and levels.fyi entries for Optiver engineers in Chicago include packages in the $450K total-comp range within the first two years. These are reported figures, not guarantees — but the direction is clear: Optiver pays at the top of the market, comparable with the firms on our interview-difficulty tier list.
Salary by office: Amsterdam vs Chicago vs Sydney
This is where most salary sites fall down, because they average across offices. The reported picture as of mid-2026:
| Office | Reported trader comp (candidate-reported) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago / Austin (US) | ~$300K–$400K first-year TC; senior traders reported up to ~$755K (Glassdoor) | Highest nominal pay; US prop-firm market rates |
| Amsterdam (HQ) | ~$140K–$460K TC across seniority; ~$205K average (Glassdoor, 97 trader reports) | Lower nominal than US, but Dutch expat tax treatment and cost of living narrow the real gap |
| Sydney | Graduate trader estimates ~A$140K–A$225K typical, with 90th-percentile reports near A$450K (Glassdoor); trader base ~A$115K plus ~A$200K average additional pay | Top of the Australian market; profit share drives the spread |
The pattern to internalize: base salaries differ modestly by office; profit share is what separates the offices and the years. Amsterdam graduates comparing offers should also look at IMC and Flow Traders — our IMC and Flow Traders guides cover the two main local rivals, which reportedly pay in a similar band at the graduate level.
Trader vs researcher vs engineer
Optiver hires across three technical tracks, and pay ordering is less lopsided than outsiders expect. Levels.fyi puts Optiver software engineers at roughly $319K–$499K total comp in the US — overlapping heavily with trader pay at equivalent tenure. Traders retain the higher ceiling because their profit share scales more directly with desk P&L. If you are choosing a track, the honest framing is that seat risk differs more than year-one pay does; our trader vs researcher breakdown goes deeper on that trade-off.
What the pay actually buys: the hiring bar
Optiver's comp is the reward for clearing one of the most selective funnels in trading. The process starts with the famous 80-in-8 mental math test (80 arithmetic questions, 8 minutes), moves through sequence and personality assessments covered in our Optiver online assessment guide, and ends with probability, game and market-making interviews detailed in our full process walkthrough. Offer rates are low single digits by most accounts, which is exactly why the pay clears $300K for new grads: the firm is paying for a filter most candidates fail at the first screen.
Ready to earn it? Start with the 80-in-8 simulator to benchmark your mental math speed, work through real Optiver interview questions with worked solutions, and practice quoting under pressure in our market-making games — the same skills the profit share ultimately pays for.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a new grad trader make at Optiver?
Candidate reports on Wall Street Oasis and Glassdoor put first-year total compensation for US graduate traders at roughly $300K to $400K as of mid-2026, built from a base of about $150K to $200K plus signing bonus and profit share. Amsterdam and Sydney graduates report lower nominal figures, roughly EUR-equivalent averages near $200K and A$140K to A$225K respectively. All figures are self-reported, and profit share makes actual outcomes vary significantly year to year.
Does Optiver pay more in Amsterdam or Chicago?
Reported nominal pay is higher in Chicago, where US prop-firm market rates apply and senior traders have reported total compensation up to roughly $755K on Glassdoor. Amsterdam trader reports average around $205K with a range of roughly $140K to $460K. However, Dutch tax treatment for international hires and Amsterdam's lower cost of living narrow the real after-tax gap more than the headline numbers suggest.
How does Optiver's bonus and profit-sharing work?
Optiver pays a moderate base salary plus a profit-share bonus tied to the firm's and desk's trading results, with no stock component in the typical package. Profit share usually dominates total compensation from the first full year onward. This means pay is volatile: strong volatility years can push junior trader compensation well above reported medians, while quiet years compress it.
Is Optiver's salary higher than Jane Street or Citadel Securities?
Reported new-grad packages at Optiver, Jane Street and Citadel Securities all cluster in a similar top-of-market band, roughly $300K to $450K in first-year total compensation as of mid-2026. Jane Street's reported new-grad numbers are often somewhat higher on base, while Optiver's profit-share model creates a wider spread of outcomes. Differences at the offer stage are usually smaller than differences in how compensation grows with performance afterward.
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