— GUIDE —
OPTIVER SALARY IN 2026
Optiver files the lowest base of any major quant firm in the US disclosure data, in both 2024 and 2025. Here is what that number is, and what it is not.
UPDATED 2026-10-08 · 9 MIN READ · BY THE VARIANCE TEAM
The available filings describe base salary for particular roles and years. They do not establish what a new offer or its discretionary bonus will be.
Article reviewed 8 October 2026. Historical tables retain the data periods and source-check dates shown below. Filing-derived numbers are a selected snapshot, not current offers; candidate-reported totals are unverified reports. An article update does not refresh the underlying dataset.
Checked against DOL disclosure data and Optiver's own postings on 21 September 2026. Optiver publishes no compensation ranges, so there is no employer-published tier on this page. Everything here is either a government filing or clearly labelled as candidate-reported.
Optiver files a $150,000 base salary in the United States. Jane Street files $300,000. Read those two numbers without context and you would conclude Optiver pays half, which is almost certainly wrong and is the most common mistake made with this dataset.
The same number, three titles, two years
Start with what is actually in the filings, because the consistency is the interesting part.
| Year | Title as filed | Median base | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Software Engineer | $150,000 | 15 |
| Quantitative Researcher | $150,000 | 15 | |
| Trader | $150,000 | 8 | |
| 2024 | Quantitative Researcher | $150,000 | 8 |
| Software Engineer | $150,000 | 6 | |
| Trader | $150,000 | 4 |
$150,000 for a researcher, $150,000 for a trader, $150,000 for a software engineer, across 49 filings in 2025 and 29 in 2024. A single year at one number could be a thin sample. Two years across three job families is a policy.
Jane Street does the same thing at exactly double: $300,000 flat across its trader, researcher and engineer filings. Two firms, two flat bands, a factor of two apart. That is a difference in how base is set, and the filings cannot tell you whether it is a difference in what anyone is paid.
Where that sits against peers
| Firm | Median base | Filings | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jane Street | $300,000 | 3 filings | DOL-derived filing snapshot |
| Five Rings | $300,000 | 9 filings | DOL-derived filing snapshot |
| Citadel Securities | $250,000 | 43 filings | DOL-derived filing snapshot |
| Jump Trading | $250,000 | 12 filings | DOL-derived filing snapshot |
| Two Sigma | $235,000 | 49 filings | DOL-derived filing snapshot |
| Optiver | $150,000 | 15 filings | DOL-derived filing snapshot |
The selected researcher filings show a lower median for Optiver in this historical sample. The chart compares filed figures, not total pay, employer quality or a current offer.
What the filing does not say
Filed or posted base salary does not determine total compensation. A discretionary bonus can vary by firm, role and year, and can be zero. This guide does not estimate total pay by multiplying base salary.
This snapshot shows lower filed wages for particular Optiver roles and years. It does not show a discretionary bonus or establish the fixed salary in a new offer. Comparing total pay requires actual equivalent-role packages.
Chicago, New York and Austin
| Firm | Median base | Filings | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $175,000 | 19 filings | DOL-derived filing snapshot |
| Chicago | $150,000 | 23 filings | DOL-derived filing snapshot |
| Austin | $150,000 | 8 filings | DOL-derived filing snapshot |
New York files $175,000 against $150,000 in Chicago and Austin. The premium is real but small, and it does not come close to covering the cost-of-living difference. Optiver's largest US presence by filing count is Chicago, which is also the cheaper city, so the nominal ranking and the take-home ranking point in opposite directions.
Internships: nothing published
Optiver states no compensation range on its intern postings. Citadel Securities posts $4,500 to $5,800 a week and Jane Street posts an annualised $300,000; Optiver posts neither, and it is under no obligation to, since its largest US office is in Illinois rather than New York State.
Candidate reports put an eight-week Optiver placement around $80,000 to $90,000 in total compensation. That figure has no employer behind it, so it belongs in the weakest tier on this site and should not be used to anchor anything. The firms that do publish are compared in the quant intern pay guide.
Amsterdam
Optiver is an Amsterdam firm, and the Dutch figures are the least documented on this site. The Netherlands has no pay-transparency requirement, so there is no equivalent of the New York postings or the US filings, and everything available is self-reported.
Headline figures look far below New York. The 30% ruling for qualifying international hires and a lower cost of living close much of the after-tax gap. The city comparison, including how much of the gap survives tax, is in the pay by city guide.
How these figures were sourced
Sources are preferred in a fixed order: what the employer publishes, then what it files with the government, then named press reporting, then candidate reports. Optiver is the one firm in this cluster with nothing in the top tier, because it publishes no ranges anywhere.
- Employer-published
- Published by the employer on its own job posting or careers site.
- DOL-derived filing snapshot
- Labor Condition Application disclosure data filed with the US Department of Labor ahead of an H-1B petition. Base salary only.
- Press report
- Reported by a named publication with an editorial standard.
- Candidate-reported
- Self-reported by candidates and aggregated by a third party. Unverified and prone to selection bias.
One methodological note specific to this firm. Optiver's filings sit under the legal entity Optiver Services US LLC, not under "Optiver". A search against the trading name returns nothing, which reads like a firm that does not sponsor rather than one that files 49 records a year. Salary pages reporting that Optiver has no US filings have made exactly that mistake.
Where these numbers come from
DOL-derived filing snapshot
US Department of Labor LCA disclosure data, via h1bdata.info
Selected historical records accessed through h1bdata.info, a secondary mirror. Original source: US Department of Labor disclosure files. Previously checked 2026-09-21; the snapshot was not independently regenerated in the 2026-10-08 article review.
Last checked 2026-09-21
Candidate-reported
Glassdoor, 97 self-reported Optiver Amsterdam trader salaries
Last checked 2026-09-21
Candidate-reported
Reported at $80,000–$90,000 total compensation for an eight-week placement. Optiver does not publish intern compensation.
Last checked 2026-09-21
Frequently asked questions
How much does Optiver pay?
Optiver Services US LLC filed a $150,000 median base salary with the US Department of Labor across 49 records in fiscal year 2025, and the same $150,000 across 29 records in 2024. This is historical base-pay context, not total compensation or a guaranteed new offer. The sources do not establish the discretionary bonus.
Why is Optiver's filed salary half of Jane Street's?
The selected historical filings show different base salaries. They do not reveal the discretionary bonuses needed to compare total compensation. A lower filed base alone cannot tell you which firm pays more overall.
Does Optiver pay the same to traders and researchers?
On filed base, yes. In 2025 Optiver filed $150,000 as the median for Software Engineer (15 records), Quantitative Researcher (15 records) and Trader (8 records) alike. The pattern repeated in 2024 across the same three titles, which suggests a deliberate flat base policy rather than a small-sample coincidence.
Does Optiver publish intern pay?
No. Optiver does not state a compensation range on its intern postings, unlike Citadel Securities and Jane Street, both of which do. Figures circulating for Optiver internships are candidate-reported and cluster around $80,000 to $90,000 in total compensation for an eight-week placement. Treat that as unverified.
Does Optiver pay more in Chicago or New York?
New York, on filed base. Optiver's 2025 filings show a $175,000 median across 19 New York records against $150,000 across 23 in Chicago and 8 in Austin. The gap is small and the cost-of-living difference between New York and Chicago is not, so Chicago is arguably the better of the two on take-home.
What does Optiver pay in Amsterdam?
The city ranges in this guide come from differently sampled historical reports. They do not establish an equivalent-role comparison or after-tax advantage. Obtain the written package and current tax treatment for each specific offer.
Keep reading
- Optiver online assessment guide — the screen that decides most Optiver applications.
- Jane Street salary — the other flat band, at double the level.
- Citadel Securities salary — a firm that does publish its intern range.
- Quant salary guide 2026 — the full picture across firms, titles and levels.
Data period and verification limits
The FY2024 and FY2025 filing tables describe a selected historical snapshot under Optiver Services US LLC. They do not establish the bonus or a current offer. The Optiver jobs directory was reviewed 8 October 2026; compensation must be checked on the specific current role, rather than treating an earlier absence of published ranges as a permanent firm policy.