how much do super bowl refs make

February 13, 2026

NFL Super Bowl referees are estimated to earn a big one-time bonus for the game, on top of an already high regular-season salary.

Quick Scoop: How Much Do Super Bowl Refs Make?

Super Bowl refs don’t have publicly disclosed pay, but multiple reports and CBA-based estimates put their game check in the tens of thousands.

The head referee (the lead official) is widely reported to get a bonus in the range of about $30,000 to $50,000 for working the Super Bowl.

Other on-field officials also get a substantial postseason/Super Bowl bump, generally estimated in the low-to-mid thousands per playoff game , with the Super Bowl as the top tier.

Across a full year, an NFL referee’s average salary is around $205,000 per season , before postseason bonuses.

So while there isn’t an official, exact public number, the best current picture is:

Regular-season refs: about $200K+ per year on average.

Super Bowl head ref: roughly $30K–$50K extra for that one game.

In other words, one great night under the lights can be worth as much as a decent full-time salary all by itself.

Mini Breakdown: Regular Season vs Super Bowl

Regular season per game : Roughly $10,800–$12,000 per assignment based on average salary spread across games.

Playoff games (non–Super Bowl) : Commonly estimated at $3,000–$5,000 per game as a postseason bonus level.

Super Bowl head ref : Reported $30K–$50K bonus , the highest single-game payday an NFL official can get.

These numbers also reflect how Super Bowl assignments are treated as a prestige reward for the top-graded officials each season, not just a better paycheck.

Forum-Style Take: Why People Talk About It

You’ll often see fans on forums saying things like, “For that kind of money, they better not miss a call.” The reality is:

Super Bowl refs are under huge pressure because one mistake is replayed forever, yet they earn far less than players and coaches on the field.

Being picked for the Super Bowl is a badge of honor , since officials are graded all season and only the best get that slot.

In recent years, debates around calls in big games have made the question “how much do Super Bowl refs make?” a trending topic almost every February.

Quick HTML Table for SEO Nerds

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<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Role / Context</th>
      <th>Estimated Pay</th>
      <th>Notes</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Average NFL referee (season)</td>
      <td>≈ $205,000 per year</td>
      <td>Based on CBA-linked estimates; varies with experience.[web:1][web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Regular-season game</td>
      <td>≈ $10,800–$12,000 per game</td>
      <td>Derived from average salary divided over assigned games.[web:1][web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Playoff game (non–Super Bowl)</td>
      <td>≈ $3,000–$5,000 per game</td>
      <td>Postseason bonus estimates, not officially published.[web:1][web:5][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Super Bowl head referee</td>
      <td>≈ $30,000–$50,000 bonus</td>
      <td>Widely reported bonus range for the Big Game.[web:1][web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

TL;DR

Super Bowl refs make serious money for one game , but most of it comes as a special bonus on top of an already six-figure NFL salary , with the head ref pulling in an estimated $30K–$50K just for the Super Bowl itself.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.