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.