What referees earn in Primera and Segunda División: fixed salary, per match, VAR and annual totals
- A Primera División referee earns between 250,000 and 300,000 euros gross annually, with a fixed salary of 12,500 euros monthly plus match bonuses and image rights
- In Segunda División income is significantly lower: fixed salary of 6,000 euros per month plus 1,800 per match on field and 900 in VAR, without image rights
- The total annual salary in Primera consists of 145,000 euros fixed, approximately 98,000 for refereeing 20 matches, 24,500 from VAR in 10 matches and 25,570 from image rights
What's up, lads? Referees catch the most stick every weekend, and at El Molinón we know all about that. But how much do First and Second Division referees actually earn? Spoiler: in the top flight, quite a bit more than you'd think, and in the second tier, quite a bit less.
🟨 First Division: salary, match fees and VAR
According to figures published by Soccerway in 2025, based on the agreement signed between the RFEF, the Referees' Technical Committee and LaLiga following the arrival of VAR, and updated annually with inflation:
| Item | First Division | Second Division |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly salary | 12,500 € | 6,000 € |
| Per match on the pitch | 4,900 € | 1,800 € |
| Per match VAR duty | 2,450 € | 900 € |
| Image rights (annual) | 25,570 € | — |
2025 figures published by Soccerway. Vozpópuli reports around 200,000 euros in fixed pay and 5,000 per match under the most recent terms. The RFEF does not publish the amounts.
🧮 Annual totals
A First Division referee officiates around 20 matches per season and does another 10 VAR duties. With the figures above: 145,000 fixed + 98,000 from matches + 24,500 from VAR + 25,570 image rights = around 293,000 euros gross. According to Vozpópuli, with the latest improvements, Spanish referees are now among the best-paid in the world, at least 50% above their European counterparts.
In the Second Division, with around 20 matches on the pitch and the odd VAR duty, the total comes to roughly 110,000-120,000 euros gross. Less than half. And that's despite the pressure in the Hypermotion being no lighter. Ask the ref who blew the Tartiere derby whistle.
⚖️ Fair or not?
For comparison: the minimum wage for a First Division player, according to the collective agreement, is 182,000 euros, and for the Second Division, 91,000. In other words, a First Division referee earns considerably more than the lowest-paid player in the category, but way below any regular starter. And if you want to see how much each Second Division club can spend on wages, check out the Hypermotion salary cap.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a First Division referee earn?
According to figures published in 2025, a fixed salary of around 12,500 euros per month, around 4,900 euros per match officiating on the pitch, 2,450 for a VAR match and around 25,570 euros per year in image rights: in total, between 250,000 and 300,000 euros gross per year.
How much does a Second Division referee earn?
A fixed salary of around 6,000 euros per month, 1,800 euros per match on the pitch and 900 per VAR match, according to figures published in 2025: around 110,000-120,000 euros gross per year.
How much does a referee earn per match?
In First Division, around 4,900 euros per match on the pitch and 2,450 in the VAR; in Second Division, 1,800 and 900 euros, respectively.
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