Start with the industry, not the role. A CFO in a Series B startup and a CFO in a 10,000 Cr manufacturing business are different jobs at different prices. Each industry has its own section, and the leadership rows are split further by funding stage, revenue or headcount.
Expect wide ranges, then narrow them. A band of 35 to 55 lakh is not vagueness. It reflects real variation in scope. A later section sets out the factors that decide where a role sits within its band.
Experience means post-qualification experience. Bands run Fresher, 2 to 5, 5 to 10, 10 to 15 and 15+ years.
All figures are annual compensation in INR lakhs, for roles based in India, unless a section states otherwise. The Middle East section uses AED and SAR.
A dash means we would not put a number on it. Some roles do not exist at some experience levels, and we have left those blank rather than guess.
These are benchmarks, not offers. City, sector, funding stage and the specific mandate all move the number. If you want a view on a live role, talk to us.
Methodology
What this guide is. A compensation reference for finance roles in India, with a short section on the UAE and Saudi Arabia. It covers permanent, full-time roles across six industry contexts. It does not cover contract or interim day rates.
Where the numbers come from. The salary tables are compiled from publicly available compensation data, cross-referenced across LinkedIn, Naukri, AmbitionBox, Glassdoor, PayScale, SalaryExpert, ERI, ICAI's published campus placement data and published industry salary reports. Every figure is triangulated from three reference points: public compensation aggregators, which are self-reported and weighted toward large employers, so they set the ceiling rather than the answer; HireGenie's 2025 working ranges for the same roles, adjusted forward; and cross-checks against live searches, which pull the aggregator numbers back toward what is actually being paid. Where sources disagreed materially, we took the narrower range. Figures are indicative ranges, not averages, and rows are marked for confidence so you can see which numbers are solid and which are indicative.
Where the judgement comes from. The market observations, the guidance on what moves a candidate within a band, and the notes on qualification, notice periods and counter-offers are drawn from HireGenie's own search work. These sections are not derived from public data and are not benchmarks. They are our view.
What we have not done. We have not run a primary compensation survey this year. We do not publish city-level breakdowns, though we note in the relevant sections where city variation is material. We have not adjusted for equity, which is discussed separately rather than folded into the ranges. For the Middle East section, we have relied on public data alone and have said so on that page.
Compiled June 2026. Compensation moves through the year, and the ranges here should be read as a position at that point rather than a live figure. Treat a range as the boundary of a sensible conversation, not as an answer.
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