Full Stack Developer Salary After 1 Year Experience in India (2026 Reality)
After 1 year as a full stack developer, salary growth depends on one thing:
Did your skills improve, or did you just survive for 12 months?
Let’s break down the real numbers.
Average Salary After 1 Year Experience
Realistic Range:
₹4.5 LPA – ₹12 LPA
Most developers fall between ₹5–8 LPA.
Anything above ₹12 LPA at 1 year is rare and skill-driven.
Salary Based on Company Type
| Company Type | Salary After 1 Year |
|---|---|
| Service Company | ₹4.5 – ₹6.5 LPA |
| Mid-size IT Firm | ₹5 – ₹8 LPA |
| Startup | ₹6 – ₹12 LPA |
| Product Company | ₹10 – ₹18 LPA (limited cases) |
Two Real Scenarios
Scenario 1: Average Growth
- Started at ₹3.8 LPA
- Worked mostly on bug fixes
- Limited backend exposure
After 1 year → ₹5.5 LPA
This is common.
Scenario 2: Strong Skill Growth
- Built REST APIs
- Worked on database optimization
- Deployed projects to cloud
- Prepared DSA seriously
After 1 year → ₹9.5 LPA (switched company)
Skill growth = salary jump.
What Companies Expect After 1 Year
If you say “I have 1 year experience,” companies expect:
- Strong understanding of frontend (React/Angular/Vue)
- Backend API handling (Node/Java/Spring/Django)
- Database queries (SQL or MongoDB)
- Git usage
- Basic deployment knowledge
If you can’t independently build a CRUD app end-to-end, your salary will stay average.
Salary Breakdown by Skill Level
Level 1 – Basic Full Stack (₹4.5–6 LPA)
- Knows React basics
- Basic REST API calls
- Limited DB knowledge
Level 2 – Job-Ready Full Stack (₹6–9 LPA)
- Builds APIs
- Handles authentication
- Writes optimized SQL queries
- Debugs production issues
Level 3 – High Performer (₹9–14 LPA)
- Designs modules
- Deploys on AWS
- Writes scalable backend
- Understands system basics
You don’t get paid for knowing both frontend and backend.
You get paid for building working systems.
Salary by City (After 1 Year)
| City | Salary Range |
|---|---|
| Bangalore | ₹6 – ₹14 LPA |
| Hyderabad | ₹5 – ₹10 LPA |
| Pune | ₹5 – ₹9 LPA |
| Chennai | ₹4.5 – ₹8 LPA |
| Remote | ₹6 – ₹12 LPA |
Bangalore still leads due to product startups.
Should You Switch After 1 Year?
Hard truth:
Most salary jumps happen when switching companies.
Example 1:
Stayed in service company
₹4 LPA → ₹5.5 LPA
Example 2:
Switched to startup
₹4 LPA → ₹8.5 LPA
But switching without skills exposes you in interviews.
What Increases Salary Fast After 1 Year?
Focus on:
- Deep backend understanding
- API security
- Database optimization
- Basic system design
- Cloud deployment
Not random tutorials.