So you are considering becoming a pharmacy technician? Or at least it has peaked your interest?
It is important to understand how much a pharmacy tech can make per year, but there are also some other very important things to understand about a pharmacy tech salary.
The entry level income and maximum income are often very different in certain fields. You may start at a low income that may not seem the best for you, but within a certain period of time you could be making a very healthy living.
On the other hand you may find that some fields start off very well and stay steady, or the worst is that they do not start high and do not end high either.
So for the Pharmacy Tech Salary here are a couple of figures and info you may need.
- Entry Level Salary – Entry level pharmacy technician salary is going to be right around $20,000 a year, give or take a couple thousand dollars. There are some factors that will effect how much you start out making like schooling, location, job position and more, but the average starting point will be right around 20K.
- Maximum Salary – The maximum pharmacy tech salary you can expect to make is typically around $40,000 a year. Again the factors mentioned above will have an effect on what that final figure is.
- How long will it take to get to the max pharmacy tech salary? – This is a good question and one that needs to be understood. Again there are factors that may help you get there quickly or slow you down, but in general it could take anywhere from 5-10 years to reach the maximum salary. It would be wise to contact some local pharmacies or hospitals and see if you could talk to a pharmacy technician to get a little more information about your area and the tech market you may be getting into.
Other Pharmacy Tech Salary Factors:
Pharmacy jobs come in wide variety. You could work in many different places as a pharmacy tech. You could find yourself in a drug store/pharmacy store, in the pharmacy of a grocery store or even in a hospital.
Typically the hospital pharmacy job makes the most money followed by a position in a drug store then a grocery store.
What does a Pharmacy Tech Do?
A pharmacy technician works directly under the pharmacist. Helping maintain the pharmacy, fill prescriptions and doing day to day operations.
No formal training is required to become a pharmacy technician, but completing a training program or getting a certification will help set your resume apart. The classes and programs that offer certification are typically short term, but it you plan on becoming a pharmacy tech they are a wise decision.
This field offers a great launching point into other medical fields. Many people use this career to get experience so that other potential doors can be opened easier.

