---
title: "Yes, $100k Is Real — Here's When to Walk Away Anyway"
author: Liat Sacks
date: 2026-10-09
updated: 2026-10-09
url: https://pairaba.com/blog-posts/yes-100k-is-real-when-to-walk-away.html
publisher: Pair ABA
summary: "Girl. You just passed. The group chat is already doing that thing where someone drops \"six figures\" like it's a personality test."
---

# Yes, $100k Is Real — Here's When to Walk Away Anyway

By Liat Sacks, Founder, Pair ABA · October 9, 2026

**Before the tea:** What follows is a recap of what people said **publicly on Reddit** — not Pair's salary bands. We're not naming employers. Corrections: **contact@pairaba.com**.

Girl. You just passed. The group chat is already doing that thing where someone drops "six figures" like it's a personality test.

So of course you open Reddit and ask: *is $90–100k+ right out of grad school actually realistic in ABA?*

Short answer from the crowd: **yes — in a lot of markets.** Longer answer: the sticker number is not the offer.

**The scene Reddit actually cast**

Some reported starting around $80–85k, with $90k+ becoming more common after a few years. Others said larger companies, higher-cost-of-living areas, and some school settings can hit that $90–100k+ range earlier.

One BCBA accepted an offer around $90k before finishing their first year—and even turned down a $100k offer. Their setup: about six clients, 27.5 billable hours per week, fully in-clinic.

**The plot twist nobody puts on the offer slide**

Some clinicians warned that higher starting salaries can also come with larger caseloads, less supervision, and heavier productivity expectations.

That's the Pair decode in one line: sticker salary ≠ sustainable math.

**Three questions before you celebrate the $100k**

**1. What's the weekly billable requirement — and what happens when cancellations hit?**

**2. What's the caseload range for a first-year BCBA, and who actually supervises me?**

**3. Why is the number this high?**

**Pair's Take**

We screen the offer the way the floor screens the offer: pay **plus** caseload **plus** billables **plus** supervision. Your cert is expensive. Don't rent it to a shop that bought your silence with a round number.

**Want offers where the math is already green?**

Tell us your location, setting, schedule, salary goals, and non-negotiables. We'll show you what's open.

Soft follow **u/PairABA**

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Source: https://pairaba.com/blog-posts/yes-100k-is-real-when-to-walk-away.html · The Pair Post, Pair ABA (https://pairaba.com/)