How much do refs make to officiate the Super Bowl?

The unfortunate truth of the Super Bowl and any NFL game is that the refs often become the storyline. Whether it's warranted for a questionable call (or several) or just an upset fanbase looking for a scapegoat, officials are frequently brought into the forefront.

For the most part, it's a thankless job being an NFL ref. There is little upside to calling the Super Bowl or any other game well, but plenty of blame ready to be put on them at a moment's notice if something goes awry. The crew for Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers is certainly hoping that they can land in the wave of anonymity, but you never know how things will play out.

One of the questions that many fans watching the Super Bowl ask, though, is how much do the refs make for this game? Yes, that can be a question derived from the idea that they're making "too much" because of doing a poor job, but it's also just curiosity generally to some degree too.

So what does a Super Bowl ref make for officiating the Big Game? Here's what we know.

How much do Super Bowl refs make?

Though the official salary figures are not released, reports and past CBA agreements indicate that refs in the Super Bowl make in the range of $40,000-$50,000 for officiating the big game. This comes as a postseason bonus for the refs selected to be on the Super Bowl crew and is a huge step up from the $3,000-$5,000 per game numbers that they receiver for officiating postseason games prior to the Super Bowl.

It is important to note two things about how much refs make to call the Super Bowl. First of all, this is an earned honor for NFL officials. The league chooses the officials based on merit and their work throughout the season, so it's an honor to simply be able to do this.

The other thing of note is that NFL refs already reportedly make a salary north of $200,000 for the season and their roles over the 18 weeks. Reffing a postseason game and the Super Bowl is an additional bonus added to their already sizable salaries.