IT Consultant Salaries: How Much Do They Earn, Why Are They High, and What’s the Outlook?

IT consultants are said to be among the highest-paid professionals in the consulting field. So what does the average salary of an actual IT consultant look like?

In this article, we break down the salaries of both salaried IT consultants and freelance IT consultants.

We also cover average salaries by age group and specialization, making this a useful reference when considering a career change or applying for freelance contracts.

For those who aspire to become IT consultants, we also explain what the job actually entails.

How Much Do IT Consultants Earn?

IT consultants are generally considered high earners, but what is the typical salary range?

Below, we introduce the average monthly salary for salaried IT consultants, average annual income by age group, and compensation details for those who go freelance.

Average Annual Salary for Salaried IT Consultants

While figures vary by region, specialization, and area of expertise, the average monthly salary for salaried IT consultants is around ¥500,000, translating to an annual income of just over ¥6 million.

Please refer to the table below for average annual income by age group.

Age Group	Average Annual Salary (Consultant)
20s	¥5,000,000
30s	¥7,300,000
40s	¥9,000,000

For reference, the national average annual income by age group in Japan is as follows.

Age Group	National Average Annual Income
25–29	¥3,940,000
30–34	¥4,310,000
35–39	¥4,660,000
40–44	¥5,010,000
45–49	¥5,210,000

While new graduates may start with an annual salary in the ¥3 million range, some have reportedly exceeded ¥6.5 million in their second year. With peak salaries surpassing ¥12 million, this is clearly a profession where high earnings are achievable.

The figures above are averages. There are many IT consultants in their 20s and 30s who earn over ¥10 million per year.

Average Compensation for Freelance IT Consultants

Among freelance IT consultants, it is not uncommon to earn over ¥10 million per year. As a freelancer, compensation is received as project fees rather than a salary.

For typical freelance consultants, compensation is usually presented as a monthly fee based on approximately 160–180 hours of work at 100% utilization.

On our platform, “freeconsultant.jp” operated by Mirai Works Co., Ltd., IT consultant contracts at 100% utilization typically offer monthly fees ranging from ¥500,000 to ¥2,000,000.

This translates to annual earnings of approximately ¥6 million to ¥24 million, with the most common range being ¥12 million to ¥16 million — well above the widely aspirational ¥10 million mark.

While freelancers don’t receive employee benefits that come with full-time employment, the higher take-home pay more than compensates. Skilled IT consultants are in high demand, and this strong compensation trend is expected to continue going forward.

What Does an IT Consultant Do?

The role of an IT consultant is to listen to a client company’s management challenges and plan, introduce, and support IT investment strategies accordingly. IT consultants are also responsible for analyzing and selecting the necessary systems, including cost-effectiveness and scheduling.

Specifically, the process generally unfolds in the following order:

1. Conduct interviews with executives and project managers at client companies to understand their management challenges and business operations
2. Analyze the gathered information and propose solutions to the issues the company faces
3. Form a project team and oversee and drive its execution

The mission of an IT consultant is to leverage IT tools to solve a client’s management challenges. Naturally, management policies and visions differ significantly from one client to another.

Job titles within IT consulting are further segmented depending on the methods used to solve problems and the IT tools introduced.

IT Consultant Salaries by Specialization

Below, we explain IT consultant salaries by area of specialization.

SAP Consultant

An SAP consultant is an IT consultant who specializes in ERP packages developed by the German software company SAP SE.

Many large enterprises adopt SAP for efficient management, and demand for SAP consultants has been growing in recent years.

The end of support for “SAP ERP” is known as the “2025 Problem,” and the full migration to “SAP S/4HANA” is referred to as the “2027 Problem” — both of which have caused demand for SAP consultants to surge rapidly.

The average annual salary is around ¥6 million, which is higher than typical IT roles or general consulting positions. Manager-level roles such as project leaders can exceed ¥10 million.

At SAP Japan, the Japanese subsidiary of SAP SE, consultants can expect an average annual salary of ¥10.65 million to ¥12.59 million — significantly higher still.

For freelance SAP consultants working directly with companies, monthly fees of around ¥1.5 million are commonly offered. Contracts offering ¥2 million or more are also prominent, making this one of the highest-paying specializations within IT consulting. Annual earnings of ¥18 million are well within reach.

ERP Consultant

An ERP consultant refers to a consultant with deep expertise in ERP packages developed by various vendors. Beyond SAP, knowledge of Oracle’s ERP packages is also beneficial.

The role requires the ability to select and optimize the most suitable ERP solution to address a client company’s management challenges, while understanding the necessary workflows and visualizing and analyzing operational flows. Knowledge of management, cost control, taxation, and legal affairs is also advantageous.

For junior salaried ERP consultants, annual salaries are said to range from ¥5 million to ¥8 million. With dedicated experience in ERP consulting, an annual income of ¥10 million is entirely achievable.

Freelance ERP consultants are typically offered monthly fees of around ¥800,000 to ¥1.8 million, with an average of approximately ¥1.2 million per month. Annual earnings of ¥10 million — or even ¥15 million — are realistically attainable.

SCM Consultant

SCM stands for “Supply Chain Management.” A supply chain refers to the entire process from raw material procurement through manufacturing, shipping, and delivery to the end consumer — in other words, the full flow of “procurement and logistics” is called SCM.

An SCM consultant’s mission is to guide companies toward solving management challenges and reducing costs through the lens of SCM. They handle consulting from system selection, proposal, and implementation to ongoing operations — forecasting, researching, and analyzing the effectiveness of SCM management systems — and are therefore considered a type of IT consultant.

For salaried roles, annual salaries range widely from ¥4 million to ¥13 million, with the most common band being ¥6 million to ¥7.5 million. Freelance SCM consultants are commonly offered monthly fees of ¥500,000 to ¥1.5 million. On an annualized basis, this translates to roughly ¥6 million to ¥18 million — a high-earning range.

CRM Consultant

A CRM consultant is a consultant who specializes in customer relationship management (CRM) systems and tools.

The emergence of CRM consultants is driven by the growing number of channels and tools — such as e-commerce and social media — connecting customers and businesses. As more companies adopt CRM systems to centrally manage customer relationships and communications, demand for this expertise has increased.

Information gathered through CRM is shared and accumulated across employees and teams, supporting marketing, customer nurturing, service improvement, and sales efforts.

Salaried CRM consultants earn approximately ¥6 million to ¥8 million per year.

Freelance CRM consultants are typically offered monthly fees of ¥800,000 to ¥1.5 million, with ¥1 million being the most common range. Project management roles are prevalent in this field, and building a track record as a PM or PMO can open the door to even higher compensation.

Why Are IT Consultant Salaries So High?

IT consulting is a profession that demands a high level of ability and technical expertise.

According to “DX Report 2.1” published by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in 2021, common talent development challenges shared across companies include: “Technology becomes obsolete so quickly that skills learned over time are already outdated by the time they are acquired,” and “Individuals who can quickly acquire new technologies get poached.”

In other words, this reflects a growing demand for professionals who can rapidly acquire new skills and continuously develop themselves in line with IT trends, as well as those who can handle tasks flexibly enough to prevent gaps in project delivery.

Given this reality, IT consultants are frequently headhunted, prompting companies to review their employment terms to retain top talent.

For salaried IT consultants, companies aim to keep them on board long-term; for freelance IT consultants, the goal is to maintain long-term business relationships. This dynamic has driven compensation conditions upward, and IT consultant salaries are said to be on a continuous upward trajectory.

Source: METI: DX Report 2.1

IT Consultant Job Listings: What to Expect

What are the typical characteristics of IT consultant job postings?

Let’s take a look at the academic background, qualifications, and experience requirements — starting with listings on major job sites, followed by companies recruiting IT consultants, and finally freelance contract opportunities.

Companies Recruiting IT Consultants

While some general companies also recruit IT consultants, the primary employers are firms specializing in IT consulting.

These are often referred to as “IT consulting firms” to distinguish them from general consulting firms, given their IT focus and large scale. Notable examples include Accenture, Nomura Research Institute (NRI), and IBM Japan.

SIers (System Integrators) are also attracting attention as career destinations for IT consultants. SIers employ many system engineers and programmers to receive contracts for building enterprise systems. Representative examples include Fujitsu, NEC, and NTT Data.

Example IT Consultant Job Listing

Let’s look at an example of an IT consultant job listing posted on a major full-time employment recruitment site.

The following is from an IT company where professionals in their 20s and 30s are said to be thriving.

Job Description	Project planning through quality improvement proposals, management, and oversight
Requirements	Experience in software development, infrastructure construction, or IT consulting No academic requirements
Annual Salary	¥6,500,000–¥10,000,000
Salary Example	30s: ¥9,000,000
Salary Review	Twice a year
Annual Holidays	120+ days (Full two-day weekends, summer holidays, year-end/New Year holidays, paid leave)
Benefits	Maternity/paternity leave Childcare leave Nursing care leave system Skill development support (certification acquisition assistance)

Freelance IT Consultant Contract Opportunities

If you have a track record as an IT consultant, going freelance opens the door to even higher earnings.

Consultant-specialized matching platforms like our “freeconsultant.jp” consistently feature IT consultant contract opportunities.

Let’s look at the details of a contract at an IT consulting firm where the end client (placement company) is in the construction industry.

Job Description	Vendor management and handling IT strategy projects from planning through implementation
Requirements	Required: Practical experience in system development Preferred: Experience in the construction industry or graduates of architecture programs
Location	Tokyo 23 wards
Work Style	Full on-site
Monthly Fee	¥1,000,000–¥1,300,000

As shown above, contracts may require knowledge of the end client’s industry or mandate on-site presence, but freelance IT consultant opportunities are consistently set at a high compensation level.

IT Consultant Q&A

Here are some frequently asked questions about IT consultants.

Closing Thoughts

Compared to the national average, IT consultants enjoy relatively high earnings even at an early career stage. By building experience and potentially going freelance, an annual income of over ¥10 million is not out of reach.

That said, the work is wide-ranging — requiring not only IT knowledge, but also understanding of the client company’s industry and strong communication skills — so it may or may not suit every individual.

Compensation also varies by specialization, so identifying your area of strength early on is important. Even so, IT consulting remains a field where both job openings and freelance opportunities are consistently available — making it well worth considering.

We encourage you to consider registering with ConsulNext.jp to explore your options.