How much does the Astronaut career pay in The Sims 4?
Astronaut career
Astronaut pays §26 an hour at level 1 and up to §422 an hour. The best-paying branch is Interstellar Smuggler, at §14,868 a week at its top. The promotion cheat is careers.promote Astronaut.
The Astronaut career is a full-time job from the base game in The Sims 4. Young Adult, Adult, and Elder Sims can join this track. You start at level 1 as an Intern earning 1,170 Simoleons per week.
The main track runs through level 7, where your Sim becomes an Astronaut. At level 8, you choose between two branches: Space Ranger and Interstellar Smuggler. The Interstellar Smuggler branch pays more per week at the top level.
- §26Per hour at the first level
- §422Per hour at the best level
- §14,868Per week at the best-paying level
- Full-timeBase game
Pay and hours at every level
Levels before the branches split
| Level | Title | Per hour | Schedule | Per week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intern | §26 | Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri, 08:00 for 9 h | §1,170 |
| 2 | Module Cleaner | §34 | Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri, 12:00 for 9 h | §1,530 |
| 3 | Technician | §54 | Tue Wed Thu Fri, 13:00 for 8 h | §1,728 |
| 4 | Command Center Lead | §71 | Mon Tue Wed Fri, 14:00 for 8 h | §2,272 |
| 5 | Low-Orbit Specialist | §96 | Mon Wed Fri, 08:00 for 9 h | §2,592 |
| 6 | Space Cadet | §104 | Mon Wed Fri, 06:00 for 10 h | §3,120 |
| 7 | Astronaut | §119 | Mon Wed Fri, 08:00 for 10 h | §3,570 |
Space Ranger branch, from level 8
| Level | Title | Per hour | Schedule | Per week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Planet Patrol | §179 | Mon Tue Wed Thu, 10:00 for 8 h | §5,728 |
| 9 | Sheriff of the Stars | §297 | Mon Tue Wed Thu, 10:00 for 7 h | §8,316 |
| 10 | Space Ranger | §422 | Mon Tue Wed Thu, 10:00 for 7 h | §11,816 |
Interstellar Smuggler branch, from level 8
| Level | Title | Per hour | Schedule | Per week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Moon Mercenary | §201 | Mon Wed Sat Sun, 16:00 for 8 h | §6,432 |
| 9 | Alien Goods Trader | §299 | Mon Thu Sat Sun, 16:00 for 7 h | §8,372 |
| 10 | Interstellar Smuggler | §413 | Mon Thu Sat Sun, 14:00 for 9 h | §14,868 |
Pay per week is our math: pay per hour, times the hours, times the work days.
Traits that change the pay and promotions
| Trait | Pay bonus |
|---|---|
| Business Savvy | +10% |
| Villainy Degree (BA) | +32% |
| Villainy Degree (BS) | +39% |
| Villainy Degree (BA, honors) | +36% |
| Villainy Degree (BS, honors) | +41% |
| Physics Degree (BA) | +32% |
| Physics Degree (BS) | +39% |
| Physics Degree (BA, honors) | +36% |
| Physics Degree (BS, honors) | +41% |
| Graduated High School Early | +10% |
| Graduated with Honors | +10% |
| Valedictorian | +15% |
| The Knowledge | +30% |
The game also rolls for an early promotion. The base chance is 1%, multiplied by ×10 with the Entrepreneurial trait, ×5 with the Growth Mindset moodlet.
Skills for the Astronaut career
The promotions of this career ask for these skills. The level is the highest any promotion asks for.
- Fitness to level 10
- Logic to level 5
- Rocket Science to level 4
Compare the pay of every job at one level in the career pay planner.
Astronaut cheats
Type testingcheats true first. The game accepts the career name below, in any letter case.
careers.add_career Astronautcareers.promote Astronautcareers.demote Astronautcareers.remove_career Astronaut
Work schedule and pay in the Astronaut career
Early levels require long weeks. At levels 1 and 2, your Sim works 45 hours per week across five days. An Intern at level 1 makes 26 Simoleons per hour, which totals 1,170 Simoleons per week.
As you get promoted, your work days drop while your hourly pay climbs. By level 5, Low-Orbit Specialist, you work only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 27 hours per week. Level 7 pays 119 Simoleons per hour for 30 hours of work, bringing in 3,570 Simoleons per week.
You also earn paid time off for each day you work, starting at 0.2 days at level 1. Certain traits and degrees boost your hourly pay by a set percentage. A Physics Degree (BS, honors) or Villainy Degree (BS, honors) adds 41% to your hourly rate, while the Business Savvy trait adds 10%.
Choosing Space Ranger or Interstellar Smuggler at level 8
At level 8, you must pick either the Space Ranger branch or the Interstellar Smuggler branch. Space Ranger gives you daytime shifts from Monday through Thursday starting at 10:00. At level 10, a Space Ranger earns 422 Simoleons per hour for 28 hours per week, totaling 11,816 Simoleons.
The Interstellar Smuggler branch has a higher weekly payout at the top level. At level 10, an Interstellar Smuggler makes 413 Simoleons per hour, which is slightly less per hour than Space Ranger. However, the Smuggler works 36 hours per week across Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, resulting in 14,868 Simoleons per week.
Promotions, demotions, and Astronaut career cheats
When your work performance is close to the promotion line, you have a 1% base chance of an early promotion. The Entrepreneurial trait multiplies this chance by 10, and the Growth Mindset moodlet multiplies it by 5. If performance falls to the demotion line, the base demotion chance is 100%, unless your Sim has the Professional Slacker trait, which multiplies the chance by 0.
If your Sim quits the job, the level they would rejoin at drops by one every 2 days. You can also control your job level directly in Live mode using the cheat console. Press Ctrl + Shift + C on PC or Cmd + Shift + C on Mac, type testingcheats true, and enter careers.promote Astronaut to move up one level.
Other cheats let you manage the career without playing through the shifts. Type careers.add_career Astronaut to join the job right away, or careers.demote Astronaut to drop a level. You can leave the job at any time by entering careers.remove_career Astronaut.
Questions
Which Astronaut branch pays more in The Sims 4?
The Interstellar Smuggler branch pays more per week, reaching 14,868 Simoleons at level 10. The Space Ranger branch pays 11,816 Simoleons per week at level 10 because you work 28 hours instead of 36.
What is the promotion cheat for the Astronaut career?
Open the cheat console in Live mode, enable testingcheats true, and type careers.promote Astronaut. You can also add the job with careers.add_career Astronaut.
Do university degrees increase Astronaut pay?
Yes, Physics and Villainy degrees increase your hourly pay. A BA adds 32%, a BA with honors adds 36%, a BS adds 39%, and a BS with honors adds 41%.
What happens if my Sim quits the Astronaut career?
After your Sim quits, the level they would rejoin at drops by one every 2 days. If you wait too long to rejoin, you will lose multiple levels of progress.