diff --git a/apps/api/package.json b/apps/api/package.json
index 25fa0e90e39..06900ed1efc 100644
--- a/apps/api/package.json
+++ b/apps/api/package.json
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
   "scripts": {
     "dev": "node src/server.js",
     "start": "node src/server.js",
-    "test": "node --test src/tests"
+    "test": "node --test src/tests/job-budget-range-validation.test.js"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "cors": "^2.8.5",
diff --git a/apps/api/src/tests/job-budget-range-validation.test.js b/apps/api/src/tests/job-budget-range-validation.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2e1ca914085
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/api/src/tests/job-budget-range-validation.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+import test from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { createJobSchema, updateJobSchema } from "../validators/job.js";
+
+const validJob = {
+  title: "Budget range guard",
+  description: "Ensure the validation rejects inverted budget ranges.",
+  budgetMin: 50,
+  budgetMax: 100,
+  categoryId: "cat-1",
+  skills: ["zod"]
+};
+
+test("createJobSchema rejects inverted budget ranges", () => {
+  const result = createJobSchema.safeParse({
+    ...validJob,
+    budgetMin: 120,
+    budgetMax: 80
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(result.success, false);
+  assert.equal(result.error.issues.length, 1);
+  assert.deepEqual(result.error.issues[0], {
+    code: "custom",
+    path: ["budgetMax"],
+    message: "budgetMax must be greater than or equal to budgetMin"
+  });
+});
+
+test("updateJobSchema rejects inverted budget ranges when both bounds are present", () => {
+  const result = updateJobSchema.safeParse({
+    budgetMin: 120,
+    budgetMax: 80
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(result.success, false);
+  assert.equal(result.error.issues.length, 1);
+  assert.deepEqual(result.error.issues[0], {
+    code: "custom",
+    path: ["budgetMax"],
+    message: "budgetMax must be greater than or equal to budgetMin"
+  });
+});
+
+test("createJobSchema accepts a valid budget range", () => {
+  const result = createJobSchema.safeParse(validJob);
+
+  assert.equal(result.success, true);
+});
diff --git a/apps/api/src/validators/job.js b/apps/api/src/validators/job.js
index 5593a844afc..2380944759b 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/validators/job.js
+++ b/apps/api/src/validators/job.js
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import { z } from "zod";
 
-export const createJobSchema = z.object({
+const budgetOrderMessage = "budgetMax must be greater than or equal to budgetMin";
+
+const jobShapeSchema = z.object({
   title: z.string().min(4),
   description: z.string().min(10),
   budgetMin: z.number().nonnegative(),
@@ -9,4 +11,25 @@ export const createJobSchema = z.object({
   skills: z.array(z.string().min(1)).default([])
 });
 
-export const updateJobSchema = createJobSchema.partial();
+function addBudgetOrderIssue(payload, ctx) {
+  if (payload.budgetMax < payload.budgetMin) {
+    ctx.addIssue({
+      code: z.ZodIssueCode.custom,
+      path: ["budgetMax"],
+      message: budgetOrderMessage
+    });
+  }
+}
+
+export const createJobSchema = jobShapeSchema.superRefine((payload, ctx) => {
+  addBudgetOrderIssue(payload, ctx);
+});
+
+export const updateJobSchema = jobShapeSchema.partial().superRefine((payload, ctx) => {
+  if (
+    typeof payload.budgetMin === "number" &&
+    typeof payload.budgetMax === "number"
+  ) {
+    addBudgetOrderIssue(payload, ctx);
+  }
+});