Microsoft Principal, Software Engineer Salaries

289 verified profiles
Last updated on August 30, 2025
Average Annual Total Compensation is $326k

Employees at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer earn an average of $326k, mostly ranging from $300k to $587k based on 289 profiles.

Employee Count
massive
Equity Vest
3.5 yrs ; 29% , 29% , 29% , 13%
Signing Bonus
$25k - $50k
  30,719 people laid off in the last year.
👨‍💻 Male $322k Male
Average Salary : $ 322 k
👩‍💻 Female $328k Female
Average Salary : $ 328 k
For every $100 paid to men, women are paid $102
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Salary Profiles
Company
Title(Level)
Annual Salary
Experience
School
Degree
Location
Skills
Security Engineer (Principal SDE)

Base: $183k

Stocks: $146k

(Today) (11.9%) $163k

Bonus: $28k

TC:$357k

(Today) (4.9%) $374k

25yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Atlanta, GA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)

Base: $216k

Stocks: $39k

(Today) (15.3%) $45k

Bonus: $34k

TC:$289k

(Today) (2.1%) $295k

14yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Seattle, WA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $233k

Stocks: $76k

(Today) (30.9%) $99k

Bonus: $59k

TC:$368k

(Today) (6.4%) $392k

15yrs
NA
Phd

Works in San Francisco, CA

Full Stack Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $207k

Stocks: $63k

(Today) (29.6%) $82k

Bonus: $46k

TC:$316k

(Today) (5.9%) $335k

17yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Boston, MA

Machine Learning Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $209k

Stocks: $63k

(Today) (30.9%) $83k

Bonus: $42k

TC:$313k

(Today) (6.2%) $333k

19yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Female

Base: $194k

Stocks: $49k

(Today) (30.3%) $63k

Bonus: -

TC:$243k

(Today) (6.1%) $257k

15yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Research Scientist (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $215k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (24.1%) $79k

Bonus: $61k

TC:$340k

(Today) (4.5%) $355k

14yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Full Stack Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $211k

Stocks: $58k

(Today) (24.2%) $72k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$309k

(Today) (4.6%) $323k

18yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Frontend Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $207k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (22.0%) $95k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$333k

(Today) (5.1%) $350k

12yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Portland, OR

Principal Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $204k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (22.1%) $78k

Bonus: $44k

TC:$312k

(Today) (4.5%) $326k

17yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

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Showing only 50 profiles out of 289. Upgrade to view elite profiles
Level
Experience
Avg
25th
50th
75th
90th
95th
10 to 20 yrs
$325k
$291k
$312k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
9 to 15 yrs
$326k
$284k
$315k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
20 to 20 yrs
$329k
$329k
$329k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
10 to 21 yrs
$364k
$343k
$370k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
14 to 24 yrs
$419k
$325k
$330k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
20 to 20 yrs
$612k
$612k
$612k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
Level
Experience
10 to 20 yrs
Base
$206k
Stocks / Yr
$82k
Bonus
$45k
Total Salary
$325k
Level
Experience
9 to 15 yrs
Base
$208k
Stocks / Yr
$78k
Bonus
$45k
Total Salary
$326k
Level
Experience
20 to 20 yrs
Base
$245k
Stocks / Yr
$55k
Bonus
$29k
Total Salary
$329k
Level
Experience
10 to 21 yrs
Base
$213k
Stocks / Yr
$98k
Bonus
$52k
Total Salary
$364k
Level
Experience
14 to 24 yrs
Base
$223k
Stocks / Yr
$125k
Bonus
$72k
Total Salary
$419k
Level
Experience
20 to 20 yrs
Base
$272k
Stocks / Yr
$246k
Bonus
$93k
Total Salary
$612k
Microsoft Principal, Software Engineer salary levels ranges from Principal SDE (Software Engineer) upto 67 (Software Engineer), with 67 (Software Engineer) level earning average salary of $612k along with $246k worth of stock options.

Frequently asked questions
How much do Microsoft Principal, Software Engineer employees make?

Employees at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer earn an average of $326k, mostly ranging from $300k per year to $587k per year based on 289 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $388k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal, Software Engineer?

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer is $326k.

What is the highest salary offered at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer?

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer is $686k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $388k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $587k per year.

What are the most common skills required at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer?

2% of employees have skills in engineering . 2% also know information systems . 2% also know mathematics .

What are the highest paying jobs at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer?

The top 5 highest paying jobs at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer with reported salaries are:

  • principal software engineer - $349k per year

  • software engineering manager - $334k per year

  • software engineer - $324k per year

Which are the top locations?
What is the median salary offered at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer?

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $314k per year.

How is the age distributed among employees at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer?

2% of employees lie between 31-36 yrs . 1% of the employees fall in the age group of 21-26 yrs .

What qualifications do employees have at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer?

4% hold a Graduate degree. 2% hold a PostGraduate degree.

Which schools do employees working at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer went to?

0% of employees studied at California Institute of Technology . 0% studied at Eotvos Lorand University of Applied Sciences .

Frequently asked questions
How much do Microsoft Principal, Software Engineer employees make?

Employees at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer earn an average of $326k, mostly ranging from $300k per year to $587k per year based on 289 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $388k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal, Software Engineer?

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer is $326k.

What is the highest salary offered at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer?

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer is $686k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $388k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $587k per year.

What are the most common skills required at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer?

2% of employees have skills in engineering . 2% also know information systems . 2% also know mathematics .

What are the highest paying jobs at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer?

The top 5 highest paying jobs at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer with reported salaries are:

  • principal software engineer - $349k per year

  • software engineering manager - $334k per year

  • software engineer - $324k per year

Which are the top locations?
What is the median salary offered at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer?

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $314k per year.

How is the age distributed among employees at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer?

2% of employees lie between 31-36 yrs . 1% of the employees fall in the age group of 21-26 yrs .

What qualifications do employees have at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer?

4% hold a Graduate degree. 2% hold a PostGraduate degree.

Which schools do employees working at Microsoft as Principal, Software Engineer went to?

0% of employees studied at California Institute of Technology . 0% studied at Eotvos Lorand University of Applied Sciences .

Salary Brackets
Percentage
100-200 k 100-200 k
Percentage : 1
200-300 k 200-300 k
Percentage : 32
300-400 k 300-400 k
Percentage : 52
400-500 k 400-500 k
Percentage : 6
> 500 k > 500 k
Percentage : 3
Age Brackets
Percentage
21-26 yrs 21-26 yrs
Percentage : 1
26-31 yrs 26-31 yrs
Percentage : 1
31-36 yrs 31-36 yrs
Percentage : 2
36-41 yrs 36-41 yrs
Percentage : 1
> 41 yrs > 41 yrs
Percentage : 1
Skills
Trending
engineering
2 %
information systems
2 %
mathematics
2 %
c++
1 %
c#
1 %
debugging
1 %
distributed systems
1 %
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