Microsoft Principal Developer, Software Development Salaries

217 verified profiles
Last updated on June 12, 2025
Average Annual Total Compensation is $321k

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Developer, Software Development earn an average of $321k, mostly ranging from $299k to $553k based on 217 profiles.

Employee Count
massive
Equity Vest
3.5 yrs ; 29% , 29% , 29% , 13%
Signing Bonus
$25k - $50k
  21,719 people laid off in the last year.
👨‍💻 Male $315k Male
Average Salary : $ 315 k
👩‍💻 Female $320k Female
Average Salary : $ 320 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
Principal Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $204k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (15.4%) $74k

Bonus: $44k

TC:$312k

(Today) (3.1%) $322k

17yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Machine Learning Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $218k

Stocks: $107k

(Today) (15.4%) $123k

Bonus: $63k

TC:$388k

(Today) (4.2%) $404k

11yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Principal Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $211k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (19.2%) $76k

Bonus: $42k

TC:$317k

(Today) (3.9%) $329k

10yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Redmond, WA

Principal Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $194k

Stocks: $68k

(Today) (18.6%) $81k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$301k

(Today) (4.2%) $313k

18yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Data Engineer (Principal SDE)

Base: $204k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (11.6%) $88k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$321k

(Today) (2.8%) $331k

14yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Redmond, WA

Full Stack Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $210k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (14.9%) $73k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$313k

(Today) (3.0%) $322k

19yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Backend Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $226k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (18.2%) $75k

Bonus: $45k

TC:$335k

(Today) (3.5%) $347k

11yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Mountain View, CA

Backend Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $192k

Stocks: $51k

(Today) (15.1%) $59k

Bonus: $38k

TC:$282k

(Today) (2.7%) $289k

17yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Seattle, WA

Production Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $225k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (18.5%) $76k

Bonus: $45k

TC:$334k

(Today) (3.5%) $346k

25yrs
NA
High school

Works in New York, NY

Backend Engineer (Principal SDE)

Base: $227k

Stocks: $68k

(Today) (17.7%) $80k

Bonus: $45k

TC:$340k

(Today) (3.5%) $352k

15yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Mountain View, CA

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Showing only 50 profiles out of 217. Upgrade to view elite profiles
Level
Experience
Avg
25th
50th
75th
90th
95th
10 to 20 yrs
$322k
$291k
$311k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
9 to 15 yrs
$326k
$284k
$315k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
Level
Experience
10 to 20 yrs
Base
$205k
Stocks / Yr
$81k
Bonus
$45k
Total Salary
$322k
Level
Experience
9 to 15 yrs
Base
$208k
Stocks / Yr
$78k
Bonus
$45k
Total Salary
$326k
Microsoft Principal Developer, Software Development salary levels ranges from Principal SDE (Software Engineer) upto 65 (Software Engineer), with 65 (Software Engineer) level earning average salary of $326k along with $78k worth of stock options.

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

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Developer, Software Development earn an average of $321k, mostly ranging from $299k per year to $553k per year based on 217 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $387k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Developer, Software Development?

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Principal Developer, Software Development is $321k.

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Developer, Software Development is $686k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $387k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $553k per year.

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

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

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

  • software engineer - $321k per year

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

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $311k per year.

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

0% of employees lie between 26-31 yrs . 0% of the employees fall in the age group of 36-41 yrs .

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

1% hold a PostGraduate degree.

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

0% of employees studied at Federico Santa Maria Technical University . 0% studied at Universitat Hamburg .

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

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Developer, Software Development earn an average of $321k, mostly ranging from $299k per year to $553k per year based on 217 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $387k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Developer, Software Development?

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Principal Developer, Software Development is $321k.

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Developer, Software Development is $686k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $387k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $553k per year.

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

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

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

  • software engineer - $321k per year

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

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $311k per year.

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

0% of employees lie between 26-31 yrs . 0% of the employees fall in the age group of 36-41 yrs .

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

1% hold a PostGraduate degree.

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

0% of employees studied at Federico Santa Maria Technical University . 0% studied at Universitat Hamburg .

Salary Brackets
Percentage
100-200 k 100-200 k
Percentage : 1
200-300 k 200-300 k
Percentage : 35
300-400 k 300-400 k
Percentage : 54
400-500 k 400-500 k
Percentage : 7
> 500 k > 500 k
Percentage : 2
Age Brackets
Percentage
26-31 yrs 26-31 yrs
Percentage : 0
36-41 yrs 36-41 yrs
Percentage : 0
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