Microsoft Principal Software Developer Salaries

318 verified profiles
Last updated on January 31, 2026
Average Annual Total Compensation is $328k

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer earn an average of $328k, mostly ranging from $301k to $608k based on 318 profiles.

Employee Count
massive
Equity Vest
3.5 yrs ; 29% , 29% , 29% , 13%
Signing Bonus
$25k - $50k
  30,761 people laid off in the last year.
👨‍💻 Male $325k Male
Average Salary : $ 325 k
👩‍💻 Female $328k Female
Average Salary : $ 328 k
For every $100 paid to men, women are paid $101
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Salary Profiles
Company
Title(Level)
Annual Salary
Experience
School
Degree
Location
Skills
Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $208k

Stocks: $76k

(Today) (15.2%) $65k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$333k

(Today) (3.5%) $322k

9yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Redmond, WA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $235k

Stocks: $118k

(Today) (17.3%) $97k

Bonus: $55k

TC:$408k

(Today) (5.0%) $387k

10yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Mountain View, CA

Security Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $210k

Stocks: $62k

(Today) (18.0%) $51k

Bonus: $31k

TC:$303k

(Today) (3.7%) $291k

10yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Mountain View, CA

Full Stack Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $245k

Stocks: $88k

(Today) (17.9%) $72k

Bonus: $82k

TC:$416k

(Today) (3.8%) $400k

22yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Los Angeles, CA

Frontend Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $227k

Stocks: $62k

(Today) (15.8%) $52k

Bonus: $45k

TC:$334k

(Today) (2.9%) $324k

20yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Mountain View, CA

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Security Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $229k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (15.7%) $66k

Bonus: $132k

TC:$439k

(Today) (2.8%) $426k

20yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Machine Learning Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $211k

Stocks: $108k

(Today) (15.6%) $91k

Bonus: $42k

TC:$361k

(Today) (4.7%) $344k

8yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Seattle, WA

Base: $199k

Stocks: $54k

(Today) (14.4%) $47k

Bonus: $40k

TC:$293k

(Today) (2.7%) $285k

10yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $227k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (14.3%) $55k

Bonus: $36k

TC:$327k

(Today) (2.8%) $318k

30yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Reston, VA

Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $219k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (12.6%) $56k

Bonus: $34k

TC:$316k

(Today) (2.5%) $308k

9yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Seattle, WA

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Showing only 50 profiles out of 318. Upgrade to view elite profiles
Level
Experience
Avg
25th
50th
75th
90th
95th
9 to 15 yrs
$326k
$284k
$315k
$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
9 to 15 yrs
Base
$208k
Stocks / Yr
$78k
Bonus
$45k
Total Salary
$326k
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 Developer salary levels ranges from 65 (Principal SDE) 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 Developer employees make?

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer earn an average of $328k, mostly ranging from $301k per year to $608k per year based on 318 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $397k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Software Developer?

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer is $328k.

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer is $686k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $397k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $608k per year.

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

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 Developer?

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

  • principal software engineer - $349k per year

  • software engineering manager - $337k per year

  • software engineer - $327k per year

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

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $316k per year.

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

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 Developer?

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

Which schools do employees working at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer 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 Developer employees make?

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer earn an average of $328k, mostly ranging from $301k per year to $608k per year based on 318 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $397k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Software Developer?

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer is $328k.

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer is $686k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $397k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $608k per year.

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

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 Developer?

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

  • principal software engineer - $349k per year

  • software engineering manager - $337k per year

  • software engineer - $327k per year

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

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $316k per year.

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

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 Developer?

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

Which schools do employees working at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer 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 : 31
300-400 k 300-400 k
Percentage : 52
400-500 k 400-500 k
Percentage : 7
> 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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