Microsoft Principal Software Developer Redmond Salaries

183 verified profiles
Last updated on March 3, 2026
Average Annual Total Compensation is $328k

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer in Redmond earn an average of $328k, mostly ranging from $303k to $548k based on 183 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 $332k Female
Average Salary : $ 332 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
Research Scientist (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $206k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (14.9%) $67k

Bonus: $59k

TC:$343k

(Today) (3.4%) $331k

9yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Production Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $206k

Stocks: $39k

(Today) (17.3%) $32k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$284k

(Today) (2.4%) $277k

10yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Data Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $217k

Stocks: $62k

(Today) (16.6%) $52k

Bonus: $43k

TC:$322k

(Today) (3.2%) $312k

21yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $215k

Stocks: $89k

(Today) (22.2%) $69k

Bonus: $56k

TC:$361k

(Today) (5.5%) $341k

20yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Networking Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $212k

Stocks: $63k

(Today) (18.7%) $51k

Bonus: $47k

TC:$321k

(Today) (3.6%) $310k

14yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

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Base: $231k

Stocks: $127k

(Today) (18.6%) $104k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$408k

(Today) (5.8%) $384k

20yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Redmond, WA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $208k

Stocks: $76k

(Today) (20.0%) $61k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$333k

(Today) (4.6%) $318k

9yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Redmond, WA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $247k

Stocks: $39k

(Today) (22.2%) $31k

Bonus: -

TC:$286k

(Today) (3.0%) $278k

20yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Full Stack Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $204k

Stocks: $62k

(Today) (23.3%) $48k

Bonus: $33k

TC:$299k

(Today) (4.9%) $284k

18yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Redmond, WA

Security Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $229k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (20.5%) $62k

Bonus: $132k

TC:$439k

(Today) (3.7%) $422k

20yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

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Showing only 50 profiles out of 183. Upgrade to view elite profiles
Level
Experience
Avg
25th
50th
75th
90th
95th
10 to 15 yrs
$336k
$291k
$315k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
20 to 20 yrs
$408k
$408k
$408k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
Level
Experience
10 to 15 yrs
Base
$206k
Stocks / Yr
$88k
Bonus
$50k
Total Salary
$336k
Level
Experience
20 to 20 yrs
Base
$231k
Stocks / Yr
$127k
Bonus
$49k
Total Salary
$408k
Microsoft Principal Software Developer Redmond salary levels ranges from 65 (Principal SDE) upto 66 (Software Engineer), with 66 (Software Engineer) level earning average salary of $408k along with $127k worth of stock options.

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

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer in Redmond earn an average of $328k, mostly ranging from $303k per year to $548k per year based on 183 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $390k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Software Developer Redmond?

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

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer in Redmond is $587k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $390k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $548k per year.

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

3% of employees have skills in engineering . 3% also know information systems . 3% also know mathematics .

What are the highest paying jobs at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer in Redmond?

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

  • software engineering manager - $348k per year

  • principal software engineer - $331k per year

  • software engineer - $326k per year

What is the median salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer in Redmond?

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $318k per year.

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

3% of employees lie between 31-36 yrs . 2% of the employees fall in the age group of > 41 yrs .

What qualifications do employees have at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer in Redmond?

5% hold a Graduate degree. 3% hold a PostGraduate degree.

Which schools do employees working at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer in Redmond went to?

1% of employees studied at California Institute of Technology . 1% studied at Illinois Institute of Technology .

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

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer in Redmond earn an average of $328k, mostly ranging from $303k per year to $548k per year based on 183 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $390k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Software Developer Redmond?

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

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer in Redmond is $587k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $390k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $548k per year.

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

3% of employees have skills in engineering . 3% also know information systems . 3% also know mathematics .

What are the highest paying jobs at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer in Redmond?

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

  • software engineering manager - $348k per year

  • principal software engineer - $331k per year

  • software engineer - $326k per year

What is the median salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer in Redmond?

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $318k per year.

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

3% of employees lie between 31-36 yrs . 2% of the employees fall in the age group of > 41 yrs .

What qualifications do employees have at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer in Redmond?

5% hold a Graduate degree. 3% hold a PostGraduate degree.

Which schools do employees working at Microsoft as Principal Software Developer in Redmond went to?

1% of employees studied at California Institute of Technology . 1% studied at Illinois Institute of Technology .

Salary Brackets
Percentage
100-200 k 100-200 k
Percentage : 1
200-300 k 200-300 k
Percentage : 30
300-400 k 300-400 k
Percentage : 52
400-500 k 400-500 k
Percentage : 8
> 500 k > 500 k
Percentage : 2
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 : 3
36-41 yrs 36-41 yrs
Percentage : 1
> 41 yrs > 41 yrs
Percentage : 2
Skills
Trending
engineering
3 %
information systems
3 %
mathematics
3 %
c++
2 %
c#
1 %
debugging
1 %
distributed systems
1 %
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