Microsoft Principal Software Development Salaries

344 verified profiles
Last updated on March 27, 2026
Average Annual Total Compensation is $326k

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Development earn an average of $326k, mostly ranging from $303k to $578k based on 344 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 $322k Male
Average Salary : $ 322 k
👩‍💻 Female $308k Female
Average Salary : $ 308 k
For every $100 paid to men, women are paid $96
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Salary Profiles
Company
Title(Level)
Annual Salary
Experience
School
Degree
Location
Skills
Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $190k

Stocks: $39k

(Today) (24.7%) $29k

Bonus: $29k

TC:$258k

(Today) (3.7%) $248k

18yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Atlanta, GA

Principal Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $241k

Stocks: $54k

(Today) (24.3%) $41k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$343k

(Today) (3.8%) $330k

13yrs
NA
Masters

Works in New York, NY

Research Scientist (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $206k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (23.1%) $60k

Bonus: $59k

TC:$343k

(Today) (5.3%) $325k

9yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Machine Learning Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $255k

Stocks: $75k

(Today) (23.6%) $57k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$378k

(Today) (4.7%) $361k

9yrs
NA
Masters

Works in San Francisco, CA

Production Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $206k

Stocks: $39k

(Today) (25.3%) $29k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$284k

(Today) (3.5%) $274k

10yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

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Data Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $217k

Stocks: $62k

(Today) (24.6%) $47k

Bonus: $43k

TC:$322k

(Today) (4.8%) $307k

21yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $206k

Stocks: $85k

(Today) (28.2%) $61k

Bonus: $41k

TC:$332k

(Today) (7.3%) $308k

7yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Dallas, TX

Base: $198k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (28.7%) $55k

Bonus: $122k

TC:$398k

(Today) (5.6%) $375k

20yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Portland, OR

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $221k

Stocks: $89k

(Today) (29.7%) $63k

Bonus: $60k

TC:$371k

(Today) (7.2%) $344k

14yrs
NA
Masters

Works in San Francisco, CA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $215k

Stocks: $89k

(Today) (29.7%) $63k

Bonus: $56k

TC:$361k

(Today) (7.3%) $334k

20yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

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Showing only 50 profiles out of 344. Upgrade to view elite profiles
Level
Experience
Avg
25th
50th
75th
90th
95th
10 to 20 yrs
$328k
$291k
$320k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
9 to 18 yrs
$333k
$291k
$316k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
22 to 22 yrs
$367k
$367k
$367k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
Level
Experience
10 to 20 yrs
Base
$210k
Stocks / Yr
$80k
Bonus
$46k
Total Salary
$328k
Level
Experience
9 to 18 yrs
Base
$207k
Stocks / Yr
$78k
Bonus
$53k
Total Salary
$333k
Level
Experience
22 to 22 yrs
Base
$234k
Stocks / Yr
$76k
Bonus
$56k
Total Salary
$367k
Microsoft Principal Software Development salary levels ranges from Principal SDE (Software Engineer) upto Principal EM (Software Engineering Manager), with Principal EM (Software Engineering Manager) level earning average salary of $367k along with $76k worth of stock options.

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

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Development earn an average of $326k, mostly ranging from $303k per year to $578k per year based on 344 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $388k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Software Development?

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

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Software Development is $686k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $388k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $578k per year.

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

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

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

  • software engineer - $326k per year

What is the median salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Software Development?

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 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 Software Development?

1% hold a PostGraduate degree.

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

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Development earn an average of $326k, mostly ranging from $303k per year to $578k per year based on 344 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $388k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Software Development?

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

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Software Development is $686k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $388k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $578k per year.

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

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

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

  • software engineer - $326k per year

What is the median salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Software Development?

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 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 Software Development?

1% hold a PostGraduate degree.

Which schools do employees working at Microsoft as Principal 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 : 33
300-400 k 300-400 k
Percentage : 57
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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