Microsoft Principal Software Development Salaries

276 verified profiles
Last updated on November 24, 2025
Average Annual Total Compensation is $326k

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Development earn an average of $326k, mostly ranging from $300k to $581k based on 276 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 $304k Female
Average Salary : $ 304 k
For every $100 paid to men, women are paid $94
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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) (6.9%) $71k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$333k

(Today) (1.6%) $328k

9yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Redmond, WA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $235k

Stocks: $118k

(Today) (9.2%) $107k

Bonus: $55k

TC:$408k

(Today) (2.6%) $397k

10yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Mountain View, CA

Security Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $210k

Stocks: $62k

(Today) (10.1%) $56k

Bonus: $31k

TC:$303k

(Today) (2.1%) $296k

10yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Mountain View, CA

Full Stack Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $245k

Stocks: $88k

(Today) (9.9%) $80k

Bonus: $82k

TC:$416k

(Today) (2.1%) $407k

22yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Los Angeles, CA

Frontend Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $227k

Stocks: $62k

(Today) (7.6%) $57k

Bonus: $45k

TC:$334k

(Today) (1.4%) $329k

20yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Mountain View, CA

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Security Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $229k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (7.4%) $73k

Bonus: $132k

TC:$439k

(Today) (1.3%) $433k

20yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Machine Learning Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $211k

Stocks: $108k

(Today) (7.4%) $100k

Bonus: $42k

TC:$361k

(Today) (2.2%) $353k

8yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Seattle, WA

Base: $199k

Stocks: $54k

(Today) (6.1%) $51k

Bonus: $40k

TC:$293k

(Today) (1.1%) $290k

10yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $227k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (6.0%) $60k

Bonus: $36k

TC:$327k

(Today) (1.2%) $324k

30yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Reston, VA

Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $219k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (4.1%) $61k

Bonus: $34k

TC:$316k

(Today) (0.8%) $314k

9yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Seattle, WA

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Showing only 50 profiles out of 276. Upgrade to view elite profiles
Level
Experience
Avg
25th
50th
75th
90th
95th
9 to 15 yrs
$326k
$284k
$315k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
10 to 20 yrs
$330k
$291k
$317k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
22 to 22 yrs
$367k
$367k
$367k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
Level
Experience
9 to 15 yrs
Base
$208k
Stocks / Yr
$78k
Bonus
$45k
Total Salary
$326k
Level
Experience
10 to 20 yrs
Base
$208k
Stocks / Yr
$84k
Bonus
$46k
Total Salary
$330k
Level
Experience
22 to 22 yrs
Base
$234k
Stocks / Yr
$76k
Bonus
$56k
Total Salary
$367k
Microsoft Principal Software Development salary levels ranges from 65 (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 $300k per year to $581k per year based on 276 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $391k 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 $391k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $581k 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 - $325k per year

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

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 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 $300k per year to $581k per year based on 276 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $391k 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 $391k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $581k 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 - $325k per year

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

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 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 : 34
300-400 k 300-400 k
Percentage : 55
400-500 k 400-500 k
Percentage : 7
> 500 k > 500 k
Percentage : 3
Age Brackets
Percentage
26-31 yrs 26-31 yrs
Percentage : 0
36-41 yrs 36-41 yrs
Percentage : 0
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