Microsoft Principal Software Development Engineer Salaries

343 verified profiles
Last updated on March 3, 2026
Average Annual Total Compensation is $326k

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Development Engineer earn an average of $326k, mostly ranging from $303k to $578k based on 343 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 $321k Male
Average Salary : $ 321 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
Principal Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $241k

Stocks: $54k

(Today) (16.2%) $46k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$343k

(Today) (2.6%) $335k

13yrs
NA
Masters

Works in New York, NY

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $190k

Stocks: $39k

(Today) (16.8%) $32k

Bonus: $29k

TC:$258k

(Today) (2.5%) $252k

18yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Atlanta, GA

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

Machine Learning Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $255k

Stocks: $75k

(Today) (15.4%) $63k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$378k

(Today) (3.0%) $367k

9yrs
NA
Masters

Works in San Francisco, CA

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

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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: $206k

Stocks: $85k

(Today) (20.5%) $68k

Bonus: $41k

TC:$332k

(Today) (5.3%) $314k

7yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Dallas, TX

Base: $198k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (21.1%) $61k

Bonus: $122k

TC:$398k

(Today) (4.1%) $381k

20yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Portland, OR

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $221k

Stocks: $89k

(Today) (22.2%) $69k

Bonus: $60k

TC:$371k

(Today) (5.3%) $351k

14yrs
NA
Masters

Works in San Francisco, CA

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

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Showing only 50 profiles out of 343. Upgrade to view elite profiles
Level
Experience
Avg
25th
50th
75th
90th
95th
9 to 18 yrs
$333k
$291k
$316k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
Level
Experience
9 to 18 yrs
Base
$207k
Stocks / Yr
$78k
Bonus
$53k
Total Salary
$333k
Microsoft Principal Software Development Engineer salary levels ranges from 65 (Principal SDE) upto 65 (Principal SDE), with 65 (Principal SDE) level earning average salary of $333k along with $78k worth of stock options.

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

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Development Engineer earn an average of $326k, mostly ranging from $303k per year to $578k per year based on 343 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $388k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Software Development Engineer?

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

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Software Development Engineer 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 Engineer?

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

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

  • software engineer - $326k per year

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

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 Engineer?

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 Engineer?

1% hold a PostGraduate degree.

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

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Development Engineer earn an average of $326k, mostly ranging from $303k per year to $578k per year based on 343 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $388k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Software Development Engineer?

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

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Software Development Engineer 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 Engineer?

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

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

  • software engineer - $326k per year

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

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 Engineer?

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 Engineer?

1% hold a PostGraduate degree.

Which schools do employees working at Microsoft as Principal Software Development Engineer 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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