Microsoft Principal Software Development Engineer Salaries

247 verified profiles
Last updated on August 27, 2025
Average Annual Total Compensation is $322k

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Development Engineer earn an average of $322k, mostly ranging from $299k to $570k based on 247 profiles.

Employee Count
massive
Equity Vest
3.5 yrs ; 29% , 29% , 29% , 13%
Signing Bonus
$25k - $50k
  30,719 people laid off in the last year.
👨‍💻 Male $317k Male
Average Salary : $ 317 k
👩‍💻 Female $304k Female
Average Salary : $ 304 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
Security Engineer (Principal SDE)

Base: $183k

Stocks: $146k

(Today) (12.5%) $164k

Bonus: $28k

TC:$357k

(Today) (5.1%) $375k

25yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Atlanta, GA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)

Base: $216k

Stocks: $39k

(Today) (16.1%) $46k

Bonus: $34k

TC:$289k

(Today) (2.2%) $295k

14yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Seattle, WA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $233k

Stocks: $76k

(Today) (31.7%) $100k

Bonus: $59k

TC:$368k

(Today) (6.5%) $392k

15yrs
NA
Phd

Works in San Francisco, CA

Full Stack Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $207k

Stocks: $63k

(Today) (30.3%) $82k

Bonus: $46k

TC:$316k

(Today) (6.0%) $335k

17yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Boston, MA

Machine Learning Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $209k

Stocks: $63k

(Today) (31.7%) $83k

Bonus: $42k

TC:$313k

(Today) (6.4%) $333k

19yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Female

Base: $194k

Stocks: $49k

(Today) (30.9%) $64k

Bonus: -

TC:$243k

(Today) (6.2%) $258k

15yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Research Scientist (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $215k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (24.9%) $80k

Bonus: $61k

TC:$340k

(Today) (4.7%) $356k

14yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Full Stack Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $211k

Stocks: $58k

(Today) (24.9%) $73k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$309k

(Today) (4.7%) $323k

18yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Frontend Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $207k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (22.8%) $95k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$333k

(Today) (5.3%) $350k

12yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Portland, OR

Principal Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $204k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (22.8%) $78k

Bonus: $44k

TC:$312k

(Today) (4.6%) $327k

17yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

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Showing only 50 profiles out of 247. Upgrade to view elite profiles
Level
Experience
Avg
25th
50th
75th
90th
95th
9 to 15 yrs
$326k
$284k
$315k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
Level
Experience
9 to 15 yrs
Base
$208k
Stocks / Yr
$78k
Bonus
$45k
Total Salary
$326k
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 $326k 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 $322k, mostly ranging from $299k per year to $570k per year based on 247 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $387k 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 $322k.

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 $387k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $570k 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 - $322k per year

Which are the top locations?
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 $313k 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 $322k, mostly ranging from $299k per year to $570k per year based on 247 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $387k 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 $322k.

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 $387k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $570k 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 - $322k per year

Which are the top locations?
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 $313k 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 : 35
300-400 k 300-400 k
Percentage : 55
400-500 k 400-500 k
Percentage : 6
> 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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