Microsoft Principal Software Engineer Salaries

258 verified profiles
Last updated on March 31, 2025
Average Annual Total Compensation is $325k

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Engineer earn an average of $325k, mostly ranging from $299k to $596k based on 258 profiles.

Employee Count
massive
Equity Vest
3.5 yrs ; 29% , 29% , 29% , 13%
Signing Bonus
$25k - $50k
  15,414 people laid off in the last year.
👨‍💻 Male $320k Male
Average Salary : $ 320 k
👩‍💻 Female $340k Female
Average Salary : $ 340 k
For every $100 paid to men, women are paid $106
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Salary Profiles
Company
Title(Level)
Annual Salary
Experience
School
Degree
Location
Skills
Principal Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $204k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (7.8%) $59k

Bonus: $44k

TC:$312k

(Today) (1.6%) $307k

17yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Machine Learning Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $218k

Stocks: $107k

(Today) (7.9%) $98k

Bonus: $63k

TC:$388k

(Today) (2.2%) $380k

11yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Principal Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $211k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (4.9%) $61k

Bonus: $42k

TC:$317k

(Today) (1.0%) $313k

10yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Redmond, WA

Principal Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $194k

Stocks: $68k

(Today) (5.4%) $64k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$301k

(Today) (1.2%) $297k

18yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Data Engineer (Principal SDE)

Base: $204k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (11.0%) $70k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$321k

(Today) (2.7%) $313k

14yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Redmond, WA

Full Stack Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $210k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (8.3%) $58k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$313k

(Today) (1.7%) $307k

19yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Backend Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $226k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (5.7%) $60k

Bonus: $45k

TC:$335k

(Today) (1.1%) $332k

11yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Mountain View, CA

Backend Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $192k

Stocks: $51k

(Today) (8.0%) $47k

Bonus: $38k

TC:$282k

(Today) (1.5%) $278k

17yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Seattle, WA

Production Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $225k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (5.3%) $60k

Bonus: $45k

TC:$334k

(Today) (1.0%) $331k

25yrs
NA
High school

Works in New York, NY

Backend Engineer (Principal SDE)

Base: $227k

Stocks: $68k

(Today) (6.0%) $64k

Bonus: $45k

TC:$340k

(Today) (1.2%) $335k

15yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Mountain View, CA

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Showing only 50 profiles out of 258. Upgrade to view elite profiles
Level
Experience
Avg
25th
50th
75th
90th
95th
9 to 15 yrs
$326k
$284k
$315k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
21 to 24 yrs
$464k
$391k
$464k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
20 to 20 yrs
$612k
$612k
$612k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
Level
Experience
9 to 15 yrs
Base
$208k
Stocks / Yr
$78k
Bonus
$45k
Total Salary
$326k
Level
Experience
21 to 24 yrs
Base
$240k
Stocks / Yr
$149k
Bonus
$76k
Total Salary
$464k
Level
Experience
20 to 20 yrs
Base
$272k
Stocks / Yr
$246k
Bonus
$93k
Total Salary
$612k
Microsoft Principal Software Engineer salary levels ranges from 65 (Principal SDE) upto 67 (Software Engineer), with 67 (Software Engineer) level earning average salary of $612k along with $246k worth of stock options.

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

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Engineer earn an average of $325k, mostly ranging from $299k per year to $596k per year based on 258 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $390k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Software Engineer?

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Principal Software Engineer is $325k.

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Software Engineer is $686k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $390k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $596k per year.

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

2% of employees have skills in engineering . 2% also know information systems . 2% also know mathematics .

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

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

  • principal software engineer - $349k per year

  • software engineering manager - $334k per year

  • software engineer - $323k per year

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

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $312k per year.

How is the age distributed among employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Engineer?

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

What qualifications do employees have at Microsoft as Principal Software Engineer?

5% hold a Graduate degree. 2% hold a PostGraduate degree.

Which schools do employees working at Microsoft as Principal Software Engineer went to?

0% of employees studied at California Institute of Technology . 0% studied at Eotvos Lorand University of Applied Sciences .

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

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Engineer earn an average of $325k, mostly ranging from $299k per year to $596k per year based on 258 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $390k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Software Engineer?

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Principal Software Engineer is $325k.

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Software Engineer is $686k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $390k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $596k per year.

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

2% of employees have skills in engineering . 2% also know information systems . 2% also know mathematics .

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

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

  • principal software engineer - $349k per year

  • software engineering manager - $334k per year

  • software engineer - $323k per year

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

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $312k per year.

How is the age distributed among employees at Microsoft as Principal Software Engineer?

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

What qualifications do employees have at Microsoft as Principal Software Engineer?

5% hold a Graduate degree. 2% hold a PostGraduate degree.

Which schools do employees working at Microsoft as Principal Software Engineer went to?

0% of employees studied at California Institute of Technology . 0% studied at Eotvos Lorand University of Applied Sciences .

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 : 50
400-500 k 400-500 k
Percentage : 7
> 500 k > 500 k
Percentage : 3
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 : 2
36-41 yrs 36-41 yrs
Percentage : 2
> 41 yrs > 41 yrs
Percentage : 2
Skills
Trending
engineering
2 %
information systems
2 %
mathematics
2 %
c++
2 %
c#
1 %
debugging
1 %
distributed systems
1 %
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