Microsoft Software Engineer, Principal Salaries

251 verified profiles
Last updated on June 15, 2025
Average Annual Total Compensation is $326k

Employees at Microsoft as Software Engineer, Principal earn an average of $326k, mostly ranging from $300k to $598k based on 251 profiles.

Employee Count
massive
Equity Vest
3.5 yrs ; 29% , 29% , 29% , 13%
Signing Bonus
$25k - $50k
  21,719 people laid off in the last year.
👨‍💻 Male $321k Male
Average Salary : $ 321 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) (14.4%) $73k

Bonus: $44k

TC:$312k

(Today) (2.9%) $321k

17yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Machine Learning Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $218k

Stocks: $107k

(Today) (14.4%) $122k

Bonus: $63k

TC:$388k

(Today) (4.0%) $403k

11yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Principal Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $211k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (18.2%) $75k

Bonus: $42k

TC:$317k

(Today) (3.7%) $328k

10yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Redmond, WA

Principal Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $194k

Stocks: $68k

(Today) (17.5%) $80k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$301k

(Today) (4.0%) $313k

18yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Data Engineer (Principal SDE)

Base: $204k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (10.7%) $87k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$321k

(Today) (2.6%) $330k

14yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Redmond, WA

Full Stack Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $210k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (14.0%) $73k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$313k

(Today) (2.8%) $322k

19yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Backend Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $226k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (17.3%) $75k

Bonus: $45k

TC:$335k

(Today) (3.3%) $346k

11yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Mountain View, CA

Backend Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $192k

Stocks: $51k

(Today) (14.1%) $58k

Bonus: $38k

TC:$282k

(Today) (2.6%) $289k

17yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Seattle, WA

Production Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $225k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (17.6%) $75k

Bonus: $45k

TC:$334k

(Today) (3.4%) $345k

25yrs
NA
High school

Works in New York, NY

Backend Engineer (Principal SDE)

Base: $227k

Stocks: $68k

(Today) (16.6%) $79k

Bonus: $45k

TC:$340k

(Today) (3.3%) $351k

15yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Mountain View, CA

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Showing only 50 profiles out of 251. Upgrade to view elite profiles
Level
Experience
Avg
25th
50th
75th
90th
95th
9 to 15 yrs
$326k
$284k
$315k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
22 to 28 yrs
$426k
$334k
$349k
$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
22 to 28 yrs
Base
$229k
Stocks / Yr
$131k
Bonus
$66k
Total Salary
$426k
Level
Experience
20 to 20 yrs
Base
$272k
Stocks / Yr
$246k
Bonus
$93k
Total Salary
$612k
Microsoft Software Engineer, Principal 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 Software Engineer, Principal employees make?

Employees at Microsoft as Software Engineer, Principal earn an average of $326k, mostly ranging from $300k per year to $598k per year based on 251 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $392k per year.

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

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

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Software Engineer, Principal is $686k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $392k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $598k per year.

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

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 Software Engineer, Principal?

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

  • software engineering manager - $351k per year

  • principal software engineer - $349k per year

  • software engineer - $323k per year

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

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $314k per year.

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

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

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

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

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

Employees at Microsoft as Software Engineer, Principal earn an average of $326k, mostly ranging from $300k per year to $598k per year based on 251 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $392k per year.

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

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

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Software Engineer, Principal is $686k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $392k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $598k per year.

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

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 Software Engineer, Principal?

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

  • software engineering manager - $351k per year

  • principal software engineer - $349k per year

  • software engineer - $323k per year

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

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $314k per year.

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

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

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

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

Which schools do employees working at Microsoft as Software Engineer, Principal 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 : 32
300-400 k 300-400 k
Percentage : 51
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 : 0
31-36 yrs 31-36 yrs
Percentage : 2
36-41 yrs 36-41 yrs
Percentage : 1
> 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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