Microsoft Software Principal Engineer Seattle Salaries

82 verified profiles
Last updated on March 3, 2026
Average Annual Total Compensation is $318k

Employees at Microsoft as Software Principal Engineer in Seattle earn an average of $318k, mostly ranging from $304k to $471k based on 82 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 $328k Male
Average Salary : $ 328 k
👩‍💻 Female $343k Female
Average Salary : $ 343 k
For every $100 paid to men, women are paid $105
Latest Jobs
Hiring? Promote your job
Salary Profiles
Company
Title(Level)
Annual Salary
Experience
School
Degree
Location
Skills
Security Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $215k

Stocks: $54k

(Today) (20.6%) $43k

Bonus: $41k

TC:$310k

(Today) (3.6%) $299k

11yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Seattle, WA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $204k

Stocks: $63k

(Today) (20.1%) $50k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$306k

(Today) (4.1%) $293k

15yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Seattle, WA

Machine Learning Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $211k

Stocks: $108k

(Today) (20.6%) $86k

Bonus: $42k

TC:$361k

(Today) (6.2%) $338k

8yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Seattle, WA

Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $219k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (17.6%) $53k

Bonus: $34k

TC:$316k

(Today) (3.5%) $305k

9yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Seattle, WA

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $204k

Stocks: $68k

(Today) (10.0%) $61k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$320k

(Today) (2.1%) $313k

14yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Seattle, WA

🚀 AI Agents that work 24/7 to land you higher paying jobs
Backend engineer (Principal SDE)

Base: $216k

Stocks: $39k

(Today) (7.7%) $36k

Bonus: $34k

TC:$289k

(Today) (1.0%) $286k

14yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Seattle, WA

Machine Learning Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $208k

Stocks: $90k

(Today) (4.2%) $94k

Bonus: $59k

TC:$357k

(Today) (1.1%) $361k

9yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Seattle, WA

Backend Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $192k

Stocks: $51k

Bonus: $38k

TC:$282k

17yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Seattle, WA

Backend Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $217k

Stocks: $63k

Bonus: $37k

TC:$318k

15yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Seattle, WA

Backend Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $204k

Stocks: $62k

Bonus: $46k

TC:$311k

13yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Seattle, WA

100% real time & verified!

Showing only 50 profiles out of 82. Upgrade to view elite profiles
Level
Experience
Avg
25th
50th
75th
90th
95th
13 to 19 yrs
$296k
$285k
$296k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
9 to 17 yrs
$322k
$301k
$318k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
9 to 9 yrs
$354k
$354k
$354k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
Level
Experience
13 to 19 yrs
Base
$211k
Stocks / Yr
$49k
Bonus
$37k
Total Salary
$296k
Level
Experience
9 to 17 yrs
Base
$209k
Stocks / Yr
$77k
Bonus
$43k
Total Salary
$322k
Level
Experience
9 to 9 yrs
Base
$213k
Stocks / Yr
$78k
Bonus
$63k
Total Salary
$354k
Microsoft Software Principal Engineer Seattle salary levels ranges from 65 (Software Engineer) upto 66 (Software Engineering Manager), with 66 (Software Engineering Manager) level earning average salary of $354k along with $78k worth of stock options.

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

Employees at Microsoft as Software Principal Engineer in Seattle earn an average of $318k, mostly ranging from $304k per year to $471k per year based on 82 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $361k per year.

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

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Software Principal Engineer in Seattle is $318k.

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Software Principal Engineer in Seattle is $474k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $361k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $471k per year.

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

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

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

  • software engineering manager - $334k per year

  • software engineer - $318k per year

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

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $317k per year.

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

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

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

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

Employees at Microsoft as Software Principal Engineer in Seattle earn an average of $318k, mostly ranging from $304k per year to $471k per year based on 82 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $361k per year.

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

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Software Principal Engineer in Seattle is $318k.

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Software Principal Engineer in Seattle is $474k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $361k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $471k per year.

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

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

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

  • software engineering manager - $334k per year

  • software engineer - $318k per year

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

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $317k per year.

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

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

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

Salary Brackets
Percentage
100-200 k 100-200 k
Percentage : 1
200-300 k 200-300 k
Percentage : 29
300-400 k 300-400 k
Percentage : 62
400-500 k 400-500 k
Percentage : 7
Age Brackets
No age data
Browse by Locations